Uthong II
King of Siam from 1205 to 1253
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Uthong II (Thai: อู่ทองที่ 2), or Mahidharavarman of Indaprastha–Ayodhya, the fifth king of Xiān at Ayodhya, who was of mixed Siamese Mon–Chinese–Cham heritage, ascended the throne following his father-in-law Dhammikaraja, who left only a daughter, Phummawadi Thewi, married to Uthong II, prince of Phrip Phri. Uthong II was born to Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri and the Cham-Chinese queen Chandradevi (จันทรเทวีศรีบาทราชบุตรีศรีทองสมุทร). Upon his death, Jayasena, his son-in-law who was also the younger prince of Phichai Chiang Mai, succeeded him.[2] His reign is further characterized as having overlapped with that of his predecessor and father-in-law, Dhammikaraja, who is recorded as continuing to exercise juridical authority in 1225, as attested in the Phra Aiyakan Betset (พระอัยการเบ็ดเสร็จ or อายการเบดเสรจ; lit. 'miscellaneous law').[3]
| Uthong II อู่ทองที่ 2 | |
|---|---|
| 24th King of Siam 14th King of Ayodhya | |
| King of Xiān's Ayodhya | |
| Reign | 1205–1253 |
| Predecessor | Dhammikaraja |
| Successor | Jayasena |
| King of Xiān's Suphannaphum | |
| Reign | 1204–1253 (ruled from Ayodhya) |
| Predecessor | Uthong I |
| Successor | Vacant (Next title held by Saenpom |
| King of Xiān's Chen Li Fu | |
| Reign | 1204–1205 |
| Predecessor | Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri |
| Successor | Seat shifted to Ayodhya since 1205 (Next title as the governor potentially held by his son Ai) |
| Died | 1253 Ayutthaya |
| Consort | Phummawadi Thewi |
| Issue | Ai of Indaprasthanagara Yi of Tanintharyi Sam of Phrip Phri Rajadevi |
| House | Phetchaburi–Viang Chaiprakarn |
| Dynasty | Guruwamsa[a] |
| Father | Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri |
| Mother | Chandradevi |
During his reign, Ayodhya’s authority extended west to Tanintharyi in present-day southern Myanmar.[2] To the north, Phraek Si Racha region, the seat of Chen Li Fu—which was under his father from 1180 to 1204—was left without a ruler between 1249 and 1299.[4]: 29 To the east, adjoined Lavapura in Lavo, which as was administered by Nripendravarman (later enthroned as the Angkoian monarch Indravarman II), a prince serving under the Angkorian monarch Jayavarman VII.[5]
Commercial relations with Đại Việt, first established in 1149,[6] were maintained in subsequent centuries. Documentary evidence records that in 1241, a naval merchant mission from Xiān arrived at Yún tún (chữ Hán: 雲屯) to request official authorization for trade and the procurement of goods.[6]
Biography
Genealogy
The Ayutthaya Testimonies identify Uthong II as the son of Queen Consort Mani Mala (มณีมาลา).[4]: 46 In contrast, the British Museum version of the Royal Chronicle of the Kingdom of Siam records that the king of Kampoch (Ayodhya)—likely Dhammikaraja (r. 1165–1205)—died without a male heir, after which the throne was offered to the wealthy noble named Uthong, who relocated the capital southward in response to epidemic outbreaks. The Northern Chronicle, which contains a mixed story of Uthong I, Uthong II, and Uthong V, similarly recounts that a son of a wealthy merchant named Uthong became ruler of Ayodhya.[7]: 64–5 This account aligns with the Nakhon Si Thammarat Chronicle, which states that Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri, king of Phrip Phri who prospered through maritime trade with China, married Chandradevi, a daughter of the Chinese emperor and a Cham princess Chandramouli, and that their son, Uthong, subsequently ascended the throne of Ayodhya.[8]: 14–15 Taken collectively, these sources suggest that Uthong II was the offspring of Pra Poa Noome Thele Seri and Chandradevi (จันทรเทวีศรีบาทราชบุตรีศรีทองสมุทร), a Cham-Chinese princess.
