Editing Sukhothai Kingdom

{{short description|Kingdom in Southeast Asia (1238–1438)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox former country
| native_name            = {{native name|th|อาณาจักรสุโขทัย}}<br>{{transliteration|th|Anachak Sukhothai}}
| conventional_long_name = Sukhothai Kingdom
| common_name            = Sukhothai
| era                    = Post-classical era
| event_pre              = Founded as city-state
| date_pre               = 1127
| event_start            = Kingdom established
| date_start             = 1238
| event_end              = Annexed to Ayutthaya
| date_end               = 1438
| event_post             = Installation of [[Maha Thammaracha (king of Ayutthaya)|Maha Thammaracha]]thirat
| date_post              = 1569<ref>{{Cite book |author1=Chris Baker |author-link1=Chris Baker (writer) |author2=Pasuk Phongpaichit |author-link2=Pasuk Phongpaichit |title=A History of Ayutthaya |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2017 |page=76 |quote=But 1569 was also the final act of the merger between Ayutthaya and the Northern Cities.}}</ref>
| life_span              = 1238–1438
| event1                 = [[Tributary state|Tributary]] of [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Ayutthaya]]
| date_event1            = 1378–1438
| p1                     = Lavo Kingdom{{!}}Lopburi Kingdom
| p2                     = Mueang Chaliang{{!}}Chaliang
| flag_s1                = Flag of Thailand (Ayutthaya period).svg
| s1                     = Ayutthaya Kingdom
| image_map              = Southeast Asian history - 13th century.png
| image_map_caption      = Sukhothai Kingdom at its greatest extent during the late 13th century under the reign of King [[Ram Khamhaeng]]
| image_map2             = Map-of-southeast-asia 1400 CE.png
| image_map2_caption     = Sukhothai Kingdom (orange) in 1400 CE
| capital                = {{ubli|[[Sukhothai Historical Park|Sukhothai]] {{nowrap|(1238–1347)}}|[[Phitsanulok Province|Song Khwae]] {{nowrap|(1347–1438)}}}}
| common_languages       = [[Thai language#Old Thai|Old Thai]]
| religion               = [[Theravada Buddhism]]
| currency               = {{ubl|[[Bullet money|Photduang]]|[[Shell money]]<ref>{{cite web|title=เงินตรา|trans-title=Currency|url=http://www.royalthaimint.net/ewtadmin/ewt/mint_web/ewt_news.php?nid=46|publisher=[[Royal Thai Mint]]|access-date=29 August 2022|date=2014}}</ref>}}
| government_type        = [[Mandala (political model)|Mandala kingdom]]
| leader1                = [[Si Inthrathit]]
| year_leader1           = 1238–1270 (first)
| leader2                = [[Ramkhamhaeng|Ram Khamhaeng]]
| year_leader2           = 1279–1298
| leader3                = [[Maha Thammaracha I|Li Thai]]
| year_leader3           = 1347–1368
| leader4                = [[Maha Thammaracha IV|Borommapan]]
| year_leader4           = 1419–1438 (last)
| title_leader           = [[Monarchy of Thailand|Monarch]]
| today                  = {{hlist|[[Thailand]]|[[Laos]]|[[Malaysia]]|[[Myanmar]]}}
}}
{{Contains special characters|Thai}}
{{History of Thailand}}
The '''Sukhothai Kingdom'''{{efn-lr|{{langx|th|สุโขทัย}}, {{RTGS|''Sukhothai''}}, <small>[[IAST]]:</small> {{IAST|''Sukhodaya''}}, {{IPA|th|sù.kʰǒː.tʰāj|pron|Sukhothai Pronunciation (TH).ogg}}}} was a [[post-classical]] Siamese kingdom ([[Mandala (political model)|''maṇḍala'']]) in [[Mainland Southeast Asia]] surrounding the ancient capital city of [[Sukhothai Historical Park|Sukhothai]] in present-day north-central [[Thailand]]. It evolved from a trading hub to a city-state in 1127<ref name=thanit/>{{rp|2–3}} and emerged into the kingdom by [[Si Inthrathit]] in 1238.<ref name="Coedes"/>{{rp|195–196}} Sukhothai existed as an independent polity until 1438 when it fell under the influence of the neighboring [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Ayutthaya]] after the death of [[Maha Thammaracha IV|Borommapan]] (Maha Thammaracha IV).

Sukhothai was originally a trade center in [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]]—itself under the suzerainty of the [[Khmer Empire]] from 946–1052—when [[Thai people|Central Thai people]] led by Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, a local leader, revolted and gained their independence. Bang Klang Hao took the regnal name of Si Inthrathit and became the first monarch of the [[List of Thai monarchs#Sukhothai Kingdom (1238–1438)|Phra Ruang dynasty]].

