A Brief History of Thailand

It is believed that the earliest Thais migrated into the region of Southeast Asia all the way from southern China at some point in 10 A.D. The archaeological site at Ban Chiang is regarded as an important foundation of Thailand’s prehistoric years. Various artifacts found in this site dates back as early as 3600 B.C

When Thailand gained sovereignty from the Khmer Empire during the 13th century, Pho Khun Si Indrathit founded an independent empire. It was a glorious and joyful period for the Thais until King Ramkhamhaeng died in 1365. At the same time, another Thai state also exists in the northern region of Lanna. The Kingdom of Ayutthaya began its grandeur after the fall of Sukhothai with its first monarch, King Ramathibodi I. It has a total 5 dynasties with 33 kings and lasted until 1767 when Burmese armies attacked the capital. For a short period of time, Thailand was under the rule of General Taksin until the first king of the Chakri dynasty, General Chakri as Rami, succeeded and established Bangkok as the new capital.

In 1932, constitutional monarchy became the official government of Thailand through the Siamese coup d'état. It was during this period when King Prapjadhipok gives up the throne to his 10-year old nephew Ananda Mahidol who mysteriously died in 1946. Thailand’s new type of government made a lot of changes specifically with the military command, notably led by Luang Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Dhanarajata. The 1973 revolution resulted to a short and unstable period of democracy in Thailand. During the 1980s, Thailand was under the ruling of Prem, a democratic strongman who had stored parliament politics. In 2001, the democrat Thai Rak Thai party came into power led by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In 2006, a new coup d'état was successfully launched by Thailand’s Army Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.