- Ramathibodi I
Infobox Monarch
name =Uthong
King Ramathibodi I
title =King of Siam ( Ayutthaya kingdom )
caption =Royal Statue of King Ramathibodi I inAmphoe U Thong ,Suphanburi province ,Thailand
reign =
coronation =
othertitles =
full name =HM King Uthong , King Ramathibodi I
predecessor =Sukhothai kingdom
successor =KingRamesuan
suc-type =
heir =
queen =
issue =
dynasty =Uthong Dynasty
royal anthem =
father =
mother =
date of birth =
place of birth =
date of death =
place of death =|King Ramathibodi I (1314 – 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 onMarch 4 ,1351 . A native of Chiang Saen (now inChiang Rai Province ) he claimed descent fromKhun Borom and propagatedTheravada 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 ofPhetburi . At least one royal chronicle identifies U Thong as the son of one "Chodüksethi", apparently a leader of the Chinese merchant community. [ [http://home.att.net/~khmerheritage/Ayudhya.html Ayudhya] ; [http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=Choduksethi&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&fp_ip=SG&x=wrt&meta=0&u=www.ajarn.com/Contris/Kenmay/kenmaymarch2006.htm&w=choduksethi&d=VRE7X_mdOoeL&icp=1&.intl=us Skeletons Splitting the Sky] ; cite book|title=A History of Thailand|author=Chris Baker,Pasuk Phongpaichit |publisher=Cambridge University Press|pages=205|isbn=0521816157]King 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 ofLopburi - 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. King 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.King Ramathibodi's death sparked a conflict over succession; initially, his son King
Ramesuan became ruler of Ayutthaya, but King Ramesuan later abdicated in favor of King Ramathibodi's brother-in-law, KingBorommaracha . Some sources indicate that the abdication occurred peacefully, while others indicate that King Ramesuan's abdication followed a bloody civil war.References
*Wyatt, David K., "Thailand: A Short History", New Haven (Yale University), 2003. ISBN 0-300-08475-7
*Srisak Vallipodom, "Sheikh Ahmad Qomi and the History of Siam," Cultural Center of the Islamic City, Republic of Iran, Bangkok 1995, page 209
*Plubplung Kongchana, "The Persians in Ayutthaya," Institute of Asia Pacific Studies, Srinakharinwirot University.
*Tuanku Nai Long Kassim ibni Almarhum Tunku Nai Long Ahmad, "Islamic Epigrafi–The King of Ayuthia Dynasty Kedah Pasai Ma Gangga Nagara"
*Maryam Salim, "The Laws of Kedah," Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2005.
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