Jihohin birnin Thai a hankali sun zama masu cin gashin kansu daga daular Khmer mai rauni.Sukhothai asalinsa cibiyar kasuwanci ce a Lavo - ita kanta a ƙarƙashin ikon daular Khmer - lokacin da mutanen tsakiyar Thailand karkashin jagorancin Pho Khun Bang Klang Hao, shugaban yankin, suka yi tawaye kuma suka sami 'yancin kai.Bang Klang Hao ya ɗauki sunan sarauta na Si Inthratit kuma ya zama sarki na farko na daular Phra Ruang.Masarautar ta kasance ta tsakiya kuma ta faɗaɗa zuwa mafi girmanta a lokacin mulkin Ram Khamhaeng the Great (1279-1298), wanda wasu masana tarihi suka ɗauka sun gabatar da addinin Buddha na Theravada da rubutun Thai na farko ga masarautar.Ram Khamhaeng ya kuma kaddamar da dangantaka da Yuan kasar Sin, ta yadda masarautar ta bunkasa fasahohin kera da fitar da tukwane kamar sangkhalok ware.Bayan mulkin Ram Khamhaeng, masarautar ta fada cikin durkushewa.A cikin 1349, lokacin mulkin Li Thai (Maha Thammaracha I), Masarautar Ayutthaya, makwabciyarta ta Thailand ta mamaye Sukhothai.Ta ci gaba da zama jihar Ayutthaya ta tributary har sai da masarautar ta mamaye ta a cikin 1438 bayan mutuwar Borommapan.Duk da haka, sarakunan Sukhothai sun ci gaba da yin tasiri a masarautar Ayutthaya a cikin ƙarni bayan ta hanyar daular Sukhothai.An san Sukhothai bisa al'ada da "sarauta ta Thai ta farko" a cikin tarihin tarihin Thai, amma yarjejeniya ta tarihi ta yanzu ta yarda cewa tarihin mutanen Thai ya fara tun da farko.