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{{Short description|King of Siam from 1279 to 1298}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Ramkhamhaeng<br>{{small|พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช}}
| title        = [[Thai nobility|Khun]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eoseewong |first1=Nidhi |title=“พ่อขุน” ไม่เคยใช้เรียกกษัตริย์ที่ครองราชย์อยู่ “รามคำแหง” พระนามที่ชวนฉงน ?!? |url=https://www.silpa-mag.com/history/article_44228 |website=Silpawattanatham |publisher=Silpawattanatham |access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>
| image        = Ram Khamhaeng the Great (I).jpg
| caption      = Statue of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great, Sukhothai Historical Park, Sukhothai Province, Thailand
| succession   = [[Monarchy of Thailand|King of Sukhothai]]
| reign        = 1279–1298
| predecessor  = [[Ban Mueang]]
| successor    = [[Loe Thai]]
| regnal name  = Phrabat Kamonteng Ansi Rammarat (พระบาทกมรเตงอัญศรีรามราช)
| birth_name   = Rama<ref>[https://tds.rta.mi.th/data/105%20เนื้อหา%20ตำรา%20พระมหากษัตริยปี1.pdf 105 เนื้อหา ตำราพระมหากษัตริย์ไทย]</ref>
| birth_date   = c. 1237 or 1247
| birth_place  = [[Sukhothai Kingdom]]
| death_date   = 1298 (aged 51–61)
| death_place  = Sukhothai Kingdom
| issue        = [[Loe Thai]]<br>[[Phaya Sai Songkhram]]<br>[[May Hnin Thwe-Da]]
| house        = [[Phra Ruang dynasty|Phra Ruang]]
| father       = [[Si Inthrathit]]
| mother       = Sueang
| religion     = [[Theravada|Theravada Buddhism]]
}}

'''Ramkhamhaeng''' ({{langx|th|รามคำแหง}}, {{IPA|th|rāːm kʰām hɛ̌ːŋ|pron|Ram Khamheang Pronunciation (TH).ogg}}), commonly known as '''Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng Maharat''' ({{langx|th|พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช}}, {{IPA|th|pʰɔ̂ː kʰǔn raːm kʰam hɛ̌ːŋ má hǎː râːt|pron|Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharaj Pronunciation (TH).ogg}}), was the third king of the [[List of monarchs of Thailand#Phra Ruang dynasty (1238–1438)|Phra Ruang dynasty]], ruling the [[Sukhothai Kingdom]]—a historical polity in what is now [[Thailand]]—from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era.

He is credited with the creation of the [[Thai alphabet]] and with firmly establishing [[Theravada]] Buddhism as the state religion of the kingdom.<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|197}}<ref name=prince>Chakrabongse, C. (1960). ''Lords of Life''. London: Alvin Redman Limited.</ref>{{rp|25}}

==Birth and name==
Ramkhamhaeng (sometimes written Ram Khamhaeng) was a son of Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, who ruled as Pho Khun [[Si Inthrathit]], and his queen, Sueang,<ref name="prasert1">Prasert Na Nagara and Alexander B. Griswold (1992). "The Inscription of King Rāma Gāṃhèṅ of Sukhodaya (1292 CE)", p. 265, in ''Epigraphic and Historical Studies''. Journal of the Siam Society. The Historical Society Under the Royal Patronage of H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn: Bangkok. {{ISBN|974-88735-5-2}}.</ref> though folk legend claims his real parents were an [[ogre]]ss named Kangli and a fisherman.<ref name=Wyatt1995>{{cite book|last1=Wyatt|first1=David K.|title=The Chiang Mai Chronicle|date=1995|publisher=Silkworm Books|location=Bangkok|isbn=978-974-7047-67-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fJ5uAAAAMAAJ|access-date=4 November 2012}}</ref>{{RP|23}} He had two brothers and two sisters. The eldest brother died while very young. The second, [[Ban Mueang]], became king following their father's death and was succeeded by Ramkhamhaeng on his death.<ref name="prasert2">Prasert and Griswold (1992), p. 265-267</ref>

At the age of 19, he took part in his father's successful campaign to capture the city of [[Sukhothai (city)|Sukhothai]], which had formerly been a vassal of the [[Khmer Empire]]. The victory established Sukhothai as an independent kingdom. Owing to his courage in battle, he was reportedly granted the title "Phra Ram Khamhaeng" ("Rama the Bold").<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|196}} Following his father's death, his elder brother [[Ban Mueang]] ascended the throne and appointed Ramkhamhaeng as ruler of [[Si Satchanalai]].

