Ramathibodi I
Ramathibodi I (b.
1314, d.
1369) was the first king of the kingdom
Ayutthaya (now part of
Thailand), reigning from
1351 to
1369. He was known as Prince U Thong before he ascended to the throne on
March 4,
1351. A native of
Chiang Saen (now in
Chiang Rai Province) he claimed descent from
Khun Borom and propagated
Theravada Buddhism as the state religion.
Scholar Charnvit Kasetsiri hypothesized that U Thong might have actually been born to a
Chinese merchant family operating in the area of
Phetburi. At least one royal chronicle identifies U Thong as the son of one
Chodüksethi, apparently a leader of the Chinese merchant community.
Ramathibodi's position was likely secured by political marriage and family ties. He was married to a daughter of the ruling family of
Suphanburi, and may have also married into an alliance with the rulers of
Lopburi- it was likely the king of Lopburi that he was initially chosen to succeed. He appointed both his brother-in-law and son to positions of leadership in Suphanburi and Lopburi, respectively, and established his own capital in the new city of Ayutthaya. Ramathabodi's reign bound together the
Khmer rulers of Lopburi, the
Tai in the west, and the Chinese and Malaysian merchants who inhabited the coastal areas.
Ramathibodi's death sparked a conflict over succession; initially, his son
Ramesuan became ruler of Ayutthaya, but Ramesuan later abdicated in favor of Ramathibodi's brother-in-law,
Borommaracha. Some sources indicate that the abdication occurred peacefully, while others indicate that Ramesuan's abdication followed a bloody civil war.
*Wyatt, David K.,
Thailand: A Short History, New Haven (Yale University), 2003. ISBN 0300084757
