Founding of the Sukhothai Kingdom
Around the year 1238 Pho Khun Sri Indraditya became the first King of Sukhothai, when he drove out the Khmer and founded the Sukhothai Kingdom.
The Kingdom reached the peak of its power during the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great who expanded the empire during his rule from 1278 until 1298. The Kingdom included most of present day Thailand, its influence reached as far as parts of Laos to the North and parts of Malaysia to the South.
A wealth of knowledge about the King and his reign is gained from an inscribed stone stele discovered at the Wat Mahathat temple in Sukhothai Historical Park. The nearby King Ramkhamhaeng National Monument honours the great King.
Unification with Ayutthaya
Towards the end of the 14th century the power of the Sukhothai Kingdom began to fade and the town came under the control of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. In the mid 15th century Sukhothai was unified with Ayutthaya. After the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767 Sukhothai was deserted and forgotten.