Background
Lithai was the son of Lerthai, also known as Loethai or LeLue Thai, and the grandson of Ramkhamhaeng.
Lithai was the son of Lerthai, also known as Loethai or LeLue Thai, and the grandson of Ramkhamhaeng.
The exact chronology of Lithai"s rise to the throne is unclear. Popular tradition names him as the fourth king of Sukhothai, but dynastic records seem to indicate that at least one other king (Nguanamthom) ruled between Lithai and his father, as well as the regent Phaya Sai Songkhram who ruled during Lerthai"s absence following the death of Ram Khamhaeng the Great. Lithai served as uparat during his father"s reign from the city of Srisatchanalai, an important urban center of the early Sukhothai kingdom.
The Ten Virtues of a sovereign were set down as guiding principles for Thai monarchs.
The Traiphuum would go on to serve as an important political document, being re-interpreted in response to changes in the domestic and international political scene.