Sukhothai Kingdom

The Sukhothai Kingdom was a post-classical Siamese kingdom (maṇḍala) in Mainland Southeast Asia surrounding the ancient capital city of Sukhothai in present-day north-central Thailand. It evolved from a trading hub to a city-state in 1127 and emerged into the kingdom by Si Inthrathit in 1238. Sukhothai existed as an independent polity until 1438 when it fell under the influence of the neighboring Ayutthaya after the death of Borommapan (Maha Thammaracha IV).

Sukhothai is traditionally understood to have been established as a commercial hub within the Dvaravati Lavo in the 7th century. Following the decline of Lavo, the polity appears to have fallen under the suzerainty of the Qiān, whose authority was ultimately extinguished following their defeat by Angkor in 946 CE. After that, Sukhothai was subsequently incorporated into the domain of Haripuñjaya approximately a decade later. By the mid-12th century, control of the city was reasserted by the Xiān monarchs—a dynasty descended from the Qiān—who are believed to have maintained a brief period of subordination to Angkor between the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Sukhothai is conventionally regarded as having emerged as an independent polity in 1238 CE.

The kingdom was centralized and expanded to its greatest extent during the reign of Ram Khamhaeng the Great (1279–1298), who some historians considered to have introduced Theravada Buddhism and the 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 ware.

After the reign of Ram Khamhaeng, the kingdom fell into decline. In 1349, during the reign of 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 Sukhothai dynasty.

Sukhothai was long regarded in Thai historiography as "the first Thai kingdom,” though current scholarship agrees that the origins of the Thai people extend much further back in time. The ruins of the kingdom's capital, now 12 km (7.5 mi) 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.