| Si Inthrathit ศรีอินทราทิตย์ | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khun[1] | |||||
 Statue of Si Inthrathit, Sawankhalok District, Sukhothai Province, Thailand | |||||
| King of Sukhothai | |||||
| Reign | 1238–1270 | ||||
| Predecessor | Khom Sabat Khlon Lamphong | ||||
| Successor | Ban Mueang | ||||
| Born | Bang Klang Hao c. 1188 Mueang Rat | ||||
| Died | 1270 (aged 81–82) Sukhothai Kingdom | ||||
| Spouse | Sueang | ||||
| Issue | Ban Mueang Ram Khamhaeng the Great Three other children | ||||
| |||||
| House | Phra Ruang | ||||
| Father | Chantha Racha | ||||
| Mother | Nang Nak | ||||
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism | ||||
Si Inthrathit (Thai:ศรีอินทราทิตย์,pronounced[sǐːʔīn.tʰrāː.tʰít]; also speltŚrī Indrāditya) was the first king of theSukhothai Kingdom, a historical polity in what is nowThailand. He reigned from 1238 until around 1270 and is credited as the founder of thePhra Ruang dynasty, regarded as the first historical Siamese dynasty. His dynasty holds a dual claim to this distinction—having originated in the very region later designated by foreigners as "Siam", and for being the royal house that liberated theThai principalities from theKhmer Empire.[2]
Initially known asPho Khun Bang Klang Hao (Thai:พ่อขุนบางกลางหาว), interpreted as ”the lord who rules the sky”, the controversy surrounding this names illustrates the limitations ofepigraphy. This science studies inscriptions or epigraphs as writing, to identify graphemes, clarify their meanings, and classify their uses according to dates and cultural contexts. Texts inscribed on steles are often missing the top or bottom portions, just where one would expect dates, complicating the drawing of conclusions about the writing and the writers. Specifically excluded from epigraphy are the historical significance of an epigraph as a document, and the artistic value of a literary composition. These complications led to the ruler in his early life being known as simplyHao (หาว).[citation needed]
Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao was born to Sirisudhārājadevī (สิริสุธาราชเทวี), a queen consort ofCandraraja,[3]: 15 [4] who relocated the seat fromKamphaeng Phet to Sukhothai.[3] TheAyutthaya Testimonies delineates his dynasty as the descendants of King Phatumsuriyawong,[3] whom certain historians have identified with the Khmer monarchSuryavarman II.[5] However, such an assumption appears chronologically inconsistent when juxtaposed with the genealogical account of an early Siamese royal line that ruledXiū Luó Fēn, situated in thePhraek Si Racha region. The first monarch of this lineage,Visnuraja, who likewise claimed descent from King Phatumsuriyawong,[3]: 37–8 is recorded to have been born in 950 CE.[a] This temporal discrepancy therefore suggests that King Phatumsuriyawong could not have been identical with theAngkorianSuryavarman II, whose reign extended from 1113 to 1150 CE.
Before the late 12th century, theMenam River basin comprised several independent polities, among whichXiū Luó Fēn,[6]: 22 [7][8] centered atPhraek Si Racha, held regional prominence.[b] This polity maintained its autonomy through successive generations and traced its lineage to the ancient house ofPhatumsuriyawong.[3]: 37–8 In the late 12th century, theAngkorian Empire expanded northward under theMahidharapura dynasty, reasserting its authority overLavo and extending control into the central basin.[11] By 1180 CE, the domain ofXiū Luó Fēn had come under a new royal house that may have been connected toAngkor and was re-established asChen Li Fu.[12]: 18 [13] During this period,Candraraja, a descendant of theXiū Luó Fēn line and father of Si Inthrathit, ruled atKamphaeng Phet before transferring the royal seat toSukhothai.[3]: 11
Initially,Candraraja continued to pay tribute to Angkor, but under Si Inthrathit’s direction, the payments ceased[3]: 15–6 in response to Khmer control and its prohibitive taxes.[14] This led to armed conflict betweenSukhothai and Angkor, in which Si Inthrathit commanded the Sukhothai forces to victory. The outcome ended approximately two decades of Angkorian domination and marked the restoration of Sukhothai’s independence.[3]: 15–6 Concurrently, the short-lived polity ofChen Li Fu, centered atPhraek Si Racha,[13]: 20–1 regained autonomy and dispatched a tributary mission to the Chinese court in 1200 CE, indicating the broader decline of Angkorian influence in the region.[15]: 3 [16]: 20
Following this triumph, Si Intharathit was appointed to govern Mueang Bang Yang, located in the present-dayNakhon Thai district,[17] which had previously served as the power base of his kinsman,Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri.[18] During his tenure there, Si Intharathit was potentially supported byTai Yuan refugees who had fled to the region following the fall ofYonok.[19]: 30 He also marriedNang Sueang [th], a Tai Lueang (ไทเลือง) princess and daughter ofSri Naw Nam Thum, the ruler of Mueang Rat (เมืองราด), situated in modernLom Sak district, to the east of Mueang Bang Yang.[20] The Tai Lueang polity subsequently expanded its sphere of influence intoMueang Chaliang, which had been under the mixedMonic–ChineseHaripuñjaya dynasty, during the waning reign ofRajadhiraj II in the early 13th century.[21]: 15–6 [22]
After consolidating control overMueang Chaliang, the Tai Lueang monarchs, led bySri Naw Nam Thum and his sonPha Mueang, extended their dominion southward towardSukhothai in 1219,[23]: 4 [24] overthrowing theMon rulerE Daeng Phloeng.[25]: 115 However, the remnants of the older Monic aristocracy, led byKhom Sabat Khlon Lamphong, staged a successful revolt, reclaiming control of Sukhothai.[26] In response, a coalition of Siamese forces led by a local chieftain, Bang Klang Hao—later known asSi Intharathit—recaptured the city and re-established it as an autonomous Siamese polity in 1238. Si Intharathit was militarily aided by his brother-in-law,Pha Mueang, a son ofSri Naw Nam Thum.[27]: 195–196 Pha Mueang was givenMueang Chaliang following this event.[28]
Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao was then declared king at Sukhothai, taking a regnal name of Sanskrit origin, Si Inthrathit, translated fromAdityan Indra.[29] His skill and bravery greatly impressed the people of the kingdom, who thus conferred him the titlePhra Ruang (glorious prince). This title was given to all subsequent rulers of Sukhothai, thus giving rise to the first Thai royal dynasty of Phra Ruang.[30]
Si Inthrathit and his queen, Sueang, had three sons. The eldest died at a young age, and the second was named Ban Mueang. His third son defeated a Khmer prince on elephants in mounted combat; he named this youngest sonRam Khamhaeng (Rama the Bold) in tribute to the feat.[31] Si Inthrathit died around 1270, and was succeeded by his sonBan Mueang.[14]
(1) The translation of this paper, which has been read at a joint session of theRoyal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland,Société Asiatique, andAmerican Oriental Society, and published in theJournal asiatique (April–June 1920), is the work of Mr. J. Crosby, to whom the author begs to tend his heartfelt thanks.
(1) The translation of this paper, which has been read at a joint session of theRoyal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland,Société Asiatique, andAmerican Oriental Society, and published in theJournal asiatique (April–June 1920), is the work of Mr. J. Crosby, to whom the author begs to tend his heartfelt thanks.
Si Inthrathit Born: ? Died: 1270 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Sukhothai 1238–1270 | Succeeded by |