The History of Thailand

Thailand has been inhabited by populations since the dawn of civilisation in south-east Asia. Prior to the 10th century AD, the area that now makes up Thailand was ruled by the Mon, Khmer and Malay Kingdoms. The Thais are widely thought to have migrated southwards from China although some archaeological evidence unearthed in the village of Ban Chiang in Issan suggests that the Thai people may have originated here and spread throughout Asia.

The first Thai Kingdom was established in Sukothai and later in Lanna in the north. A greater Thai State was also established at Ayutthaya. These Kingdoms lived under the constant threat of war from the Khmers and Burmese and following the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767, the centre of government was moved to Thonburi and later Bangkok, on the opposite side of the Chao Phraya River.

During the period of European colonial expansion, wise rule and clever manoeuvring by a succession of Kings of the Chakri dynasty ensured that Thailand was the only south-east Asian country never to fall under the European yoke. This is rightfully a source of great pride for the Thai people.

In 1932, a coup d’etat by the Thai military transformed Thailand from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy. In 1946, King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended to the throne and continues to reign today as the world’s longest reigning monarch and also the longest serving in Thai history. His Majesty is greatly revered in Thailand and has made several decisive interventions in Thai politics to help the country avoid bloodshed on what has sometimes been a difficult road to democracy.

The History of Thailand is a story of great Kingdoms

The Kingdom of Sukothai

The first Kingdom of the Thai people was formed in 1238 when two Princes, Khun Bang Klang Thao (Si Inthrathit) and Khun Pha Muang, rebelled against Khmer rule and established the Kingdom of Sukothai. The fledgling state soon extended its influence to cover an area from Burma to Vientiane in what is now Laos and southward to the Malay Peninsula. An important factor in the Kingdom’s development was the adoption of Theravada Buddhism as the state religion. This period is considered to be a golden period of Thai history.

One of the great Kings of the Sukothai period was King Ramkhamhaeng the Great who is credited with designing the Thai alphabet.

From 1365, the rising power of another Thai Kingdom in Ayutthaya began to dominate Sukothai which became a vassal state and in 1438 the Kingdom became fully integrated as an Ayutthaya province.

King Ramkhamhaeng the Great is still revered today as a great leader and the founder of the Thai alphabet

The Kingdom of Lanna

The Kingdom of Lanna, ‘the Land of a Million Rice Fields’ was established to the north of Sukothai in 1259 by King Mengrai the Great. He established his Kingdom around the city of Chiang Rai in 1262 before building a new capital in Chiang Mai in 1296. The Kingdom flourished becoming an important centre for Buddhist thought in the 15th century.

Political turmoil in the early part of the 16th century resulted in a Burmese invasion and in 1558, the Kingdom was annexed under Burmese rule. The Kingdom of Ayutthaya under similar threat from the Burmese fought for Chiang Mai and succeeded on a couple of occasions of briefly liberating the city. However, they were pushed out by a resurgent Burmese military and eventually Ayutthaya itself fell.

King Taksin formed his new base in Thonburi and finally succeeded in driving the Burmese out. In 1775, Chiang Mai and Lanna was once more under Thai rule as a vassal state of Siam. Lanna was formally annexed to the Siamese state in 1892.

King Mengrai was the founder of the Kingdom of Lanna and the builder of Chiang Mai

The Kingdom of Ayutthaya

The Kingdom of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and over the next four centuries, expanded to become the nation of Siam. Its borders closely resemble those of modern Thailand, except for the Kingdom of Lanna, which was a separate Thai state.

Ayutthaya was established at the confluence of the Chao Phraya, the Pasak, and the Loburi rivers. The area is rich in fertile agricultural land and the position on the rivers made it a great centre of trade. The city and Kingdom soon began to flourish economically and by the 14th century, it was the strongest power in South East Asia, although it lacked the manpower to dominate militarily.

Ayutthaya was not a unitary state but consisted of a number of vassal states and tributaries under a single monarch. To keep such a state together required a delicate balancing act of political intrigue and shifting alliances. It was a highly structured society with the King at the top as an absolute monarch, supported by local Lords, governers and military chiefs. Below them came an elected village headman who would represent the freemen of the village and slaves at the bottom of the system.

The abundance of food from the rich, fertile plains meant that Ayutthaya was able to trade its agricultural products and began to grow economically wealthy and self sufficient.

The Ayutthaya Kingdom was the first to come into contact with Europeans, who were astonished by the wealth and beauty of the city of golden temples. The first Europeans came in 1511 and trading links were soon established adding further to the Kingdom’s economic development. However, a succession of meddling in Siamese affairs by various European powers led to all Europeans being expelled in 1688 and for 150 years, the Thais deliberately kept themselves isolated from the west.

After a succession of dynastic struggles in the early 18th century, the kingdom experienced a period of calm and prosperity. It became known as the Golden period of Ayutthaya when art, literature and learning flourished. However in 1765, two mighty Burmese armies laid siege to the Kingdom and in 1767, the city was sacked resulting in the destruction of countless irreplaceable treasures, art, literature and historical records.

The Thai leadership fled to Thonburi to regroup leaving their wonderful city in ruins. Today these are preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Ratanakosin Period

Following the destruction of Ayutthaya, the Thai forces regrouped in Thonburi which was made the new capital under General Taksin who declared himself King in 1769. However, King Taksin allegedly suffered insanity and was deposed and executed. This led to General Chakri being crowned Rama I in 1782, the first King of the still surviving Chakri Dynasty. He moved the capital across the Chao Phraya River to its current location in Bangkok. In the 1790’s, Rama I then succeeded in driving the Burmese out of the Thai Kingdoms including Lanna, which became a vassal state.

The succeeding Kings set about the establishment of the Kingdom of Siam, preserving what literature remained from the ruins of the Burmese invasion and rebuilding ties with their Asian neighbours.

In 1851, King Mongkut ascended the throne as Rama IV. Having spent many years in monastic seclusion concentrating on his studies, King Mongkut was a highly educated man who began the process of modernising Thailand. This development was expanded and accelerated by his son King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). He reigned from 1868 until 1910 and is considered by many to be one of the greatest of the Thai kings and is still much revered. Not only did King Chulalongkorn develop the education, legal, transportation system and the civil service; he presided over economic growth and managed to keep the land-hungry European colonial powers at bay.

King Chulalongkorn the Great is still revered throughout Thailand for his enormous achievements