| Native Name: | |
| Conventional Long Name: | Suphannabhum Kingdom |
| Common Name: | Suphan Buri |
| Era: | Post-classical era |
| Event Start: | Establishment |
| Date Start: | Mid-12 century |
| Event End: | Annexed to Ayutthaya |
| Date End: | 1438 |
| Capital: | Suphanburi |
| Life Span: | c. mid-12th century–1438 |
| Event1: | Tributary of Sukhothai |
| Date Event1: | 1283–1298 |
| Date Event2: | 1351 |
| Date Event3: | 1370 |
| Event4: | Lost Ayutthaya to Lavo |
| Date Event4: | 1388 |
| Event5: | Reclaimed Ayutthaya |
| Date Event5: | 1424 |
| Event Post: | First Fall of Ayutthaya |
| Date Post: | 1569 |
| P1: | Lavo KingdomLavo |
| P2: | Phip PhliPhetchaburi |
| P3: | Dvaravati |
| Flag S1: | Flag of Thailand (Ayutthaya period).svg |
| S1: | Ayutthaya Kingdom |
| Title Leader: | Monarch |
| Today: | Thailand |
| Year Leader1: | Unknown (first) |
| Leader2: | Chao Ai Phraya |
| Year Leader2: | 1408–1424 (last) |
| Image Map Caption: | Location of Suphanburi, the center of Suphannabhum (red pog), and the preceding Mueang Uthong (blue pog) |
Suphannabhum or Suvarnbhumi; later known as Suphan Buri (th|สุพรรณภูมิ or สุพรรณบุรี) was a Siamese city-state, that emerged in the early "Siam proper" which stretched from present-day west central Thailand to the north of the Kra Isthmus, with key historical sites at Uthong,[1] Nakhon Pathom,[2] [3] Suphan Buri,[4] and .[5] The kingdom is referred to as Xiān in the Chinese records since 1349,[4] but according to the archaeological evidence, it was speculated to have emerged around the mid-12th century.
Suphannabhum became the center of Xiān, succeeding, no later than 1349, when Xiān was defeated by Luó hú (Lavo) and the tribute sent to China under the name of Xiānluó hú (Siam-Lavo or Ayutthaya Kingdom) was led by Xiān's King of Su-men-bang, in which Su-men-bang has been identified with Suphanburi.[4] Since then, it was one of the states under the mandala confederatin of Ayutthaya Kingdom and was completely merged to the Ayutthaya in 1438.
Under the name of Xiānluó hú or Xiānluó, the state performed 41 tributary missions to the Chinese court during the Hongwu era, 33 in the name of Xiānluó hú and as Xiānluó for the remaining.[4] [6] In the era of Ankorian king Jayavarman VII (r.1181–1218), an inscription called Prasat Phra Khan (จารึกปราสาทพระขรรค์) was made. Among others, the name Suvarnapura is mentioned, which has been identified with Suphanburi.[7]
According to the local legends, Suphannabhum is the succeeding state of an ancient port city of Mueang Uthong, which evolved into complex state societies around 300 C.E.[8] Since the river leading to the sea was dried up in places, shallow, and consequently not navigable, and also due to some pandemics, Uthong lost its influence as the trading hub; the city was then abandoned around the 11th century and the people then moved to resettle in the present day Suphanburi.[9] [10] This timeline corresponds with that the Tambralinga's king Sujita seized Lavo and was said to conquer the Mons of the Menam Valley and the upper Malay peninsula in the 10th century,[11] the 9-year civil wars in the Angkor in the early 11th century, which led to the devastation of Lavo,[12] as well as the Pagan invasion of Lavo around the mid-10th century. All of these are probably the causes of the fall of Mueang Uthong.[11]
See main article: Dvaravati. This region has been claimed to be the legendary Suvarnabhumi by several local scholars.[13] [14] Numerous ruins and artifacts from the Dvaravati period have been discovered around the area. However, contemporary documents from this period are sparse; the available material consists primarily of local chronicles and legends.
