Following the death of King Ramkhamhaeng. the kingdom of Sukhothai rapidly declined
and Lan Na expanded its influence over its neighboring kingdoms, many of which were
former suzerains of Sukhothai. ln the middle of the 15th Century Lan Na arts and literature
reahed a pinnacle during the King tilokoraj period. However, after the king's death, Lan Na
weakened due to internal conflicts and Chiang Mai fell under Burmese control around 1564;
while the Burmese occupied the northern region for a few centuries, they did little
development, using Chiang Mai as military base from which to battle the Kingdom of
Ayutthaya, a mighty kingdom in the central plains that was gradually exerting its inrfluene
from the mid 14th century onwards.