The [[Royal Institute of Thailand]] has speculated that Ramkhamhaeng's birth name was "Ram"—derived from ''Rama'', the hero of the Hindu epic ''[[Ramayana]]''—as his name following coronation was recorded as "Pho Khun Ramarat" ({{langx|th|พ่อขุนรามราช}}). At the time, it was customary to name a grandson after his grandfather. According to both the 11th Stone Inscription and the ''Ayutthaya Chronicles'' compiled by Prasoet Aksoranit, Ramkhamhaeng had a grandson named "Phraya Ram", whose two grandsons in turn were named "Phraya Ban Mueang" and "Phraya Ram".

The title Maharat ({{langx|th|มหาราช}}) is the Thai equivalent of "the Great King".

==Accession==
[[Image:3 kings monument.JPG|thumb|160px|The three kings monument in [[Chiang Mai]]: King Ngam Muang of [[Phayao Kingdom|Phayao]] (left), [[King Mangrai]] of [[Lan Na]] (center), and King Ramkhamhaeng of [[Sukhothai Kingdom|Sukhothai]] (right).]]
Tri Amattayakun ({{langx|th|ตรี อมาตยกุล}}), a Thai historian, suggests that Ramkhamhaeng should have acceded to the throne in 1279, the year he planted a [[sugar palm (disambiguation)|sugar palm]] tree in [[Sukhothai (city)|Sukhothai]]. [[Prasert na Nagara]] of the Royal Institute speculates that this was a tradition of [[Ahom people|Tai Ahom]] monarchs, who planted [[banyan]] or sugar palm trees on their [[Coronation of the Thai monarch|coronation day]] in the hope that their reign would achieve the same stature as the tree.

The most significant event at the beginning of his reign was the elopement of one of his daughters, Thai: แม่นางสร้อยดาว, RTGS: Mae-nang Soidao, "Lady Soidao" [[May Hnin Thwe-Da]], with the captain of the palace guards, a commoner. The commoner would found the Burmese [[Hanthawaddy kingdom]] and commission compilation of the Code of [[Wareru]], which would provide a basis for the [[law of Thailand]] used in Siam until 1908,<ref>{{cite journal |last= T. Masao | first= (Toshiki Masao) |year= 1908 |title= The New Penal Code of Siam |journal= Journal of the Siam Society |volume= 5 |issue= 2 |pages=1–10 |publisher= Siam Society Heritage Trust |url= http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1904/JSS_005_2b_Masao_NewPenalCodeOfSiam.pdf |access-date= 20 February 2013}}</ref> and in Burma to the present.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Lingat |first= R. |author-link= Robert Lingat |year= 1950 |title= Evolution of the Conception of Law in Burma and Siam |journal= Journal of the Siam Society |volume= 38 |issue= 1 |pages=13–24 |publisher= Siam Society Heritage Trust |url= http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1941/JSS_038_1c_Lingat_EvolutionOfTheConceptionOfLawInBurmaAndSiam.pdf |access-date= 20 February 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1= Griswold|first1= Alexander B. |last2= Prasert na Nagara |year= 1969 |title= Epigraphic and Historical Studies No. 4: A Law Promulgated By the King of Ayudhyā in 1397 A.D |journal= Journal of the Siam Society |volume= 57 |issue= 1 |pages=109–148 | publisher= Siam Society Heritage Trust |url= http://www.siamese-heritage.org/jsspdf/1961/JSS_057_1e_GriswoldPrasert_LawPromulgatedByKingOfAyudhya1397.pdf |access-date= 20 February 2013}}</ref>

