The Kingdom of Sukhothai (Thai: สุโขทัย) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 until 1583. The old capital, now 12 km outside of New Sukhothai in Tambon Mueang Kao, is in ruins and has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage historical park.
After the Battle of Sittaung River in 1583, King Naresuan of Phitsanulok (and crown prince of Ayutthaya) forcibly relocated people from the cities of Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phichai, Sawankhalok (Si Satchanalai), Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, and Prabang to the Southern Central plain, due to the war with the Burmese and an earthquake. After crown prince Mingyi Swa of Burma died in single combat at Don Chedi in 1592, these cities were restored, however not as an independent kingdom but as provinces within the Ayutthaya Kingdom. |
