"SUKHOTHAI" translates from Thai to English to mean "Dawn of Happiness"

HISTORY of the SUKHOTHAI PERIOD:

By the early 1200s, Thais had established small northern city states in Lana, Phayao and Sukhothai. In 1238, two Thai chieftains rebelled against Khmer rule and established the first truly independent Thai kingdom in Sukhothai (literally, "Dawn of Happiness").

Sukhothai saw the Thais' gradual expansion throughout the entire Chao Phraya River basin, the establishment of Theravada Buddhism as the paramount religion, the creation of the Thai alphabet and the first expression of nascent Thai art forms, including pa inting, sculpture, architecture and literature.

Khun Bang Klang Thao and Khun Pha Muang who held the governorship of Ban Yang and Rad respectively decided to join their forces together and to overthrow the Khmer rule. Through the support of the Thais, Khun Bang Klang Thao was proclaimed King Si Inthrat hit of Sukhothai. Thus was born the Thai kingdom of Sukhothai in 1238.

King Khun Sri-Intratit (1239-1257)

Si Inthrathit was succeeded by his second son, Ban Muang, as King of Sukhothai. At the death of Ban Muang in 1279, Ram Khamhaeng, who was Si Inthrathit's third son, ascended the throne.

King Ban Muang (1257-1279)

King Ramkamhaeng ( 1279-1317)

Ram Khamhaeng proved himself to be a great king. During his reign, Sukhothai was an extensive kingdom, bordering in thenorth on Lanna and in the east on Vientiane, covering in the south the upper part of Malay Peninsula, and including in the west Tenesse rim, Tavoy, Martaban and Pegu.

As an absolute monarch, he governed his people with justice and magnanimity. Whenever they wished to submit a complaint to him, they rang a bell at the palace gate. He would then grant them an audience so as to afford an opportunity to find out by himself the causes of the complaint, and he then decided it according to its nature. He evinced considerable interest in the moral education of the people. He persuaded them to observe the simple Buddhist precepts, to made merit and give alms, and to attend a se rmon regularly. He was in fact, responsible for the introduction of the Theravada Buddhism of the Ceylonese school, or Lanka Buddhism, from Nakhon Si Thammarat to Sukhothai. He had a stone seat or Manangcasila throne erected in a palmyra palm grove, where, at his request, a priest preached a sermon on every pri-sabbath day and sabbath day, and where he conducted the affairs of the State on other dats. In short, Ram Khamhaeng's rule of Sukhothai was endowed with the characteristics of a paternal government. Realizing the importance of a national language as a unifying force of his people as well as a symbol of their independence he created in 1283 the first Thai alphabet, using as a basis the Mon and Khmer scripts which had in turn been derived from a south Indian script. He employed for the first time the new script in his stone inscription of 1292. His Thai alphabet has since undergone some changes and is still in use today.

In the field of diplomacy, he cultivated cordial relations with King Mengrai of Lanna and Prince Ngam Muang of Payao, so that he could concentrate his attention on the Khmers who might at any moment open hostilities against Sukhothai. At the same time he safeguarded Sukhothai in the west through the conderment of the title of Chao Fa Rua on Makato, the ruler of Pegu, who swore fealty to him. He opened direct relations with China and exchanged missions with her, resulting in the introduction of Chinese artisans who then helped to improve the production of pottery wares at Sukhothai.

Ramkamhaeng died in 1299 at the age of more than sixty. Had his successors been warriors like him, the Kingdom of Sukhothai might have lasted longer than it actually did. Loe Thai was nowhere near his calibre, while Li Thai (1347-1368) won fame as a grea t scholar and patron of Lanka Buddhism. Throughout his reign, he devoted himself to the advancement of this religion, thereby neglecting the defence of the country. Consequently Sukhothai became an easy target for the expansionist policy of King Borom Rac hathirat of Ayutthaya, and King Sai Lu Thai made submission to him in 1378. Thus Sukhothai lost its 140-year old independence and became a vassal state of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya until it was annexed by Ayutthaya in 1438.

King Loetai (1317-1345)

King Nguanamthom (1345-1347)

King Lithai Tammaraja I (1347-1354)

King Tammaraja II (1374-1399)

King Tammaraja III (1399-1419)

King Tammaraja IV (1419-1438)