1. Sukhothai Kingdom 1238-1438
Sukhothai is considered being the first national capital of Thailand. The Kingdom of Sukhothai was established in 1238 in a region, which was previously controlled by the Khmer Empire. The Sukhothai Kingdom expanded during the rule of King Ram Khamhaeng between the years 1278-1298. When Khamhaeng died the kingdom went into decline and in the year 1378 Sukhothai became a tributary of Ayuttyaha Kingdom, which was established in 1351. Finally Sukhothai was merged into Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1438.
King Ram Khamhaeng is credit for adopting Theravada Buddhism as the state religion and with the creation of the Thai alphabet. However recently scholars have doubted these claims, noting that much of the information relating to Khamhaeng's rule might have been fabricated in the 1800s in order to legitimize the Siamese state in the face of colonial threats.
2. Ayutthaya Kingdom 1351-1767
Establishment in 1351
Ayutthaya Kingdom was established in 1351 and it gradually merged the Sukhothai Kingdom until in 1438 the merger was completed.
1400s Ayutthaya Kingdom
Ayutthaya Kingdom expanded to present-day Burma, Malaysia and destroyed the Khmer Angkor. The Thais became the leading ethnic group in Southeast Asia.
1500s Ayutthaya Kingdom
European traders started to arrive in the area beginning with the envoy of Portuguese duke Afonso de Albuquerque. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders who come to trade from China, Vietnam, India, Japan, Persia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain and France. By 1550 Ayutthaya's vassal states included city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, Lan Na and parts of Burma and Cambodia. This part of the kingdom's history is known as "The Ayutthayan Empire".
1600s France and Ayutthaya
The court of King Narai (1656-1688) had strong links with the court of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the Ayutthayan capital (also called Ayutthaya) in size and wealth to Paris.
1700s Ayuttyaha Kingdom
The Burmese-Siamese War was fought in 1765-1767, which meant the end of the over 400-year-old Kingdom as Ayutthaya lost the war against the Burmese King Hsinbyushin.
3. Chakri Dynasty of Thailand
House of Chakri The Chakri Dynasty is the current ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Thailand. The dynasty has ruled Thailand since 1782, when the Rattanakosin Era was founded and Bangkok became the new capital. The Siamese Kingdom ruled from 1782 until 1932, when absolute monarchy was abandoned in favour of constitutional monarchy.
Challenges during the Chakri rule
Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia, which wasn't colonized by western powers. However maintaining independence had a price and Thailand lost territories to western powers. In 1896 Great Britain and France guaranteed the Chao Phraya valley as their buffer state, which didn't include whole Siam, while the rest of Southeast Asia was colonized by Great Britain and France. In 1909 in return for the British support, Siam ceded Great Britain four pre-dominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
Current situation
The monarch has currently very little power, but he remains a figurehead and symbol of the Thai nation. However as the head of state the king has some powers and he has a role to play in the workings of government. The real power is in the hands of the military junta, which has ruled Thailand since 2014.
Sukhothai is considered being the first national capital of Thailand. The Kingdom of Sukhothai was established in 1238 in a region, which was previously controlled by the Khmer Empire. The Sukhothai Kingdom expanded during the rule of King Ram Khamhaeng between the years 1278-1298. When Khamhaeng died the kingdom went into decline and in the year 1378 Sukhothai became a tributary of Ayuttyaha Kingdom, which was established in 1351. Finally Sukhothai was merged into Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1438.
King Ram Khamhaeng is credit for adopting Theravada Buddhism as the state religion and with the creation of the Thai alphabet. However recently scholars have doubted these claims, noting that much of the information relating to Khamhaeng's rule might have been fabricated in the 1800s in order to legitimize the Siamese state in the face of colonial threats.
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| Sukhothai zone of incluence in the late 13th century |
2. Ayutthaya Kingdom 1351-1767
Establishment in 1351
Ayutthaya Kingdom was established in 1351 and it gradually merged the Sukhothai Kingdom until in 1438 the merger was completed.