The kingdom was centralized and expanded to its greatest extent during the reign of [[Ram Khamhaeng|Ram Khamhaeng the Great]] (1279–1298), who some historians considered to have introduced [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]] and the [[Sukhothai script|initial Thai script]] to the kingdom. Ram Khamhaeng also initiated relations with [[Yuan China]], through which the kingdom developed the techniques to produce and export ceramics like [[Sangkhalok ceramic ware|sangkhalok ware]].

After the reign of Ram Khamhaeng, the kingdom fell into decline. In 1349, during the reign of [[Maha Thammaracha I|Li Thai]] (Maha Thammaracha I), Sukhothai was invaded by the Ayutthaya Kingdom, a neighboring Thai polity. It remained a tributary state of Ayutthaya until it was annexed by the kingdom in 1438 after the death of Borommapan. Despite this, the Sukhothai nobility continued to influence the Ayutthaya monarchy in centuries after through the [[List of Thai monarchs#Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767)|Sukhothai dynasty]].

Sukhothai is traditionally known as "the first [[Thai people|Thai]] kingdom" in Thai historiography, but current historical consensus agrees that the history of the Thai people [[Tai peoples#History|began much earlier]]. The ruins of the kingdom's capital, now {{cvt|12|km}} outside the modern town of [[Sukhothai Thani]] in [[Sukhothai Province]], are preserved as the [[Sukhothai Historical Park]] and have been designated a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].

==Etymology==
The [[English language|English]] term '''Sukhothai''' ({{langx|th|สุโขทัย}}) is the [[Romanization of Thai|romanization]] of the Thai word per the [[Royal Thai General System of Transcription]]. The Thai word for the historical country was a [[transliteration]] of the [[Khmer language|Khmer]] spelling, rendered in English as ''Sukhodaya'' ({{langx|km|សុខោទ័យ}}). The Khmer term is itself derived from the [[Sanskrit]] ''[[sukha]]'' ({{langx|sa|सुख}}, 'lasting happiness') and ''udaya'' ({{langx|sa|उदय}}, 'rise' or 'emergence'). Together, the phrase can be interpreted as meaning "dawn of happiness".

==History==
===Early settlement===
[[File:Wat Sri Sawai - Day.jpg|250px|thumb|Wat Si Sawai at the Sukhothai Historical Park]]
According to the legend, the city of [[Sukhothai Historical Park|Sukhothai]] was founded in 494 followed by its twin city of Chaliang ({{lang|th|เชลียง}}) after Tai-speaking people migrated southward from the upper [[Mekong]] basin.<ref name=leg>{{cite web|url=https://www.car.chula.ac.th/rarebook/book2/clra53_0231/mobile/index.html|language=th|title=พงศาวดารชาติไทย: ความเป็นมาของชาติแต่บยุคดึกดำบรรพ์|author=Maha Weerawong| publisher=Office of Academic Resources, [[Chulalongkorn University]]|archivedate=8 March 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308160215/https://www.car.chula.ac.th/rarebook/book2/clra53_0231/mobile/index.html|date=1953}}</ref>{{rp|2}} Later in 500 CE, after the establishment of the [[Lavo Kingdom]], a nobel from Lavo named Phalirat ({{langx|th|พาลีราช}}) became the first Sukhothai governor.<ref name=sawan>{{cite web|url=https://www.finearts.go.th/storage/contents/file/S4H8Ky4Mel8AMFJBT3K5rGUn0tIGKz3EBBBeMVWP.pdf|language=th|publisher=[[Fine Arts Department]]|accessdate=8 March 2024|archivedate=8 March 2024|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308154450/https://www.finearts.go.th/storage/contents/file/S4H8Ky4Mel8AMFJBT3K5rGUn0tIGKz3EBBBeMVWP.pdf|title=ตำนวนเมืองสวรรคโลก}}</ref> The following rulers after Phalirat remain unclear.<ref name=leg/>{{rp|6,10}} 