Issues
According to the Northern Chronicle, Uthong II had four children: three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Ai (อ้าย), was appointed governor of Mueang Nakhon (เมืองนคร; lit. 'nagara city'), a city that some scholars have identified with Nakhon Si Thammarat of Tambralinga in the south. However, at the time in question, Nakhon Si Thammarat was demonstrably ruled by descendants of Sri Dharmasokaraja II, suggesting that the chronicle may instead be referring to the former capital of Indaprasthanagara. The second son, Yi (ยี่), was sent to rule Tanintharyi in the far west, while the youngest son, Sam (สาม), succeeded his uncle Thonglanraj (ท้องลันราช) as ruler of Phrip Phri.[2] His only daughter, Rajadevi, reportedly entered into a clandestine relationship with Jayadatta (ชัยทัต), the eldest son of the king of Phichai Chiang Mai, and bore a son, Suvarnaraja,[7]: 66–68 who later reigned as king of Ayodhya from 1289 to 1301.[7]: 69
Royal Miscellaneous Laws of Ayutthaya
Evidence from early legal manuscripts suggests that certain Siamese legal traditions predate the formal establishment of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1351. Among the earliest attested texts is Phra Aiyakan Betset, for example, contains an internal chronological reference within its textual body itself, identifying the year Shaka era 1146 (1224 CE) as the date of its promulgation.[9]: 45–7 The linguistic style and phrasing of the document also appear notably archaic when compared with other extant pre-Ayutthayan legal texts, exhibiting features reminiscent of the style found in the Sukhothai Ram Khamhaeng Inscription.[9]: 46 However, the regnal name of the monarch recorded in the original manuscript is Dhammikaraja (r. 1165– c. 1225),[3] the father-in-law of Uthong II.[2]
The relatively advanced legal structure evident in the laws associated with the reign of Ramathibodi I (r. 1351–1369) further supports this interpretation. Despite being traditionally framed as the foundation of a new kingdom, these texts display a level of legal sophistication that implies a longer developmental history. As noted in comparative legal analyses, including those influenced by Chit Phumisak and Robert Lingat, this legal consciousness must have evolved gradually within earlier societies of the Chao Phraya basin before the emergence of Ayutthaya as a centralized polity.[9]: 50–9
The manuscript was subsequently transcribed into modern Thai script as follows:
ศุภมัสดุ ๑๑๔๖ ศกมแมนักสัตวเจตมาศปัญจมีดิถีรวิวาร พระบาทสมเดจ์พระรามาธิบดีศรีสิทธิวิสุทธิบุรโสดมบรมจักรพรรดิธรรมิกกราช เดโชไชยาเทพาดิเทพตรีภูวนาธิเบศบรมบพิตร พระพุทธิเจ้าอยู่หัว เสด็จ ณ พระที่นั่งมังคลาพิเศกโดยบุรรพาภิมุขเบื้องไพชมะหาปราสาท มีพระราชโองการมานพระบันทูลสุรสิงหนาทพระราชประยัษคำนับไว้แก่ผู้รั้ง กรมการ ผู้พิจารณาความฉมบ จะกละ กระสือกระหาง ถ้าเป็นสัจแล้วอย่าให้เจ้าเมือง กรมการ เอา ฉะมบ จะกละ กระสือ กระหางไปฆ่าเสีย ให้บอกส่งเข้าไปยังกรุง ให้ไว้แต่นอกขนอน จะให้พิจารณาก่อนถ้าเจ้าเมือง กรมการ มิบอกส่งเข้าไปแลฆ่าเสียแล้ว จึ่งบอกเข้าไปยังกรุงต่อพายหลังให้มีโทษสิ้นชีวิตร
In the (Shaka era) year (ศก) 1146, the year of the horse (มแมนัก), the 7th lunar month (สัตวเจตมาศ), the fifth day of the waxing moon (ปัญจมีดิถี), Sunday (รวิวาร), His Majesty King Phra Bat Somdet Phra Ramathibodi Si Sittivisutthi Burasodom Borom Chakraphat Thammikarat Dechochaiya Thephadi Thep Trai Phuwanathibet Borom Bophit Phra Phuttha Chao Yu Hua was in royal audience at the Mangala Phisek Hall, facing the northeast direction of the Great Palace (Phra Maha Prasat).
A royal decree was issued to be recorded as law, addressed to provincial governors, officials, and judges responsible for adjudicating cases concerning offenders such as thieves, fraudsters, and violent criminals. It was proclaimed that if such individuals are found to be truly guilty, the local governors and officials must not execute them independently. Instead, they are to report and transfer the accused to the capital for judgment outside the local jurisdiction.
If any governor or official fails to report and transfer the accused to the capital and instead carries out an execution, only reporting the matter afterward, such action shall be punishable by death.
— Phra Aiyakan Betsaret (1224)