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A riiver island city-state founded in 1350 A.D. by King U-Thong (later crowned King Ramathibodi I).
King Ramathibodi I derived his name from Rama, the god Vishnu's reincarnation and the hero of Indian epic "Ramayana".
From the very beginning of his reign, King Ramathibodi I launched Ayutthaya on a vigorous diplomatic and military
campaign, seeking domination of the entire The Chao Phraya River basin including the established northern kingdoms of
Sukhothai and Chiang Mai, the Khmer
kingdom including Angkor to the east, and major principalities to the west and south.
Significantly, Ramathibodi I promulgated the first recorded Thai law system. He also established a bureaucracy
to administer his kingdom by creating the equivalents of the modern Ministries of the Interior, Royal Household (including Justice), Finance and
Agriculture. His administrative system formed the basis of future Thai bureaucracy and survived in its original form until the late 19th century.
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