It was expected that the city would be abandoned in the late 6th century due to the invasion of another [[Austroasiatic languages|Austroasiatic]]-speaking people from Umongasela ({{lang|th|อุโมงคเสลา}}) in the present-day [[Fang district|Fang]] and was then re-established in 957 by Aphai Kamini ({{lang|th|อภัยคามินี}}) who evacuated from [[Haripuñjaya]] after the capital Haripuñjaya was sacked by Umongasela.<ref name=leg/>{{rp|6, 10}} Sukhothai declared independence from Umongasela in 1017 during the reign of Arun Kuman ({{lang|th|อรุณกุมาร}}).<ref name=leg/>{{rp|13–14}} Controlling trade routes between [[Mon kingdoms|Mon city-states]] in the west and [[History of Thailand|Tai kingdoms]] in the north, as well as other polities in the lower [[Chao Phraya River]] basin, made Sukhothai emerge as the logistics hub in the region and evolved into a city-state no later than 1127,<ref name=thanit>{{cite web|url=http://www.tanitsorat.com/file/121065_%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%90%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B9%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1.pdf|title=สุโขทัยจากนครรัฐสู่การรวมชาติสยาม|trans-title=Sukhothai from city-state to the unification of Siam|author=Tanit Sorat|date=18 October 2022|accessdate=6 November 2024|language=th|archivedate=8 January 2025|archiveurl=https://archive.org/details/sukhothai-from-city-state-to-the-unification-of-siam}}</ref>{{rp|2–3}} which continued until the establishment of the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1238.<ref name="Coedes"/>{{rp|195–196}}

In contrast, some historians suggest the migration of [[Tai peoples]] into [[Mainland Southeast Asia]] was somewhat gradual, and likely took place between the 8th and 10th centuries.<ref>Pittayaporn, Pittayawat. 2014. "[http://www.manusya.journals.chula.ac.th/files/essay/Pittayawat%2047-68.pdf Layers of Chinese Loanwords in Proto-Southwestern Tai as Evidence for the Dating of the Spread of Southwestern Tai]". In ''Research Findings in Southeast Asian Linguistics, a Festschrift in Honor of Professor Pranee Kullavanijaya''. ''Manusya'', Special Issue 20. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Press. pp. 47–64</ref> Prior to the rise of Sukhothai, various other Tai kingdoms existed in the neighboring northern highlands. These include [[Ngoenyang]] of the [[Northern Thai people]] (present-day [[Chiang Saen]]) and [[Chiang Hung]] of the [[Tai Lue people]] (present-day [[Jinghong]], [[China]]). According to semi-legendary Shan documents, the Mau Shan Prince, ''Sam Lung-pha'' of [[Mongkawng|Mogaung]], before he established the Tai kingdom of the [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom]] in [[Assam]] in 1229, raided the [[Chao Phraya River|Menam]] valley and the Malay peninsula as far as Tawi ([[Dawei]]) and Yansaleng ([[Phuket province|Junk Ceylon]]?). This purported influx of armed Tai may have had something to do with establishing the Tai kingdom of Sukhothai.<ref name=briggs>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2049556|title=The Khmer Empire and the Malay Peninsula|date=1950|author=Lawrence Palmer Briggs|journal=[[The Journal of Asian Studies|The Far Eastern Quarterly]]|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|volume=9|issue=3|doi=10.2307/2049556|pages=256–305|jstor=2049556 |archivedate=26 April 2024|archiveurl=https://archive.org/details/briggs1950|url-access=subscription}}</ref>{{rp|301}}

[[File:Ancient-Siamese-clothing-on-the-Wat-Si-Chum-stone-Sukhothai-era.jpg|thumb|250px|Ancient Thais (clothing and hair style) in the Sukhothai era found on the Wat Si Chum stone.]]

