The Ruling Model in the Ayutthaya Era
Local Administration under the Four Ministries system
King Ramatibodi 1 (King U Thong) created the Four Ministries Model of rule in the Ayutthaya Period based on the Khmer Model. The King was the leader and there were Four Ministers, namely the City Minister, the Palace Minister, the Finance Minister and the Field Minister. There was a Government Punishment Law and a Public Punishment Law as standards of justice. Government in the Central Division was divided into four areas:
The City Minister was responsible for commanding the Left and Right Patrol, the District Officers and the Sub-district Heads. Inside the capital, the City Minister was responsible for commanding the Criminal Court which was divided into a Capital Litigation Department and Commoners Department which was responsible for feeding the elephants.
The Palace Minister was responsible for the court, the inner palace and the outer palace, organising royal ceremonies and directing Front Section government officials, Inner Palace Officials and General Officials. He had the authority to set up a court to judge cases. Government affairs in the Palace Ministry were more delicate than in the City Ministry. Therefore, the Palace Minister had to know how to carry out government duties, have a good memory, be hard-working, and be able to use his full knowledge and abilities.
The Finance Minister was responsible for finance which entered the Royal Treasury and paid for government affairs. He managed taxation and crown property.
The Field Minister was responsible for the crown rice fields and for collecting rent from the public and buying rice for storage in the Crown silo. He had to be an exemplary rice farmer and gave encouragement and advice to rice farmers. Besides this, he had the authority to set up a court to judge cases concerned with fields and buffaloes.