(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. Image depicts a White Elephant. Elephants were important animals for use in war and transportation. White elephants were sacred animals often viewed as portents of good fortune.)
In 1448, King Trailokanat of Ayutthaya came to the throne. His 40 year reign saw the transformation of Ayutthaya from a city state to a kingdom proper. Though it would be centuries until the process completed, the result would be a new sort of state in Southeast Asia.
In the meantime, Ayutthaya expanded northward to integrate the Northern Cities. Coming into conflict with another ambitious dynast in Lan Na, Trailokanat engaged in a fierce war over the North. The conflict reached its zenith in a great battle at modern Si Satchanalai in 1474. From then on, though the war would continue, there was no question as to which Tai kingdom would reign supreme.
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