===Formation===
[[Mueang Chaliang|Chaliang]], who established [[royal intermarriage]] with [[Tai people|Tai]]'s [[Chiang Saen]] in the 900s,<ref name=rp60>[[wikisource:th:พงศาวดารเหนือ (2474)/พงศาวดาร|Northern Chronicle]]</ref>{{rp|18}} led by {{ill|Srinaonamthum|th|พ่อขุนศรีนาวนำถุม}}<ref name=boran>{{cite web|url=https://archive.today/20241214141610/https://www.muangboranjournal.com/post/Srisakara-leading-article-45-1|title=กำเนิดสุโขทัย รัฐแรกเริ่มของชนชาติไทยในสยามประเทศ|trans-title=The origin of Sukhothai, the first state of the Thai people in Siam Pradesh|language=th|date=19 July 2021|access-date=14 December 2024|website=muangboranjournal.com|author=Srisak Vallipodom}}</ref> expanded political influence to Sukhothai of [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]]<ref name=chusak>{{cite web|url=http://www.thapra.lib.su.ac.th/objects/thesis/fulltext/snamcn/Chusak_Satienpattanodom/Chusak_Satienpattanodom_fulltext.pdf|title=พัฒนาการของเมืองศรีสัชนาลัยตั้งแต่กลางพุทธศตวรรษที่ 17 ถึงกลางพุทธศตวรรษที่ 22|trans-title=The rise and decline of Si Satchanalai from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries|date=2000|language=th|author=Chusak Satienpattanodom|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241227173416/http://www.thapra.lib.su.ac.th/objects/thesis/fulltext/snamcn/Chusak_Satienpattanodom/Chusak_Satienpattanodom_fulltext.pdf |accessdate=1 January 2025|archive-date=27 December 2024 }}</ref>{{rp|4}} in 1175.<ref name=boran/> However, nobles of the Lavo faction revolted and recaptured Sukhothai in 1181,<ref name=fine>{{cite web|url=https://archive.today/20241217230016/https://www.finearts.go.th/fad6/view/7355-%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%92%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%84%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%81%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%83%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B8%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2--%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%B6%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%B7%E0%B9%89%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%87-%E0%B8%A8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2|title=การศึกษาพัฒนาการทางสังคมก่อนสมัยสุโขทัยในจังหวัดสุโขทัย: กรณีศึกษาพื้นที่เมืองเชลียง-ศรีสัชนาลัย|trans-title=A study of pre-Sukhothai social development in Sukhothai Province: A case study of Mueang Cheliang-Sri Satchanalai area|work=Fine Arts Department|accessdate=18 December 2024|date=2023}}</ref> which caused a group of [[Thai people|Central Thai peoples]] led by a local [[mueang]] chief, Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, to took Sukhothai back and established it as an independent Thai state in 1238. Bang Klang Hao was assisted by a local ally, [[Pha Mueang|Pho Khun Pha Mueang]].<ref name="Coedes">{{cite book|last=Coedès|first=George|title=The Indianized States of Southeast Asia|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=1968|isbn=978-0-8248-0368-1|editor=Walter F. Vella|translator-last=Cowing|translator-first=Susan Brown|author-link=George Coedès}}</ref>{{rp|195–196}} This event was a turning point in the history of the Tai peoples, as Sukhothai would remain the center of Tai power until the end of the 14th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Swearer|first=Donald K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kFBR2cMDD8sC&q=Sukhodaya+Khmer+outpost&pg=PA86|title=The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia|date=1995-01-01|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-2459-9|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Wicks|first=Robert S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jFpdDwAAQBAJ&q=Sukhodaya+Khmer+outpost&pg=PA170|title=Money, Markets, and Trade in Early Southeast Asia: The Development of Indigenous Monetary Systems to AD 1400|date=2018-05-31|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-1-5017-1947-9|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Coedes" />

The year when the [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]] nobility revolted and recaptured Sukhothai overlapped with the period when [[Angkor]] regained Lavo's [[Lopburi|Lavapura]]<ref name=indra>{{cite web|url=https://www.matichonacademy.com/tour-story/%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%81-%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0-%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B9%E0%B9%88-%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%82|title=จาก 'ลวะปุระ' สู่ 'เมืองละโว้' ลูกหลวงแห่งเมืองพระนคร|trans-title=From 'Lavapura' to 'Lavo City', the frontier city of the capital of Phra Nakhon|author=ศานติ ภักดีคำ|language=th|access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref> from the [[Mon people|Mon]]-[[Tai people|Tai]] monarch of [[Mueang Chaliang|Chaliang]], who had ruled [[Lopburi|Lavapura]] since 1106 after the throne was vacated by [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]]'s relocation of the capital to [[Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city)|Ayodhya]] in the 1080s.

Bang Klang Hao ruled Sukhothai under the regnal name [[Sri Indraditya|Si Inthrathit]] and established the [[List of monarchs of Thailand#Phra Ruang dynasty (1238–1438)|Phra Ruang dynasty]]. Under the rule of Si Inthrathit, the primordial kingdom expanded its influence to the bordering cities surrounding the capital. By the end of his reign in 1270, Sukhothai covered the entire upper valley of the [[Chao Phraya River]], then known simply as Mae Nam ({{langx|th|แม่น้ำ}}, 'mother of waters'), the generic Thai name for all rivers. In the first era, Sukhothai strongly shared a connection with western [[Mon people|Mon]] neighbor, [[Hanthawaddy Kingdom]], in present-day lower [[Myanmar]].<ref name=xian>{{cite journal|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715205744/https://thesiamsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2004/03/JSS_092_0d_Ishii_ExploringNewApproachToEarlyThaiHistory.pdf|title=Exploring a New Approach to Early Thai History|date=2004|volume=92|journal=Journal of the Siam Society|author=Yoneo Ishii|page=37–42}}</ref>{{rp|42}}

