Maha Thammaracha III

For other uses, see Maha Thammaracha.

Maha Thammaracha III (Thai: มหาธรรมราชาที่ ๓, pronounced [mā.hǎː tʰām.mā.rāː.t͡ɕʰāː tʰîː sǎːm]), born as Sai Luthai (Thai: ไสลือไทย, pronounced [sǎj lɯ̄ː tʰāj]) (c. 1380-1419), was a king of the Sukhothai Kingdom.^[1][2] He was the son of Maha Thammaracha II and great-great grandson of King Ram Khamhaeng the Great.

Maha Thammaracha III มหาธรรมราชาที่ ๓
King of Sukhothai
King of Sukhothai
Reign	1400–1419
Predecessor	Maha Thammaracha II
Successor	Borommapan
Born	c. 1380
Died	1419
Issue	Borommapan Phaya Ram
Names Phra Maha Thammaracha III
House	Phra Ruang Dynasty
Father	Luethai

Early life and family

Much of the information of Maha Thammaracha III comes from stone inscriptions written by his mother in his name. His mother, who called herself "Saṃtec Braḥ Rājadebī Srī Cuḷālakṣana Arrgarājamahesī Debadhòranī Tilakaratana" (Asokārāma stone inscription) or "Saṃtec Braḥ Rājajananī Srī Dharmarājamātā Mahātilakaraṭana Rājanārtha" (stone inscription 46), was the daughter of King Li Thai (Maha Thammaracha I) and married to her brother, Maha Thammaracha II.Sai Luthai had a full brother, a prince named Asoka, of whom no information is known.^[3]

Reign

Stone inscription No. 46 describes that the Queen Mother, together with her son "Satṃtec Mahādharrmarājādhipati Śrī Surīyavaṅsa" (Sai Luthai), recaptured Phra Bang (present-day Nakhon Sawan) and Phrae with her army in 762 C.S. (1400 A.D.) and then "enjoyed dominion over the entire land of Sri Satchanalai and Sukhothai".^[4] The reconquest of Phra Bang interrupted the transport of goods from Ayutthaya in a north-south direction.

After the death of King Saen Mueang Ma [de] in the northern neighboring kingdom of Lan Na in 1401, Sai Luthai intervened in its succession dispute on the side of the King's eldest son, Thao Yi Kum Kam. He and his army marched into Lan Na. However, after seeing a bad omen, he withdrew, took Yi Kum Kam with him, and left him one of his provinces (possibly Kamphaeng Phet) as an appanage. Lan Na was ruled by Yi Kum Kam's younger brother Sam Fang Kaen [de].^[5]

When King Intharacha ascended the throne of Ayutthaya in 1409, one of his first actions was to reconquer Sukhothai as a vassal state. The exact date is unknown, but stone inscription 49 was written in 1412 by a Nai Inthara Sorasak, who was probably the resident of the king of Ayutthaya, sent to Sukhothai by King Inthara to secure Ayutthaya's interests against his vassal.^[6]

After his passing in 1419, his throne was passed onto his son, Maha Thammaracha IV.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Maha Thammaracha III

King Si Inthrathi of Sukhothai King Ram Khamhaeng of Sukhothai Sueang 8. King Loe Thai of Sukhothai 4. King Maha Thammaracha I of Sukhothai 2. King Maha Thammaracha II of Sukhothai 5. Si Thammaratchamada 1. King Maha Thammaracha III of Sukhothai King Si Inthrathi of Sukhothai King Ram Khamhaeng of Sukhothai Sueang 12. King Loe Thai of Sukhothai 6. King Maha Thammaracha I of Sukhothai 3. Saṃtec Braḥ Rājadebī Srī 7. Si Thammaratchamada

See also

• Sukhothai kingdom

References

1. Wilson, Constance M. (1983). Thailand: A Handbook of Historical Statistics. G.K. Hall. p. 339. ISBN 978-0-8161-8115-5.
2. Embree, Ainslie Thomas (1988). Encyclopedia of Asian History. Scribner. p. 362. ISBN 978-0-684-18899-7.
3. Griswold, A.B.; Nagara, Prasert na (1961). The Asokārāma Inscription of 1399 A.D. p. 36.
4. Griswold, A.B.; Nagara, Prasert na (1961). A Declaration of Independence and its Consequences (PDF). pp. 226–228.
5. Griswold, A.B.; Nagara, Prasert na (1961). A Declaration of Independence and its Consequences (PDF). p. 229.
6. Griswold, A.B. (1967). Towards a History Of Sukhodaya Art. p. 51. ASIN B00HKHDQMA.

Maha Thammaracha III Phra Ruang Dynasty Born:  ? Died: 1419
Regnal titles
Preceded by Maha Thammaracha II	King of Sukhothai 1400–1419	Succeeded by Maha Thammaracha IV