Si Inthrathit ( th, ศรีอินทราทิตย์, ; also spelt ) was the first king of the

Sukhothai Kingdom The Sukhothai Kingdom ( th, สุโขทัย, , IAST: , ) was a post-classical Thai kingdom ( mandala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. The kingdom was ...

, a historical kingdom of

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 ruled from 1238 until around 1270. He is credited as the founder of the Phra Ruang (พระร่วง) Dynasty, itself credited as the first historical Siamese

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

, having a double claim to this title: for being cradled precisely in the region designated by foreigners as "

Siam 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 bo ...

", and for being the dynasty which freed the Thai principalities from the Cambodian yoke.

Difficulties in interpretation

Initially known as Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao ( th, พ่อขุนบางกลางหาว), interpreted as ”the lord who rules the sky”, the controversy surrounding this names illustrates the limitations of

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

. This science studies inscriptions or epigraphs as writing, to identify graphemes, clarify their meanings, and classify their uses according to dates and cultural contexts. Texts inscribed on steles are often missing the top or bottom portions, just where one would expect dates, complicating the drawing of conclusions about the writing and the writers. Specifically excluded from epigraphy are the historical significance of an epigraph as a document, and the artistic value of a literary composition. These complications led to the ruler in his early life being known as simply Hao (หาว).

Life

Prior to his reign, Bang Klang Hao was the chief of Bang Yang, a territory which belonged to the westernmost regions of the Khmer Empire at that time. The territory now lies in the north-central region of

. Bang Klang Hao, together with Khun

Pha Mueang Pha Mueang (full name Pho Khun Pha Mueang, th, พ่อขุนผาเมือง; late 13th century – mid 14th century) was a Thai nobleman and general who was the Lord of Rad and played a significant role in the founding of the Sukhothai ...

of Mueang Rat, decided to rebel and declare independence from

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 ...

. Khmer control and its prohibitive taxes were crucial motivations for the rebellion. Extensive Khmer preoccupation with great architectural works weakened the ability and readiness of Khmer defenses, indirectly aiding the rebellion. Bang Klang Hao captured

Si Satchanalai The Si Satchanalai Historical Park ( th, อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์ศรีสัชนาลัย) is a historical park in Si Satchanalai district, Sukhothai Province, northern Thailand. The park covers the rui ...

and gave it to Pha Mueang. Pha Mueang reciprocated by giving him Sukhothai. Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao was then declared king at Sukhothai, taking a regnal name of

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominalization, nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cul ...

origin, Si Inthrathit, translated from " Adityan Indra". His skill and bravery greatly impressed the people of the kingdom, who thus conferred him the title Phra Ruang (”glorious prince”). This title was given to all subsequent rulers of Sukhothai, thus giving rise to the first Thai royal dynasty of Phra Ruang. Si Inthrathit and his queen, Sueang, had three sons. The eldest died at a young age, and the second was named Ban Mueang. His third son defeated a Khmer prince on elephants in mounted combat; he named this youngest son

Ram Khamhaeng Ram Khamhaeng ( th, รามคำแหง, ) or Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat ( th, พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช, ), also spelled Ramkhamhaeng, was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhoth ...

(”

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

the Bold“) in tribute to the feat. Si Inthrathit died around 1270, and was succeeded by his son Ban Mueang.

Difficulties in interpretation

Life

References

Further reading