The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. XLIV, Part 1-2, 1956 - Khamkoo

Siam and the Pottery Trade of Asia 6.5
Ono of the significant events of King Riima KhamhOng's
reign was his establishment of poliLical relations of a sort with the
Yi.ian or Mongol dynast.y of China. It is possible that the initiative
for this step may have come from the Mongol Co11l't itself, for in
1282 a Chiness emissary is said to have appeat·ed at Snkhothai for
the ostensible purpose of concluding a treaty of amity with the new
Thai kingdom which would, of course, have been the Mongol's
euphemistic way of inviting King Rama Khamheng to become the
vassal of Kublai Khan. The Great Khan was now in his declining
years. With his predecessor, Chinghis Khan, he had carved out a
vast empire by military conquest, but now sought to consolidt\te
his far . flnng terrilories hy re- estahlishing the traditional Chinese
system of vassal states. In this way it wonlcl have been unnecessary
for Kublai Khan in his old age to have embarked upon new
military campaigns to subdue the kingdoms of Southeast Asia
which he had not heretofore found time to conquer. 'l.'he Mongol
Court's emissary who arrived at Snkhothai in 1282 may have heen
making a circuit of some of the