Uthong

King U-thong (Thai: พระเจ้าอู่ทอง; pronounced [ʔùː.tʰɔ̄ːŋ]) or King Ramathibodi I (Thai: สมเด็จพระรามาธิบดีที่ ๑; Rāmādhipatī; , 1314–1369) was the founder and first monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, reigning from 1351 to 1369. He is traditionally regarded as a pivotal figure in Thai history for unifying the rival power centers of Lopburi (Lavo) and Suphan Buri (Suphannaphum), establishing a centralized state that would dominate mainland Southeast Asia for over four centuries. Ramathibodi I was the son of a mixed Siamese Mon–Chinese monarch Baramaraja, previously a prince of Si Satchanalai who subsequently ascended the throne of Xiān's Ayodhya, and Sunandhadevī, a younger princess of the court of Suvarnaraja, the ninth monarch of Xiān. Originally known by the title Varashreṣṭhakumāra (วรเชษฐกุมาร), he succeeded his father as king of Xiān in 1344. In 1351, he was formally enthroned as the founding monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. His maternal lineage can be traced back to the Dvaravati period, specifically under the ruling dynasty of the polity situated in the Phraek Si Racha region.