1400s Ayutthaya Kingdom
Ayutthaya Kingdom expanded to present-day Burma, Malaysia and destroyed the Khmer Angkor. The Thais became the leading ethnic group in Southeast Asia.
1500s Ayutthaya Kingdom
European traders started to arrive in the area beginning with the envoy of Portuguese duke Afonso de Albuquerque. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders who come to trade from China, Vietnam, India, Japan, Persia, Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, Great Britain and France. By 1550 Ayutthaya's vassal states included city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, Lan Na and parts of Burma and Cambodia. This part of the kingdom's history is known as "The Ayutthayan Empire".
1600s France and Ayutthaya
The court of King Narai (1656-1688) had strong links with the court of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the Ayutthayan capital (also called Ayutthaya) in size and wealth to Paris.
1700s Ayuttyaha Kingdom
The Burmese-Siamese War was fought in 1765-1767, which meant the end of the over 400-year-old Kingdom as Ayutthaya lost the war against the Burmese King Hsinbyushin.
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| Ayutthaya in c. 1540 |
3. Chakri Dynasty of Thailand
House of Chakri The Chakri Dynasty is the current ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Thailand. The dynasty has ruled Thailand since 1782, when the Rattanakosin Era was founded and Bangkok became the new capital. The Siamese Kingdom ruled from 1782 until 1932, when absolute monarchy was abandoned in favour of constitutional monarchy.
Challenges during the Chakri rule
Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia, which wasn't colonized by western powers. However maintaining independence had a price and Thailand lost territories to western powers. In 1896 Great Britain and France guaranteed the Chao Phraya valley as their buffer state, which didn't include whole Siam, while the rest of Southeast Asia was colonized by Great Britain and France. In 1909 in return for the British support, Siam ceded Great Britain four pre-dominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.
Current situation
The monarch has currently very little power, but he remains a figurehead and symbol of the Thai nation. However as the head of state the king has some powers and he has a role to play in the workings of government. The real power is in the hands of the military junta, which has ruled Thailand since 2014.
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| Timeline of Chakri Kings |
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| Chakri Mahaprasat, the dynastic seat and official residence of the dynasty |
4. Bangkok's Name
Bangkok has been the capital of Thailand since 1782. Currently the Thai people call Bangkok as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or just Krung Thep. However the full ceremonial name is listed in Guinness World Records as the world's longest place name, at 168 letters.
Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit
City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest.
School children in Thailand learn the full name, but only few can explain its meaning because of its archaic Pali and Sanskrit words are known to few. Most of Thais who remember the song recount it by singing a popular song "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon". The lyrcis of the song consist of the name of the city repeated over and over.
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| Bangkok |
5. Most Coups in the World - Thailand
Since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy it has experienced 19 military coups, which is more than any other modern state has. 12/19 military coups have been successful and 7/19 have failed.
List of Thailand's coups:
- June 24, 1932: absolute monarchy was overthrown
- June 20, 1933: Phonphayuhasena overthrew Nititada
- October 11-23, 1933: Royalist rebellion to overturn the results of the June 1933 coup
- January 29, 1939: Prime Minister Phibul's purge or internal coup to remove his rivals
- November 7, 1947: Phin Choonhavan overthrew Navaswadhi
- February 1949: Pridi's supporters occupied Grand Palace in a failed coup
- June 27, 1951: Pridi's supporters in the navy attempted to seize Phibun
- November 29, 1951: military overthrew 1949 constitution and reverted to 1932 constitution
- September 21, 1957: Thanarat overthew Pibulsongkram
- October 20, 1958: Self-coup of Sarit Thanarat
- November 18, 1971: Self-coup of Thanom Kittikachorn
- February 1976: an attempted military coup
- October 6, 1976: Chaloryu overthrew Pramoj
- October 20, 1977: Chomanan overthrew Kraivixien
- 1981: failed coup by the deputy commander-in-chief of the army
- 1985: Roopkachorn attempted a coup
- February 24, 1991: Kongsompong overthrew Choonhavan
- September 19, 2006: Boonyaratglin overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra
