Ngua Nam Thum ( th, งั่วนำถุม, ) was a

king King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

of Sukhothai, an ancient kingdom in

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. He was from the House of Phra Ruang. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, 2011: 31. Preceded by

Loe Thai Loe Thai ( th, เลอไทย, ) was the fourth king of the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1298 to 1323. He was preceded by his father Ram Khamhaeng the Great until the throne was usurped by his cousin Ngua Nam Thum ...

, he possibly ascended the throne of Sukhothai in 1866 BE (1323/24 CE). He reigned until his death, which possibly took place in 1890 BE (1347/48 CE). Upon his death, he was succeeded by Mahathammaracha I (Lue Thai).

Name

''Ngua Nam Thum'' (archaic th, งววนำถํ; SAC, 2006 ("Charuek Pu Khun Chit Khun Chot"): online. modern th, งั่วนำถุม; ) is the name that appears in the Pu Khun Chit Khun Chot Inscription (Inscription No. 45), created in 1935 BE (1392/93 CE). Na Nakhon, 2006: 231. The name, which means "Nam Thum the Fifth Son", indicates that he was the fifth son. Na Nakhon, 2006: 232. ''Ngua'' ( th, งั่ว) is an archaic title given to a fifth son. ''Nam Thum'' ( th, นำถุม) is from either a

Northern Thai Kam Mueang ( nod, , กำเมือง) or Northern Thai language ( th, ภาษาไทยถิ่นเหนือ) is the language of the Northern Thai people of Lanna, Thailand. It is a Southwestern Tai language that is closely rela ...

subdialect or the

Shan language The Shan language (written Shan: , , spoken Shan: , or , ; my, ရှမ်းဘာသာ, ; th, ภาษาไทใหญ่, ) is the native language of the Shan people and is mostly spoken in Shan State, Myanmar. It is also spoken in ...

, corresponding to ''nam thuam'' ( th, น้ำท่วม; ) in Central Thai, meaning "

inundation A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

". Sukhothai Studies Encyclopedia Commission, 1996: 41. There are several suggestions about the origin of the name: * Prasoet Na Nakhon, a

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

fellow in the field of history, suggested that Ngua Nam Thum was possibly a descendant of King Si Nao Nam Thum of Sukhothai, owing to the ancient custom of naming a baby after its ancestor. This possibility also gives rise to a suggestion that Sueang, Ngua Nam Thum's paternal grandmother, was a daughter of Si Nao Nam Thum. * Wina Rotchanaratha (วีณา โรจนราธา), an expert from the

Fine Arts Department The Fine Arts Department ( th, กรมศิลปากร, ) is a government department of Thailand, under the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is managing the country's cultural heritage. History The department was originally established ...

, expressed the opinion that he got this name possibly because he was killed in a flood or died from drowning. Wina cited ''

Jinakalamali ( my, ဇိနကာလမာလီ; th, ชินกาลมาลีปกรณ์; ; ) is a Chiang Mai chronicle that covers mostly about religious history, and contains a section on early Lan Na kings to 1516/1517. Similar period Pali ...

'' which refers to a Sukhothai king in

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

as ''Udakajotthata'', meaning the "drowned king", and the '' Chronicle of the North'' which says a Sukhothai king went to take a bath in the

Yom River The Yom River ( th, แม่น้ำยม, , ) is a river in Thailand. It is the main tributary of the Nan River (which itself is a tributary of the Chao Phraya River). The Yom River has its source in the Phi Pan Nam Range in Pong District, ...

at the Grand Mire (แก่งหลวง; now the location of the Si Satchanalai Historical Park) and was carried away by a flood and never seen again. She said the two documents may refer to Ngua Nam Thum, but this cannot yet be confirmed due to conflicting genealogical and chronological details. She also introduced another possibility that he obtained the name because he was born during a flooding season. She cited an example in the '' Chronicle of Chiang Mai'', which says a grandson of King

Mangrai Mangrai ( nod, ; th, มังราย; 1238–1311), also known as Mengrai ( th, เม็งราย),The name according to historical sources is "Mangrai", and this is used in most modern scholarly applications. "Mengrai", popularised by a 19 ...

was called ''Pho-thao Nam Thuam'' ( th, พ่อท้าวน้ำท่วม; ; "Prince Inundation") because he was born when the kingdom was undergoing a deluge.

Life

A historical document, ''

'', says Ngua Nam Thum was a son of Ban Mueang, a king of Sukhothai. The Pu Khun Chit Khun Chot Inscription, which describes the lineage of the House of Phra Ruang, lists Ngua Nam Thum after

and before Mahathammaracha I (Lue Thai). SAC, 2006 ("Charuek Pu Khun Chit Khun Chot"): online. Historians therefore suggested that he was king of Sukhothai after Loe Thai and before Lue Thai. Na Nakhon, 2006: 231. Loe Thai was a son of

Ram Khamhaeng Ram Khamhaeng ( th, รามคำแหง, ) or Pho Khun Ram Khamhaeng Maharat ( th, พ่อขุนรามคำแหงมหาราช, ), also spelled Ramkhamhaeng, was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhoth ...

, the younger brother of Ngua Nam Thum's father, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, 2011: 29. whilst Lue Thai was a son of Loe Thai. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation, 2011: 33. The year of Ngua Nam Thum's accession to the throne is possibly 1866 BE (1323/24 CE), according to the calculation of Prasoet Na Nakhon. It appears from historical sources that Ngua Nam Thum, after becoming king of Sukhothai, appointed Lue Thai as ''

uparaja Uparaja or Ouparath, also Ouparaja ( my, ဥပရာဇာ ; km, ឧបរាជ, ; th, อุปราช, ; lo, ອຸປຮາດ, ''Oupahat''), was a royal title reserved for the viceroy in the Buddhist dynasties in Burma, Cambodia, and ...

'' of Sukhothai (heir to the throne of Sukhothai and ex officio ruler of Si Satchanalai). The Wat Pa Mamuang Inscriptions (Inscriptions Nos. 4–5) say Lue Thai had ruled Si Satchanalai for a total of 22 years before entering the monkhood in 1905 BE (1362/63 CE). The year Lue Thai was appointed ''uparaja'' is therefore 1883 BE (1340/41 CE). The Wat Pa Mamuang Inscriptions also say that, in 1890 BE (1347/48 CE), Lue Thai marched his men from Si Satchanalai to the capital Sukhothai and broke into the palace where he "killed all his enemies" before assuming the throne of Sukhothai. SAC, 2006 ("Charuek Wat Pa Mamuang (Phasa Khamen)"): online. Prasoet Na Nakhon suggested that Ngua Nam Thum died in that year and would be succeeded to the throne by his son, Lue Thai then staged a coup and took the throne for himself.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ngua Nam Thum Rulers of Sukhothai Year of birth unknown 14th-century monarchs in Asia Thai princes 14th-century Thai people 1347 deaths Year of death uncertain