Somdet Phra Ramesuan ( th, สมเด็จพระราเมศวร, ; 1339–1395), son of king
Ramathibodi I
King U-thongThe Royal Institute. List of monarchs Ayutthaya''. ( th, พระเจ้าอู่ทอง) or King Ramathibodi I ( th, สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑ ; 1314–1369) was the first king of ...
, reigned as the second and fifth king of the kingdom of
Ayutthaya. When King Ramathibodi ascended to the throne of Ayuthaya, he sent King Ramesuan to reign in
Lavo. Upon King Ramathibodi's death in 1369, King Ramesuan traveled to
Ayutthaya to assume the throne, but held it for less than a year before being deposed by his uncle, King
Borommaracha I, the ruler of
Suphanburi. Sources differ over the nature of their conflict; official chronicles state that the older Boromaracha ruled with the willing consent of his nephew, while
Jeremias van Vliet's ''Short History of Thailand'' indicated that Boromaracha's ascension came only after a bloody conflict bordering on civil war.
Whatever the case, by 1388 King Ramesuan had gathered sufficient support from his power base in Lavo to return to Ayutthaya and challenge Boromarachi's 17-year-old son
Thong Lan for the throne. King Ramesuan's forces quickly took the palace and executed Thong Lan. King Ramesuan then held the throne until 1395, when he was succeeded by his son Rama (also known as
Ramaracha).
During King Ramesuan's second reign, the king seems to have come to an understanding with the kingdom of
Sukhothai, against whom Boromaracha had warred throughout his reign. Instead, some sources record conflicts with the kingdom of
Lan Na (in northern
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
), and the empire of
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
. Ayutthaya chronicles indicate that King Ramesuan took
Chiang Mai, then the capital of the kingdom of Lan Na, in 1390 and settled many captives within the kingdom of Ayutthaya.
A similar defeat of
Angkor
Angkor ( km, អង្គរ , 'Capital city'), also known as Yasodharapura ( km, យសោធរបុរៈ; sa, यशोधरपुर),Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-Engl ...
is recorded as having taken place in 1393, in response to raids from the
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
n kingdom. He placed his son on the throne but he was soon assassinated.
Neither of these battles are attested to by chronicles from Lan Na or Angkor.
Ancestry
References
* Wyatt, David K., ''Thailand: A Short History'', New Haven (Yale University), 2003.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramesuan King Of Ayutthaya
1339 births
1395 deaths
Uthong dynasty
Kings of Ayutthaya
14th-century monarchs in Asia
Princes of Ayutthaya
14th-century Thai people