Ramrachathirat

Ramrachathirat รามราชาธิราช
King of Ayutthaya Kingdom
King of Siam
Reign	1395–1409
Predecessor	Ramesuan
Successor	Intha Racha
Born	1356
Full name King Uthong , Somdet Phra Ramathibodi I
Dynasty	Uthong Dynasty

Ramrachathirat (Thai: รามราชาธิราช), born 1356 CE, was the fifth king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Siam (modern Thailand); he succeeded King Ramesuan in 1395, and was succeeded by Intha Racha in 1409.

Legacy

Epigraphic Inscription XXXVIII, in which he promulgates a law in the vassal kingdom of Sukhodaya in 1397, is a document of peculiar importance for the study of legal history. It is the only known legislative text engraved on stone emanating from any of the Southeast Asian kingdoms. The inscription refers to the Dharmasastra, and couples it with the Raja S'astra, a list of legal decisions. Though these are called by their Sanskrit names, it is obvious that what was meant is the Dhammasattha, on which Ayudhyan law was based, and the Rajasattha (รัฐศาสตร์) 'science of kings' (modern Thai, 'political science',) which was then the body of laws enacted by his predecessors. (Later Siamese rulers used the hybrid forms Dharmasi'itra and Rajasiitra).^[1]

References

1. Griswold, A. B.; na Nagara, Prasert (1969). "Epigraphic and Historical Studies No. 4: A Law Promulgated By the King of Ayudhyā in 1397 A.D" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society (Siam Society Heritage Trust) 57 (1): 109–148. Retrieved February 20, 2013.