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Overview

History of Thailand

The history of Thailand begins with the migration of the Thais from their ancestral home in southern China into mainland south-east asia around the 10th century AD. Prior to this Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. The Thais established their own states starting with Sukhothai and then Ayutthaya kingdom. These states fought each other and were under constant threat from the Khmers, Burma and Vietnam. Much later, the European colonial powers threatened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to avoid colonial rule. After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand endured sixty years of almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratic system.

Thai culture has been largely influenced due to its geographical location, by India and China and other neighboring South-East Asian cultures. Though, a good variety of its own original cultures exist too. Following the decline and fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th - 15th century AD, the Buddhist Kingdom of Sukhothai, which was founded in 1238, is considered to be the first Siamese/Thai state.

100 years later, in the mid-14th century, the larger Siamese Kingdom of Ayutthaya was established, thereafter overshadowing the powers of Sukhothai. After the sacking of Angkor by the Siamese armies in 1431, much of the Khmer court and its Hindu customs were brought to Ayuthaya, and Khmer customs and rituals were adopted into the courtly culture of Siam.

In 1767, Ayuthaya fell into the hands of the Burmese, and under King Taksin the Great, Thonburi was made the capital of Thailand, though for a brief period only. The current Ratthanakosin era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.

European powers began traveling to Thailand in the 16th century. Despite European pressure, Thailand is the only South-East Asian country that was never colonized by any European power. One of the main reasons for this is that Thailand had a long succession of very able rulers in the 1800s. Also, the country was able to exploit the rivalry and tension between the French and the British. Thailand, thus, remained a buffer state between parts of South-East Asia that were colonised by the French and the British. Yet, the Western influence has always been there on Thailand, which led to many reforms in the 19th century and major concessions to British trading interests. A major loss to Thailand due to this was the loss of the three southern provinces, which later became Malaysia's three northern states.

In 1932, a bloodless revolution resulted in a new constitutional monarchy. During the war, Thailand was allied with Japan. Yet after the war, it became an ally of the United States. Thailand then went through a series of coups, but eventually progressed towards democracy in the 1980s.

In 1997, Thailand was hit with the Asian financial crisis and the Thai baht was soon worth 56 baht to the U.S. Dollar compared to about 25 baht to the dollar prior to 1997. Since then the baht has regained some strength and currently trades around 33-35 baht to the dollar.

The official calendar in Thailand is based on Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. For example, the year 2007 AD is called 2550 BE in Thailand.

Let us look at the Thai History in a little more detail...

Thailand means "land of the free", and throughout the country's 800-year history, the Thai people can boast the distinction of being the only country in South-East Asia never to have been colonised.

Formerly known as Siam to foreigners who first came to this region as early as the 12th century, the country's name was changed to Thailand with the advent of a democratic government in 1939.

Long before the emergence of what is conventionally called the Thai kingdom during the 12th Century, the area known as the chao Phraya valley was inhabited by ancient civilisations that can be traced back to prehistoric times.