From the 13th to 14th centuries, Sukhothai was strongly influenced by the Khmer culture as [[Lavo Kingdom|Lavo]] the regional center.<ref name=thanit/>{{rp|3}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Baker |first1=Chris |last2=Phongpaichit |first2=Pasuk |title=A History of Ayutthaya: Siam in the Early Modern World |date=11 May 2017 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-12143-9 |page=34 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n8wnDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> About some fifty kilometers north of Sukhodaya stood another sister town, [[Si Satchanalai Historical Park|Sri Sajanalaya]], that would later become [[Mueang Chaliang|Si Satchanalai]], an important center of Sukhothai politics alongside the capital.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Si Satchanalai - Jim Wageman|url=https://www.jimwagemanphoto.com/Glimpses-of-Thailand/Sacred-Sites/Si-Satchanalai/i-XFrL32F/|access-date=2020-04-20|website=www.jimwagemanphoto.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chaliang Zone of the Si Satchanalai Historical Park|url=https://www.renown-travel.com/historicalsites/sisatchanalai/chaliang.html|access-date=2020-04-20|website=www.renown-travel.com}}</ref> Under Lavo control, various monuments was built in the city, several of which still stand in the [[Sukhothai Historical Park]]. They include the Ta Pha Daeng Shrine, Wat Phra Phai Luang, and Wat Si Sawai.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.orientalarchitecture.com/sid/1064/thailand/sukhothai/ta-pha-daeng-shrine|title=Ta Pha Daeng Shrine, Sukhothai, Thailand|last=orientalarchitecture.com|website=Asian Architecture|language=EN|access-date=2020-04-20}}</ref> It was then shifted to [[Tai Yuan]]'s [[Lan Na]] style in the early 14th century and steadily influenced by [[Mon kingdoms|Mon]] and [[Sri Lanka]] through [[Theravada]] [[Buddhism]] since the reign of [[Ram Khamhaeng]].<ref name=thanit/>{{rp|3}}

===Expansion under Ram Khamhaeng===
[[File:Thai - Seated Buddha in "Maravijaya" - Walters 542520.jpg|thumb|A [[Maravijaya attitude|Māravijaya]] [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] from Sukhothai, dated to the second half of the 13th century, at the [[Walters Art Museum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Seated Buddha in "Maravijaya"|url=http://art.thewalters.org/detail/15634|publisher=[[The Walters Art Museum]]}}</ref>]]
In 1270, Si Inthrathit died and was succeeded by his son [[Ban Mueang]]. At the end of Ban Mueang's reign, he was succeeded by his brother [[Ram Khamhaeng|Ram Khamhaeng the Great]]; both expanded Sukhothai beyond the borders established by their father. To the south, Ram Khamhaeng subjugated the [[Mandala (political model)|mandala]] kingdoms of [[Suvarnabhumi]] (likely present-day [[Suphan Buri]]) and [[Tambralinga]] (present-day [[Nakhon Si Thammarat]]). Through the acquisition of Tambralinga, Ram Khamhaeng is said to have adopted [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]] as the state religion of Sukhothai; the accuracy of these claims by traditional historians is disputed.<ref name=thanit/>{{rp|3–4}} 

To the north, Ram Khamhaeng placed [[Phrae]] and [[Muang Sua]] (present-day [[Luang Prabang]], [[Laos]]), among other mandala city-states, [[tributary state|under tribute]]. To the west, Ram Khamhaeng helped assist the [[Mon people]] under [[Wareru]] (who is said to have eloped with Ram Khamhaeng's daughter) in their rebellion against [[Pagan Empire|Pagan]] control, and Wareru would establish a kingdom at [[Mottama|Martaban]], the predecessor to [[Hanthawaddy Kingdom|Hanthawaddy]] (present-day [[Bago, Myanmar|Bago]], [[Myanmar]]). Martaban is traditionally considered a tributary state of Sukhothai, but such Sukhothai domination may not have extended that far.<ref name=thanit/>{{rp|4}} This policy of gathering vassals allowed him to claim suzerainty from [[Luang Prabang]] in the north to [[Nakhon Si Thammarat|Nakhon Sithammarat]] in the south, from [[Vientiane Prefecture|Vientiane]] in the east and from [[Bago, Myanmar|Pegu]] in the west. His success can be mainly attributed to his battlefield reputation. When he died in 1298, the far-flung bonds of vassalage that he established quickly disintegrated as his successors could not command the same level of authority.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Starling |first=Nicholas |title=The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia Volume 1 Part 1 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1992 |pages=169 |language=en}}</ref> 

With regard to religion and culture, Ram Khamhaeng requested monks from Sri Thamnakorn to propagate [[Theravada Buddhism]] in Sukhothai. In 1283, the [[Sukhothai script]] was likely invented by Ram Khamhaeng; the earliest evidence of this ancient Thai writing is seen in the [[Ram Khamhaeng Inscription]], discovered by [[Mongkut]] (Rama IV) nearly six centuries later. The script later evolved into the [[Thai script|modern Thai script]] of today.

It was also during this time that the first relations with [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan China]] were established and Sukhothai began sending trade missions to China. The well-known [[export good|exported good]] of Sukhothai was the [[Sangkhalok ceramic ware|sangkhalok ware]]. This was the only period in Thai history that Siam produced Chinese-style ceramics, and they fell out of use by the 14th century.

