Kingdom of Ayutthaya

Kingdom of Ayutthaya (1351-1767), Thai state. The capital of the state was Ayutthaya. Founded by King Ramathibodi I, it absorbed the older Thai kingdom of Sukhothai in the north and destroyed the neighboring Khmer kingdom of Cambodia, forcing the abandonment of the great city of Angkor. The Ayutthayans also tried to subjugate Chiang Mai, another northern Thai kingdom, but succeeded in controlling it only temporarily. The Ayutthayan kings adopted Cambodian customs and promulgated law codes based on Hindu legal tradition. Conquered by the Burmese in the mid-16th century, the kingdom was reestablished at the end of the century by King Naresuan. The Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya in 1767. The succeeding Thai state established its capital at Thon Buri, across the river from Bangkok. See Ayutthaya.