Who they were
Ram Khamhaeng was the third king of Sukhothai, reigning from about 1279 to 1298. He was a son of the kingdom’s founder, Si Inthrathit. His death is commonly placed around 1298.
What they did
Under Ram Khamhaeng, Sukhothai reached its widest reach: the inscription of 1292 claims a large tributary network for his realm. Tradition credits him with creating the Thai script (traditionally dated 1283). He patronized Sri Lankan-school Theravada Buddhism, and the inscription paints an image of accessible, paternal kingship — a bell at the gate that any subject could ring. He also maintained relations with Yuan-dynasty China through missions; chronicle tradition further links Chinese potters to Sangkhalok ceramics.
Legacy
Ram Khamhaeng is revered as a culture hero and the “father of the Thai script,” honored as Ram Khamhaeng the Great; Ramkhamhaeng University bears his name. The debate over the authenticity of the 1292 inscription — questioned by some scholars since the late 1980s, upheld by mainstream Thai scholarship — colors modern scholarship about his reign.