According to the, the region's political center during this period was located on the remains of the old city Kanchanaburi but local legends suggest it was in the old town Nakhon Pathom (formerly known as Nakhon Chaisri), which has been speculated to be the center of Dvaravati.[15]
After the end of the ancient maritime-oriented port era and the decline of Dvaravati, Suphannabhum then emerged around the mid-12th century following the prosperity of Lavo Kingdom and the Ankorian during the reign of Jayavarman VII and the influx of people from the north. This has been supported by several ancient ruins in the area that dates before the Ayutthaya period; two of them are the Ankorian Bayon style and the other two are the Indian Pala-Sena architects, which are also found in Lavo, Pagan, and Haripuñjaya. According to the, Suphanburi city was founded by King Katae (Thai: กาแต), who was of the Pagan Saw Lu lineage and ruled Kanchanaburi (some versions say Nakhon Chaisri) from 1165 to 1205.[16]
Suphannabhum gradually controlled the economy of all Tha Chin Rivers and raised its power until being annexed to the Sukhothai Kingdom in 1283, as recorded in the Ram Khamhaeng Inscription.[17] However, after the death of Sukhothai's Ram Khamhaeng in 1298, several tributary states of Sukhothai, which included Suphannabhum, began to break away rapidly.[18] Via Royal intermarriage, Suphannabhum united with the eastern neighboring Lavo Kingdom, to establish a confederated polity seat in Ayodhya in 1351. Suphannabhum gained recognition in the mid-13th century when the state leaders named ‘Khun Laung Pao Ngouy’ (later Ayutthaya's Borommarachathirat I) and ‘Jao Nakhon In’ (later Ayutthaya's Intharacha) extended their political economy influence to Ayutthaya.[19]
In the early Ayutthaya period, Suphannabhum was ruled by the Ayutthaya's crown princes. It was demoted to the frontier city and was completely annexed to Ayutthaya in 1438.[19] Since then, Suphannabhum has been completely restricted in terms of both economics and politics, particularly in terms of trade with China and establishing relations with other cities, because it was determined to have relations only with the capital, acting as a military base and producing tribute for the capital. These transformed Suphannabhum into an agricultural area to supply Ayutthaya for export.[20]
| width=10px | Left chart shows the royal intermarriage between the Suphannabhum dynasty of Suphan Buri and the Uthong dynasty of Lavo Kingdom, which led to the formation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. The close connection between the Suphannabhum dynasty and the Sukhothai dynasty has also been observed. |
The origin of the Suphannabhum dynasty remains unclear. Previous scholars believed that the first king of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, later called by modern historians King Uthong, once ruled the city of Uthong,[21] but the theory has been proven to be false.[21] It was expected that Khun Laung Pho Ngouy, who was later known as the 3rd Ayutthaya' king Borommarachathirat I – the first king from Suphannabhum clan, might have lineage from Sukhothai as he married to a princess in Sukhothai's Loe Thai and royal intermarriages between his descendants and the Sukhothai dynasty happened multiple times.[22] Furthermore, political movements and architectural styles in Suphanburi during the Ayutthaya period demonstrate a tight relationship between these two dynasties. The kinship between the royal families of Suphanburi and Sukhothai probably existed for a long time, at least since the reign of the Sukhothai's king Ramkhamhaeng.[23]
Local legends say Khun Laung Pho Ngouy is a descendant of Khun In (Thai: ขุนอิน), while the Ayutthaya Kingdom's 1st king, Uthong, is a descendant of Khun Kham Phong (Thai: ขุนคำผง) founder of Singhanavati's capital Yonok Nahaphan. Both Khun In and Khun Kham Phong are two of seven sons of Khun Borom,[24] a legendary progenitor of the Southwestern Tai-speaking peoples.[25] Simon de la Loubère's record, Du royaume de Siam, refers to the first Siamese king as a descendant of Chaiyasiri,[26] [27] [28] [29] son of a legendary King Phrom of the Singhanavati clan.[30]
The early era of the Suphannabhum dynasty and its relations with other dynasties are shown in the chart below. In case of the origin of Ayutthaya's first king, Uthong (Ramathibodi I), some historical records indicate that he was the son of Lavo's princess, Sunantha Devi (สุนันทาเทวี), who married to a prince of Si Satchanalai, Boromaraja (พระบรมราชา), not the descendent of King of Phraek Si Racha (Tritrueng).[31]
| Rulers | Clan | Reign | Notes/Contemporary events | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romanized name | Thai name | ||||
| colspan=6 | |||||
| Soi La/Uthong I | พระยาสร้อยหล้า | Singhanavati/ Suphannaphum |
| ||
| Phra Chao Uthong (Uthong II) | พระเจ้าอู่ทอง | Suphannaphum | ?–1335? |
| |
| Phraya Uthong (Uthong III) | พระยาอู่ทอง | Suphannaphum | |||
| Khun Laung Pho Ngouy (formerly Wattidet) | Thai: ขุนหลวงพ่องั่ว/วัตติเดช | Suphannaphum | 1351–1370 |
| |
| ?[32] | ศรีเทพาหูราช? | Suphannaphum |
| ||
| Chao Nakhon In Zhao Lu-qun Ying | เจ้านครอินทร์ | Suphannaphum | 1374–1408 |
| |
| Chao Ai Phraya | เจ้าอ้ายพระยา | Suphannaphum | 1408–1424 |
| |