Background
He was thought to have been a descendant of Mangrai.
He was thought to have been a descendant of Mangrai.
He was known as Prince U Thong (meaning "Golden Cradle") before he ascended to the throne in 1350. Ramathibodi I established four Great Officers of State. These were the Ministry of the Interior (Wieng), the Ministry of the Treasury (Klang), the Ministry for the King"s Household (Wang), and the Ministry of Agriculture (Na).
He also codified the T"ai laws.
Finally, he formed an alliance with the Ming Dynasty. He established his own capital in the new city of Ayutthaya.
King Ramathabodi"s reign included Korat, Chantaburi, Tavoy, Tenasserim, and large parts of Malaya. According to a better-known source, a seventeenth-century account by Dutchman Jeremias Van Vliet, a Renowned Legend stated that Ramatibodi was an ethnic Chinese, having sailed down from China.
After succeeding in trade, he became influential enough to rule the city of Phetchaburi, a coastal town of the Gulf of Thailand, before travelling up to Ayutthaya.
In 1352 he laid siege to Yasodharapura. However, they were only able to keep the throne until 1357, when the Khmers were able to regain lieutenant King Ramathibodi"s death sparked a conflict over succession.