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. Events June 24 - Battle of Bannockburn. ... Events King Charles V of France renounces the treaty of Brétigny and war is declared between France and England. ... The kingdom of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed from the 1350 to 1767. ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders May 1 Zürich joins the Swiss Confederation. ... Events King Charles V of France renounces the treaty of Brétigny and war is declared between France and England. ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... Events End of the reign of Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders May 1 Zürich joins the Swiss Confederation. ... Chiang Rai (Thai เชียงราย) is the most northern province (changwat) of Thailand. ... Khun Borom Rachathirath is the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao and others to be the father of their race. ... Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ...

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. Phetchaburi is a town in Thailand, capital of the Phetchaburi province. ...

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. Suphanburi is a town in Thailand, capital of the Suphanburi province. ... Lopburi is a city in Thailand, capital of the Lopburi province. ... The Khmer people are the main ethnic group in Cambodia, accounting for 90% of the 13 million people in the country. ... The Tai languages are a subgroup of the Tai Kadai language family. ...

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. Ramesuan (b. ...

Sources

• Wyatt, David K., Thailand: A Short History, New Haven (Yale University), 2003. ISBN 0300084757