Sukhothai History

1238: Two local Thai princes, Khun Bang Klang and Khun Pa Muang, who were officials under the Khmer-administered government of Sayam, launched a rebellion. The Khmers were unable to subdue them, and hence they founded a new independent state in Sayam, called Sukhothai. While Khun Bang Klang was made king, with the title Si Inthradit, Khun Pa Muang was only given a government post, due mainly to his marriage to a Khmer princess, making him unworthy material for a higher position.
The kingdom of Sukhothai grew rapidly through conquest, and through annexation of Thai principalities that were previously under Khmer rule. Unlike the Khmers, the new Sukhothai kingdom was considered attractive by the surrounding principalities due to its relaxed laws, including no slavery and no excessive taxation.

1254: The army of Kublai Khan lay waste much of the kingdoms, including that of Bagan in Burma. Its conquest of the Nanchao Kingdom of southern China resulted in a great wave of Thai refugees flooding Sukhothai from Yunnan.

1262: Prince Mangrai, from the collapsed Nanchao Kingdom, escaped south to establish the new kingdom of Lanna, centred in Chiang Rai, and similarly assimilated the surrounding principalities into his realm. Although relationship between Sukhothai and Lanna was cordial - in the first few decades, at least - there was no attempt to unite. As the Lanna Kingdom would later side with Burma against the Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, becoming a vassal to Burma, and eventually being integrated into Burma in subsequent centuries, the Thais are not as attached to the Lanna Kingdom as they are to Sukhothai.

1279: Ramkhamhaeng, the youngest son of Si Inthrathit, became king. During his reign, his army conquered most of what is present-day Thailand, as well as almost the whole of the Malay Peninsula, and the eastern parts of Burma. Thus his rule was not only over the Thai people, but also the Burmese Mons, the Shans, the Malays, the Khmers and the Laotians. As relation with King Mangrai of Lanna remained cordial, Ramkhamhaeng did not intrude on his northern neighbour. Ramkhamhaeng created the Thai alphabet, drawing on Sanskrit and Pali, codified laws, and conducted reforms to Buddhism.

1283: King Mangrai of Lanna conquered the Mon kingdom of Haripunjaya, in present-day Lamphun. Future Mon kingdoms would always be located on the western side of the mountain range that separated Burma from Thailand.

1300: King Ramkhamhaeng died. His son Loetai became king, but the influence of Sukhothai weakened under him. Most of the principalities under him became rather independent of Sukhothai rule. one of them, Phayao, was annexed into Lanna in 1338. Around 1350, the principality of U-Thong, under its general (who is called General U-Thong, after the principality) broke off from Sukhothai. General U-Thong established a new kingdom in the town of Ayutthaya.

1347: Prince Lutai, son of King Loetai, became king, taking on the title of Tammaracha I. As Tammaracha I was more incline towards religions studies, the kingdom slid further into decline.

1370: King Lutai died, and was replaced by his son Prince Sai, who took the title Tammaracha II.

1371: King Boromaraja I of Ayutthaya invaded Sukhothai, capturing several towns. (Ayutthaya history).

1375: King Boromaraja I captured Phitsanulok, the substitute capital of Sukhothai.

1378: King Tammaracha II was forced to become a vassal of King Boromaraja I, effectively ending the independence of the kingdom of Sukhothai.

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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