===Decline and tributary status===
By the beginning of the fourteenth century, Sukhothai controlled the Chao Phraya plain, with spurs West to the [[Hanthawaddy Kingdom]] and South to the [[Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom]]. After the death of Ram Khamhaeng, he was succeeded by his son [[Loe Thai]].

Tributary states of Sukhothai began to break away rapidly after the death of Ram Khamhaeng. To the north, [[Uttaradit Province|Uttaradit]] and the [[Lao people|Lao]] kingdoms of Muang Sua and [[Lan Xang#Historical overview|Vieng Chan Vieng Kham]] (present-day [[Vientiane]]) liberated themselves from their Sukhothai overlords. In 1319, Martaban in the west broke away. In 1321, [[Lan Na]] (the successor state to [[Ngoenyang]]) annexed [[Tak Province|Tak]], one of the oldest towns in Sukhothai. To the south, [[Suphannaphum Kingdom]] and [[Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom|Nakhon Si Thammarat]] also broke free early in the reign of Loe Thai. Thus, the kingdom was quickly reduced to its former status as merely a local power.<ref name=sri>{{cite web|url=https://archive.today/20241105234239/https://www.sac.or.th/portal/th/article/detail/608|title=ปาไซ-สยามยุทธ์: "พ่อขุนแดนใต้" รบ "แขกสุมาตรา"|date=17 May 2024|trans-title=Pasai-Siam Wars: "King of the South" fights "Indian"|language=th|author=Tongjai Hutangkur|work=[[Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Anthropology Centre]]}}</ref>

In 1323, Loe Thai was succeeded by his cousin, [[Ngua Nam Thum]]. In 1347, he was succeeded by [[Maha Thammaracha I|Li Thai]] (Maha Thammaracha I), the son of Loe Thai. In 1349, armies from [[Ayutthaya Kingdom|Ayutthaya]] invaded the kingdom and forced Sukhothai to become its tributary.<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|222}} The center of power in the tributary state shifted to Song Khwae (present-day [[Phitsanulok]]). In 1378, [[Maha Thammaracha II|Lue Thai]] (Maha Thammaracha II) had to submit to this new Thai power as a vassal state.<ref name=prince>Chakrabongse, C., 1960, Lords of Life, London: Alvin Redman Limited</ref>{{rp|29–30}} He was succeeded by [[Maha Thammaracha III|Sai Lue Thai]] (Maha Thammaracha III) in 1399.

In 1424, after the death of Sai Lue Thai, his sons Phaya Ram and Phaya Ban Mueang fought for the throne. [[Intharacha (king of Ayutthaya)|Intharacha]] of Ayutthaya intervened and installed Ban Mueang as [[Maha Thammaracha IV|Borommapan]] (Maha Thammaracha IV). When Borommapan died in 1438, [[Borommarachathirat II]] of Ayutthaya installed his son Ramesuan (the future [[Borommatrailokkanat]] of Ayutthaya) as [[Uparaja#Siam (Thailand)|Upparat]] in Sukhothai, a position similar to both that of a [[viceroy]] and an [[heir presumptive]], establishing a form of [[personal union]] and creating the Siamese [[Front Palace]] system. Prince Ramesuan was presumably accompanied by Ayutthayan administrative staff and a military garrison, thus affirming the end of Sukhothai as an independent kingdom.<ref>{{Cite book |author=David K. Wyatt |title=Thailand: A Short History |edition=2nd |publisher=Silkworm Books |year=2004 |page=59}}</ref>

===Annexation and further influence===
Under tributary status, the former territories of Sukhothai, known to the people of Ayutthaya as the '''Northern Cities''' ({{langx|th|เมืองเหนือ}}, {{RTGS|''Mueang Nua''}}), continued to be ruled by local aristocrats under Ayutthaya's overlordship per the [[Mandala (political model)|mandala]] systems of both dominions. The mandalas would politically and culturally merge during the 15th and 16th centuries, and Sukhothai's warfare, administration, architecture, religious practice, and language influenced those of Ayutthaya. Sukhothai nobles linked themselves with the Ayutthayan elite through marriage alliances, and often played the role of [[kingmaker]] in Ayutthayan succession conflicts. Sukhothai military leaders served prominently in Ayutthaya's army as the military tradition of Sukhothai was considered to be tougher.<ref name="BakerPasuk14_10">{{Cite book|author1=Chris Baker|title=A History of Thailand|author2=Pasuk Phongpaichit|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2014|edition=3rd|page=10}}</ref>

