Capital of the Sukhothai Kingdom

Timeline

1. c. 1238–1279Sukhothai · ThailandAfter breaking free from Khmer rule, the Sukhothai Kingdom established its capital here; King Ram Khamhaeng expanded the realm, created the Thai alphabet, and erected inscriptions recording his achievements; temple complexes such as Wat Mahathat within the city embodied the characteristics of early Thai Buddhist architecture.
2. c. 1349–1420Sukhothai · ThailandAfter the rise of the Ayutthaya kingdom, Sukhothai lost its independent status and became a vassal; the political and economic center shifted east, the capital's population declined, and new construction ceased, though existing temples and city walls maintained basic religious and residential functions.
3. 1421–1430Sukhothai · ThailandDuring this period, Sukhothai was governed by local hereditary clans under Ayutthaya's suzerainty; the city's scale was far smaller than at its height, but sacred sites such as Wat Mahathat were still venerated; its status as a symbol of the origins of Thai culture was gradually reinforced in later historiography.