- May 22, 2014: Pranut Chan-o-Cha overthrew Boonsongpaisan
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| Thailand military coup 2014 |
Timeline
200BC Buddhism spread to Thailand through the messengers sent by the Indian Emperor Ashoka
900s Thai tribes from South China arrived in the region
1238 Sri Indraditya established the Sukhothai Kingdom and ended the Khmer rule in the region
1351 Ayutthaya Kingdom was established, which then overshadowed the Sukhothai Kingdom
1400s Ayutthaya expanded to present-day Burma and Malaysia and destroyed the Khmer Angkor, the Thais became the leading ethnic group in the region
1511 European traders started to arrive in the area beginning with the envoy of Portuguese duke Afonso de Albuquerque
1560s The Burmese conquered Ayutthaya for 15 years
1765-1767 Ayutthaya lost the Burmese-Siamese War against the Burmese King Hsinbyushin, which meant the end of the over 400-year-old Kingdom
1782 Bangkok became the capital and King Rama I the Great became the first ruler of the Chakri dynasty, which is still the royal dynasty of Thailand
1800s In the beginning of the century, Siam competed over Malacca Peninsula and Burma against the British and over Indochina against France
1817 Siam got a new flag with a white elephant in the middle
1782 Bangkok became the capital and King Rama I the Great became the first ruler of the Chakri dynasty, which is still the royal dynasty of Thailand
1800s In the beginning of the century, Siam competed over Malacca Peninsula and Burma against the British and over Indochina against France
1817 Siam got a new flag with a white elephant in the middle
1896 Great Britain and France guaranteed of the Chao Phraya valley as their buffer state (not the whole Siam), while the rest of Southeast Asia was colonized by the western powers
1909 In return for the British support, Siam ceded Great Britain four pre-dominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
1917 Thailand got a new flag
1917 Siam joined the Allies of World War I
1909 In return for the British support, Siam ceded Great Britain four pre-dominantly ethnic-Malay southern provinces in the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909
1917 Thailand got a new flag
1917 Siam joined the Allies of World War I
1932 Absolute monarchy ended in a bloodless coup carried out by the Khana Ratsadon group of military and civilian officials
1939 The name of the kingdom changed from Siam to Thailand
1939 The name of the kingdom changed from Siam to Thailand
1941 Thailand allied with Japan by signing a military alliance with a secret protocol of Japan helping Thailand regaining territories lost to Great Britain and France
1942 Thailand declared war on USA and UK
1960s Several US military bases were established in Thailand and as a reward Thailand enjoyed the economic aid given by the US
1964-1972 Thai forces were involved in the covert war in Laos
1942 Thailand declared war on USA and UK
1960s Several US military bases were established in Thailand and as a reward Thailand enjoyed the economic aid given by the US
1964-1972 Thai forces were involved in the covert war in Laos
1965-1971 Thailand helped USA and South Vietnam in the Vietnam War
1973 The popular uprising in Thailand resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-Communist Thanom Kittikachorn
1980s Thailand was ruled by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda who restored parliamentary politics
1991-1992 Brief periof of military rule
2001-2006 Thaksin Shinavatra from the populist Thai Rak Thai party led the country as Prime Minister
2006 Military coup after mass protests against the Thai Rak Thai party, which was alleged of corruption
2007 General election in December restored a civilian government
2010 Border skirmish with Cambodia over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, which was mediated by ASEAN
2011 Thaksin Shinawatra's sister Yingluck Shinawatra became the Prime Minister
2014 Another military coup restored the absolute power to the army
1973 The popular uprising in Thailand resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-Communist Thanom Kittikachorn
1980s Thailand was ruled by Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda who restored parliamentary politics
1991-1992 Brief periof of military rule
2001-2006 Thaksin Shinavatra from the populist Thai Rak Thai party led the country as Prime Minister
2006 Military coup after mass protests against the Thai Rak Thai party, which was alleged of corruption
2007 General election in December restored a civilian government
2010 Border skirmish with Cambodia over the ownership of the Preah Vihear temple, which was mediated by ASEAN
2011 Thaksin Shinawatra's sister Yingluck Shinawatra became the Prime Minister
2014 Another military coup restored the absolute power to the army
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