Uthong
Ramathibodi I ( * 1314, † 1369 ), Thai ( สมเด็จ พระ รามาธิบดี ที่ 1) or U Thong ( พระเจ้า อู่ทอง ), was the first king of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya in Siam (now Thailand).
Appearance and life
On the origin of the U Thong, there are six different legends today. After it was discovered in 1904 by Prince Damrong Rajanubhab who worked as amateur archaeologist, a large ruined city between today Kanchanaburi and Suphanburi, who called the people around Mueang Thao U Thong ("city by King U Thong " ), is the next version most likely.
U Thong was probably born in 1314, the son of Chodüksethi, an influential Chinese merchant from Phetchaburi and his wife, a daughter of the Prince of Lopburi. He was married to the daughter of the ruler of Suphanburi. When the king died of Suphanburi, Prince U Thong was able to take the throne. Due to a cholera epidemic that killed many people, but the city had to be abandoned. So Prince U Thong went with the rest of its population in search of a new place of settlement.
He found him at the confluence of three rivers: the Chao Phraya, the Lopburi and the Pasak. Here he founded in the year 712 of the Chula calendar, the year of the Tiger, on Friday, the 6th day of the waxing moon in the 5th month to three and nine Nalika Bat, which is March 4, 1351 AD just after nine clock in the morning, his new capital, which he gave the name " Krung Thep Dvaravati Sri Ayutthaya ". The capital city of Ayodhya Prince Rama in the Indian epic Ramakien is likely thereby to have been inspired. Himself he called from now on " Ramathibodi ."
Trained as a military leader and equipped with ambition and strategic foresight, Ramathibodi was the right man at the right time to take advantage of the incipient decline of Sukhothai for a new strong monarchy in Thailand. As the new king he was able to occupy important posts in the cities of the empire with relatives, whom he could trust. Sukhothai, which was forfeited after its peak under Ramkhamhaeng political agony, he tied on a cooperation agreement. He knew that this was not the real danger for his young kingdom. The he took before 1352, when he attacked the Khmer empire and could weaken significantly after a few setbacks Angkor. He appointed an agreeable to Khmer rulers and had thus the strongest kingdom in Southeast Asia forced within a short time in the knees and Ayutthaya hoisted in its place.
Even though the Khmer had been subjected, they kept their cultural influence: the kingdom was transformed into an absolute monarchy, slavery was revived and the tax and levy policy was introduced and enforced in the spirit of the king.
Ramathibodi bequeathed to his successors two major achievements
- Introduction of Theravada Buddhism in Ayutthaya
- Resignation of a right - Codex on the basis of Hindu ideas, adapted to Thai reality. Some of these legal standards are still valid today.