Empire · 1351–1767 · Southeast Asia
Ayutthaya Kingdom
Also known as Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya was founded in 1351 by King U Thong, who took the title Ramathibodi I, on an island where three rivers meet in Thailand's central plain. The kingdom absorbed the older Thai state of Sukhothai and in 1431 sacked Angkor, inheriting Khmer ideas of divine kingship.
Its rulers built a highly organised state, with the sakdina system ranking every subject by land and duty. Ayutthaya became one of Asia's great trading cities, home to Chinese, Persian, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch and French merchants, and King Narai exchanged embassies with Louis XIV. For centuries it fought Burmese kingdoms; it fell to Burma in 1569, until King Naresuan restored its independence. In 1767 a Burmese army destroyed the city after a long siege, ending the kingdom.
- Years
- 1351–1767
- Capital
- Ayutthaya
- Greatest extent
- 1600, about 400,000 km²
- Region
- Southeast Asia
Central Thailand, the former Sukhothai lands, much of the Malay Peninsula and parts of Cambodia; c. 400,000 km² around 1600 (Wikipedia estimate)
Legacy
Ayutthaya shaped Thai monarchy, law and culture, and its ruins are a World Heritage Site; later Thai kingdoms saw themselves as its heirs.
Rulers
- Ramathibodi I (U Thong) 1351 – 1369
Founder
- Borommatrailokkanat 1448 – 1488
Reorganised government and absorbed Sukhothai
- Naresuan the Great 1590 – 1605
Restored independence from Burma
- Narai 1656 – 1688
Exchanged embassies with Louis XIV of France
- Ekkathat 1758 – 1767
Last king, when the Burmese destroyed the city
Realms on the map
- Ayutthaya Kingdom 1352–1767