==Reign==
Ramkhamhaeng sent embassies to [[Yuan dynasty|Yuan China]] from 1282 to 1323 and imported the techniques to make the [[ceramic]]s now known as [[Sangkhalok ceramic ware]]. He had close relationships with the rulers of nearby city-states, especially Ngam Muang, the ruler of neighboring [[Phayao]] (whose wife, according to legend, he seduced), and King [[Mangrai]] of [[Chiang Mai]].<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|206}} His campaign against Cambodia left the Khmer country "utterly devastated".<ref name=Maspero>Maspero, G., 2002, ''The Champa Kingdom'', Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., {{ISBN|9747534991}}</ref>{{rp|90}}

According to Thai history, Ramkhamhaeng is credited with creating the [[Thai alphabet]] (''Lai Nangsue Thai'') from a combination of the [[Khmer script|Khmer]], [[Sanskrit]], [[Pali]], and [[Grantha alphabet|Grantha]] alphabets.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

It is speculated that Ramkhamhaeng expanded his kingdom as far as [[Lampang]], [[Phrae]], and [[Nan, Thailand|Nan]] in the north, [[Phitsanulok]] and [[Vientiane]] in the east, the [[Nakhon Si Thammarat Kingdom]] in the south, the [[Mon kingdoms]] of what is now [[Myanmar]] in the west, and the [[Bay of Bengal]] in the northwest. The Thais also expanded south towards the Malay Peninsula, the ''[[History of Yuan]]'' mentions “since the people of Sien and of Ma- li-yü-erh have long been killing each other and are all in submission at this moment, an imperial order has been issued telling the people of Sien: do no harm to the Ma-li-yii-erh and hold to your promise.“<ref>{{Cite book |last=Coedes |first=George |title=The Indianized States of Southeast Asia |publisher=Australia National University Press |year=1965 |location=Canberra |pages=205 |language=en}}</ref> However, in the [[Mandala (political model)|''mandala'' political model]], kingdoms such as Sukhothai lacked distinct borders, instead being centered on the strength of the capital itself.<ref name="Siam Mapped 1994. p 163">Siam Mapped: A history of the geo-body of a nation, by Thongchai Winichakul, University of Hawaii Press. 1994. p 163.</ref> Claims of Ramkhamhaeng's large kingdom were intended to assert Siamese dominance over mainland Southeast Asia.<ref name="Siam Mapped 1994. p 163"/>

==Death==
According to the Chinese ''[[History of Yuan]]'', King Ramkhamhaeng died in 1298 and was succeeded by his son, [[Loe Thai]], though [[George Cœdès]] says it is "more probable" it was "shortly before 1318". Legend holds that Khamhaeng perished in the rapids of the rivers of Sawankhalok. Another source says he was slain by a Malay warrior princess named Adruja Wijayamala Singha during a battle between Thai and Malay armies, in a campaign to conquer Malay lands that make up a third of modern Thailand today.<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|218–219}}

==Legacy==
===Ram Khamhaeng Inscription===
{{main|Ram Khamhaeng Inscription}}
[[Image:Bangkok National Museum - 2017-04-22 (008).jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ramkhamhaeng [[stele]], [[Bangkok National Museum]]]]
Much of the traditional biographical information comes from the inscription on the Ramkhamhaeng stele, composed in 1292, and contains vague facts about the king.<ref name=Coedes>{{cite book|last= Cœdès |first= George|author-link= George Cœdès|editor= Walter F. Vella|others= trans. Susan Brown Cowing|title= The Indianized States of Southeast Asia|year= 1968|publisher= University of Hawaii Press|isbn= 978-0-8248-0368-1}}</ref>{{rp|196–198}} It is now found in the [[Bangkok National Museum]]. The formal name of the stele is the "King Ramkhamhaeng Inscription". It was added to the Memory of the World Register in 2003 by [[UNESCO]].

