Rama Tibodi I
(1312–1369), founder of Ayutthaya. In 1350 CE Rama Tibodi I (U Thong) founded the kingdom of Ayutthaya in central Siam (present-day Thailand), which dominated Siamese power and culture for four centuries. The adventurous Rama Tibodi, who had matrimonial alliances with royalty in the Siamese cities of Lop Buri and Suphan Buri, occupied Mon Lavo, subjugated the Sukhothai kingdom, and established a new city. He named it Ayutthaya after the capital of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, one of two ancient South Asian epics (the Mahabharata being the other) influencing Theravada Buddhism and culture in Southeast Asia for ages. In 1350, he was crowned as Rama Tibodi. From a modest settlement of teakwood houses, Ayutthaya became the center of imperial grandeur.
Rama Tibodi extended his domain to the lower Chao Phraya River, the Gulf of Martaban, and the Malay Peninsula. He exerted pressure against the kingdom of Angkor and subdued it in 1369. He had to suppress frequent rebellions in Chiang Mai and Sukhothai. Comprised of self-governing principalities, the kingdom had to be held together by the monarch's sagacity and vigilance. Rama Tibodi had to buttress his authority and legitimize his claims by following the practice of Indian kings, who declared themselves to be the devaraja or divine king.
The laws promulgated by Rama Tibodi continued in principle for six centuries. A combination of indigenous practices and Indian legal concepts, this legal system exhibits characteristics of the society of that time. Rama Tibodi embraced Theravada Buddhism as the state religion in 1360 and is known as the first king of Thailand.
Further Reading
Marr, David G., and A. C. Milner, eds. (1986) Southeast Asia in the 9th to 14th Centuries. Singapore: Australian National University.
Tarling, Nicholas, ed. (1992) The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia. Vol. 1. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
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