From 1456 to 1474, former Sukhothai territory became a battleground during the [[Ayutthaya-Lan Na War]] (1441–1474). In 1462, Sukhothai briefly rebelled against Ayutthaya and allied itself with their enemy, [[Lan Na]]. In 1463, Borommatrailokkanat temporarily moved the monarch's residence to Song Khwae, presumably to be closer to the frontline, and the city was permanently renamed to Phitsanulok.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} Contemporary [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] traders described Ayutthaya and Phitsanulok as "twin states".<ref name="BakerPasuk14_10"/>

In 1548, [[Maha Chakkraphat]] named Khun Phirenthorathep, a noble from the Sukhothai clan, as the leader in Phitsanulok. Phirenthorathep was conferred with the name [[Maha Thammaracha (king of Ayutthaya)|Maha Thammaracha]] in line with the historical kings of Sukhothai, and married one of Maha Chakkraphat's daughters, strengthening his claim to both a historical and present monarchy. Despite this, the title of Upparat went to Maha Chakkraphat's son [[Ramesuan (prince of Ayutthaya)|Ramesuan]] (who died in 1564) and later his brother [[Mahinthrathirat]]. After a series of wars with the Burmese [[First Toungoo Empire|Toungoo Empire]], Maha Thammaracha allied himself with the Burmese against Ayutthaya. In 1569, Ayutthaya under Mahinthrathirat fell to the Burmese, and [[Bayinnaung]] installed Maha Thammaracha (Sanphet I) as the vassal king in Ayutthaya and the first king of the [[List of Thai monarchs#Ayutthaya Kingdom (1351–1767)|Sukhothai dynasty]].<ref name="BakerPasuk14_10" />

In 1584, Maha Thammaracha and his son, the Upparat and future [[Naresuan|Naresuan the Great]] (Sanphet II), would free Ayutthaya from Burmese overlordship in the [[Burmese–Siamese War (1584–1593)|Burmese-Siamese War of 1584–1593]]. After the Battle of the Sittaung River, Naresuan forcibly relocated people from the northern cities of [[Phitsanulok]], [[Mueang Sukhothai District|Sukhothai]], [[Phichai District|Phichai]], [[Sawankhalok District|Sawankhalok]], [[Kamphaeng Phet]], [[Phichit]], and [[Nakhon Sawan province|Phra Bang]] closer to Ayutthaya.<ref>{{cite book|author= Phisēt Čhīačhanphong|title= พระมหาธรรมราชากษัตราธิราช|url=http://www.matichonbook.com/index.php?mnuid=5&selmnu=470426104014|location=กรุงเทพฯ|publisher=สำนักพิมพ์มติชน|year= 2003|isbn=974-322-818-7|page=57}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Chris Baker |author2=Pasuk Phongpaichit |title=A History of Ayutthaya |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2017 |page=77}}</ref> Since then, the ruins of the capital city of the former Sukhothai Kingdom have been preserved as the [[Sukhothai Historical Park]] and designated a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/574/|access-date=2021-11-08|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (008).jpg|right|150px|thumb|The Ram Khamhaeng Inscription at the [[Bangkok National Museum]]]]
The Silajaruek of Sukhothai are hundreds of stone inscriptions that form a historical record of the period. Among the most important inscriptions are the [[Ram Khamhaeng Inscription]] (also known as Inscription No. 1), Silajaruek Wat Srichum (an account on the history of the region itself and of [[Sri Lanka]]), and Silajaruek Wat Pamamuang (a politico-religious record of Loe Thai).

[[Mongkut]] (Rama IV) is considered the champion of Sukhothai narrative history due to his discovery of Inscription No. 1, the "first evidence" of the history of Sukhothai. Mongkut said that he found a "first stone inscription" in Sukhothai which told of heroic kings such as [[Ram Khamhaeng]], the administrative system, and other developments in what was considered the "prosperous time" of the kingdom. The story of Sukhothai was incorporated into Thailand's "national history" in the late 19th century by Mongkut as a historical work presented to the [[British Empire|British]] diplomatic mission.<ref name="JSS_026_1c_Lingat">{{cite journal| last = Lingat | first = R. | author-link = Robert Lingat|year = 1933|title = History of Wat Pavaranivesa|journal = [[Journal of the Siam Society]]
|volume = 26.1c|format = Digital|publisher = Siam Heritage Trust|url = http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1931/JSS_026_1c_Lingat_HistoryOfWatPavaraniveca.pdf |access-date = 17 March 2013
|quote  = In 1837 King Phra Nang Klao made Prince Mongkut Abbot of Wat Pavaraniveca, situated close to the enceinte wall, in the northern part of the city. This monastery had been founded about ten years previously by Prince Cakti, who had been raised to the rank of Second King on the ascension of Phra Nang Klao, his nephew (1824–1832).}}</ref>

