Ngua Nam Thum was a king of Sukhothai, an ancient kingdom in Thailand. He was from the House of Phra Ruang. Preceded by Loe Thai, 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 ; modern ; ) is the name that appears in the Pu Khun Chit Khun Chot Inscription (Inscription No. 45), created in 1935 BE (1392/93 CE). The name, which means "Nam Thum the Fifth Son", indicates that he was the fifth son. Ngua is an archaic title given to a fifth son. Nam Thum is from either a Northern Thai subdialect or the Shan language, corresponding to nam thuam in Central Thai, meaning "inundation". There are several suggestions about the origin of the name:

Life

A historical document, Jinakalamali, says Ngua Nam Thum was a son of Ban Mueang, a king of Sukhothai.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 Loe Thai and before Mahathammaracha I (Lue Thai). Historians therefore suggested that he was king of Sukhothai after Loe Thai and before Lue Thai. Loe Thai was a son of Ram Khamhaeng, the younger brother of Ngua Nam Thum's father, whilst Lue Thai was a son of Loe Thai. 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 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. 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