===Sangkhalok ceramic ware===
{{main|Sangkhalok ceramic ware}}
Ramkhamhaeng is credited with bringing the skills of ceramic making from China and laying the foundation of a strong ceramic ware industry in the Sukhothai Kingdom.<ref name=Coedes/>{{rp|206–207}} Sukhothai for centuries was the major exporter of the ceramics known as "Sangkhalok ware" ({{langx|th|เครื่องสังคโลก}}) to countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, and even to China. The industry was one of the main revenue generators during his reign and long afterward.

===Banknote===
The reverse of the 20 [[Baht]] note (series 16), issued in 2013, depicts images of the royal statue of Ramkhamhaeng seated on the Manangkhasila Asana Throne and commemorates the invention of the Thai script by the king.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bot.or.th/English/Banknotes/HistoryAndSeriesOfBanknotes/Pages/20_16.aspx |title=History and Series of Banknotes, 20 Baht Series 16 |website=BOT |publisher=Bank of Thailand |access-date=14 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130331041651/http://www.bot.or.th/English/Banknotes/HistoryANdSeriesOfBanknotes/Pages/20_16.aspx |archive-date=31 March 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Honour===
[[Ramkhamhaeng University]], the first Thai university with an [[Open-door academic policy|open-door policy]] and with campuses throughout the country was named after Ramkhamhaeng.

===Video games===
King Ramkhamhaeng is a playable ruler for the [[Thai people|Siamese]] in ''[[Civilization V|Sid Meier's Civilization V]]''.
{{Portal|Thailand|Monarchy|History|Biography}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* ตรี อมาตยกุล. (2523, 2524, 2525 และ 2527). "ประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัย." ''แถลงงานประวัติศาสตร์ เอกสารโบราณคดี,'' (ปีที่ 14 เล่ม 1, ปีที่ 15 เล่ม 1, ปีที่ 16 เล่ม 1 และปีที่ 18 เล่ม 1).
* ''ประชุมศิลาจารึก ภาคที่ 1.'' (2521). คณะกรรมการพิจารณาและจัดพิมพ์เอกสารทางประวัติศาสตร์. กรุงเทพฯ : โรงพิมพ์สำนักเลขาธิการคณะรัฐมนตรี.
* ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2534). "ประวัติศาสตร์สุโขทัยจากจารึก." ''งานจารึกและประวัติศาสตร์ของประเสริฐ ณ นคร.'' มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ กำแพงแสน.
* ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2544). "รามคำแหงมหาราช, พ่อขุน". ''สารานุกรมไทยฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน,'' (เล่ม 25 : [[ราชบัณฑิตยสถาน]]-โลกธรรม). กรุงเทพฯ : สหมิตรพริ้นติ้ง. หน้า 15887–15892.
* ประเสริฐ ณ นคร. (2534). "ลายสือไทย". ''งานจารึกและประวัติศาสตร์ของประเสริฐ ณ นคร.'' มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ กำแพงแสน.
* เจ้าพระยาพระคลัง (หน). (2515). ''ราชาธิราช.'' พระนคร : บรรณาการ.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Ram Khamhaeng the Great}}

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{{s-hou|[[List of monarchs of Thailand#Phra Ruang dynasty (1238–1438)|Phra Ruang Dynasty]]||(around 1237-1247)||1298|}}
{{s-reg}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Ban Mueang]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Sukhothai Kingdom|King of Sukhothai]]|years=1279–1298}}
{{s-vac|next=[[Loe Thai]]|reason=[[Phaya Sai Songkhram|Sai Songkhram]] (Regent)}}
{{s-end}}

{{Rulers of Sukhothai}}
{{Monarchs of Thailand}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:1298 deaths]]
[[Category:13th-century births]]
[[Category:Creators of writing systems]]
[[Category:Tai history]]
[[Category:Kings of Sukhothai]]
[[Category:13th-century monarchs in Asia]]
[[Category:Thai princes]]
[[Category:13th-century Thai people]]