[[File:Sukhothai Viharn.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Replica of a Sukhothai royal temple at [[Muang Boran|Mueang Boran]]]]
From then on, as a part of modern nation-building process, modern national Siamese history included the history of the Sukhothai Kingdom. Sukhothai was said to be the "first national capital",<ref name="JSS_014_1b_Coedes">{{cite journal|last=Cœdès|first=G.|author-link=Georges Coedès|year=1921|title=The Origins of the Sukhodaya Dynasty|url=http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1921/JSS_014_1b_Coedes_OriginsOfSukhodayaDynasty.pdf|format=Digital|journal=[[Journal of the Siam Society]]|publisher=Siam Heritage Trust|volume=14.1b|page=1|access-date=17 March 2013|quote=The dynasty which reigned during a part of the 13th and the first half of the 14th centuries at [[Sukhodaya]] and at [[Sri Sajjannlaya]], on the upper Menam [[Yom River|Yom]], is the first historical Siamese dynasty. It has a double claim to this title, both because it cradle was precisely in the country designated by foreigners as "Siam" ([[Khmer language|Khmer]]: Syam; [[traditional Chinese characters|Chinese]] Sien, etc.), and because it is this dynasty which, by freeing the Thai principalities from the [[Khmer Empire|Cambodian yoke]] and by gradually extending its conquests as far as the [[Malay Peninsula]], paved the way for the formation of the Kingdom of Siam properly so called.}}</ref> followed by Ayutthaya and [[Thonburi Kingdom|Thonburi]], until [[Rattanakosin Kingdom|Rattanakosin]], or today [[Bangkok]]. Sukhothai history was crucial among Siam's "modernists", both "conservative" and "revolutionary".{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}} Sukhothai history became even more important after the [[Siamese revolution of 1932|Siamese Revolution of 1932]]. Research and writing on Sukhothai history were abundant.<ref name="JSS_006_1b_Bradley">{{cite journal|last= Bradley | first =C.B.|year= 1909|title=The Oldest Known Writing in Siamese; the inscription of Phra Ram Khamhaeng of Sukhothai, 1293 A.D.|journal= [[Journal of the Siam Society]]
|volume= 6.1b |format= Digital|publisher= Siam Heritage Trust |url= http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1904/JSS_006_1b_Bradley_OldestKnownWritingInSiamese.pdf|access-date= 17 March 2013
}}</ref> Ideas derived from the inscription were studied and "theorised".<ref>[http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1113564catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1113564 "Epigraphical and historical studies, nos. 1–24 published in the Journal of the Siam Society from 1968–1979"—Pref. Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Inscriptions, Thai. Notes: English and Thai; some Pali (in roman).]</ref>

One of the most well-known topics was Sukhothai's "democracy" rule. Stories of the close relationship between the king and his people, vividly described as a "father-son" relationship,<ref name="JSS_065_1c_Sarasin">{{cite journal|author= Sarasin Viraphol|year= 1977|title= Law in traditional Siam and China: A comparative study|journal= [[Journal of the Siam Society]]
|volume= 65.1c |format= Digital |publisher= Siam Heritage Trust |url= http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1971/JSS_065_1c_SarasinViraphol_LawInTraditionalSiamAndChina.pdf|access-date= 17 March 2013}}</ref> were considered the "seed" of ancient Thai democracy; however, changes in government took place when later society embraced "foreign" traditions, like those of [[Khmer Empire|Angkor]], influenced by [[Hinduism]] and "mystic" [[Mahayana Buddhism]]. The story of Sukhothai became the model of "freedom". [[Chit Phumisak]], a "revolutionary" scholar, saw the Sukhothai period as the beginning of the Thai people's liberation from their foreign ruler in Angkor.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

During military rule beginning in the 1950s, Sukhothai was increasingly featured in the Thai national history curriculum. Sukhothai's "father-son" model for Thai democracy in contrast to Angkorian tradition became one of freedom from the "foreign ideology" of [[Khmer Rouge|Cambodian communism]]. Other aspects of Sukhothai were also explored under the new curriculum, such as the commoner and slave status as well as economics. These topics became the subject of ideological controversy during the [[Cold War]] and the [[communist insurgency in Thailand]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==See also==
* [[Mandala (political model)]]
* [[List of Thai monarchs]]

==Notes==
{{notelist-lr}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Sukhothai Kingdom}}
* {{cite news |last1=Ekachai |first1=Sanitsuda |title=Opening minds with an ancient 'mandala' |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1760384/opening-minds-with-an-ancient-mandala |access-date=28 September 2019 |work=Bangkok Post |date=28 September 2019}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-royalhouse|Sukhothai dynasty||1238}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Lavo Kingdom|Lopburi Kingdom]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Dynasty|Ruling dynasty]] of the<br>Sukhothai Kingdom|years=1238–1583}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ayutthaya Kingdom]]}}
{{s-end}}

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