| The history of Thailand begins with the | | | | country in South and Southeast Asia to |
| migration of the Thais from their | | | | avoid European colonisation. This is |
| ancestoral home in southern China into | | | | reflected in the country's modern name, |
| mainland southeast asia around the 10th | | | | Prathet Thai or Thai-land, used |
| century AD. Prior to this Mon, Khmer and | | | | unofficially between 1939 and 1945 and |
| Malay kingdoms ruled the region. The | | | | officially declared on May 11, 1949, in |
| Thais established their own states | | | | which prathet means "nation" and thai |
| starting with Sukhothai and then | | | | means "free". |
| Ayutthaya kingdom. These states fought | | | | The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 made |
| each other and were under constant | | | | the modern border between Siam and |
| threat from the Khmers, Burma and | | | | British Malaya by securing the Thai |
| Vietnam. Much later, the European | | | | authority on the provinces of Pattani, |
| colonial powers threatened in the 19th | | | | Yala, Narathiwat and Satun, which were |
| and early 20th centuries, but Thailand | | | | previously part of the semi-independent |
| survived as the only Southeast Asian | | | | Malay sultanates of Pattani and Kedah. A |
| state to avoid colonial rule. After the | | | | series of treaties with France fixed the |
| end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, | | | | country's current eastern border with |
| Thailand endured sixty years of almost | | | | Laos and Cambodia. |
| permanent military rule before the | | | | Military rule |
| establishment of a democratic system. | | | | The Siamese coup d'état of 1932 |
| Sukhothai and Lannathai | | | | transformed the Government of Thailand |
| Thais date the founding of their nation | | | | from an absolute to a constitutional |
| to the 13th century. According to | | | | monarchy. King Prajadhipok initially |
| tradition, Thai chieftains gained | | | | accepted this change but later |
| independence from the Khmer Empire at | | | | surrendered the throne to his ten-year |
| Sukhothai, which was established as a | | | | old nephew, Ananda Mahidol. Upon his |
| sovereign Kingdom by Pho Khun Si | | | | abdication, King Prajadhipok said that |
| Indrathit in 1238. A political feature | | | | the duty of a ruler was to reign for the |
| called, in Thai, 'father governs | | | | good of the whole people, not for a |
| children' existed at this time. | | | | select few. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama |
| Everybody could bring their problems to | | | | VIII) died in 1946 under somewhat |
| the king directly; there was a bell in | | | | mysterious circumstances, the official |
| front of the palace for this purpose. | | | | explanation being that he shot himself |
| The city briefly dominated the area | | | | by accident while cleaning his gun. He |
| under King Ramkhamhaeng, who established | | | | was succeeded by his brother Bhumibol |
| the Thai alphabet, but after his death | | | | Adulyadej, the longest reigning king of |
| in 1365 it fell into decline and became | | | | Thailand, and very popular with the |
| subject to another emerging Thai state | | | | Thais. Although nominally a |
| known as the Ayutthaya kingdom, which | | | | constitutional monarchy, Thailand was |
| dominated southern and central Thailand | | | | ruled by a series of military |
| until the 1700s. | | | | governments, most prominently led by |
| Another Thai state that coexisted with | | | | Luang Phibunsongkhram and Sarit |
| Sukhothai was the northern state of | | | | Dhanarajata, interspersed with brief |
| Lanna. This state emerged in the same | | | | periods of democracy. In 1992 the last |
| period as Sukhothai, but survived | | | | military ruler, Suchinda Kraprayoon, |
| longer. Its independent history ended in | | | | gave up power in the face of massive |
| 1558, when it fell to the Burmese; | | | | popular protests, supported by the king. |
| thereafter it was dominated by Burma and | | | | From 1992 to September 2006, Thailand |
| Ayutthaya in turn before falling to the | | | | was a functioning democracy with |
| army of the Siamese King Taksin in 1775. | | | | constitutional changes of government. |
| Ayutthaya | | | | However, in September 2006 a coup |
| The first ruler of the Kingdom of | | | | removed the controversial government led |
| Ayutthaya, King Ramathibodi I, made two | | | | by the billionaire Thaksin, and the |
| important contributions to Thai history: | | | | country has been run by the military |
| the establishment and promotion of | | | | since. |
| Theravada Buddhism as the official | | | | In early January 1941, Thailand invaded |
| religion - to differentiate his kingdom | | | | French Indochina, beginning the |
| from the neighbouring Hindu kingdom of | | | | French-Thai War. The Thais were better |
| Angkor - and the compilation of the | | | | equipped than, and outnumbered, the |
| Dharmashastra, a legal code based on | | | | French forces, easily taking Laos. The |
| Hindu sources and traditional Thai | | | | French decisively won the naval Battle |
| custom. The Dharmashastra remained a | | | | of Koh Chang. |
| tool of Thai law until late in the 19th | | | | The Japanese mediated the conflict, and |
| century. Beginning with the Portuguese | | | | a general armistice was declared on |
| in the 16th century, Ayutthaya had some | | | | January 28. On May 9 a peace treaty was |
| contact with the West, but until the | | | | signed in Tokyo, with the French being |
| 1800s, its relations with neighbouring | | | | coerced by the Japanese into |
| nations as well as with India and China, | | | | relinquishing its hold on the disputed |
| were of primary importance. Ayutthaya | | | | territories. |
| dominated a considerable area, ranging | | | | After the end of World War II, Prime |
| from the Islamic states on the Malay | | | | Minister Pridi Phanomyong agreed to |
| Peninsula to states in northern | | | | return the captured territories to |
| Thailand. Nonetheless, the Burmese, who | | | | France, as a condition for admission to |
| had control of Lanna and had also | | | | the newly created United Nations. |
| unified their kingdom under a powerful | | | | On December 8, 1941, a few hours after |
| dynasty, launched several invasion | | | | the attack on Pearl Harbor, Japan |
| attempts in the 1750s and 1760s. | | | | demanded the right to move troops across |
| Finally, in 1767, the Burmese attacked | | | | Thailand to the Malayan frontier. Japan |
| the city and conquered it. The royal | | | | invaded the country and engaged the Thai |
| family fled the city where the king died | | | | army for six to eight hours before |
| of starvation ten days later. The | | | | Phibun ordered an armistice. Shortly |
| Ayutthaya royal line had been | | | | thereafter Japan was granted free |
| extinguished. Overall there are 33 kings | | | | passage, and on December 21, 1941, |
| in this period, including an unofficial | | | | Thailand and Japan signed a military |
| king. | | | | alliance with a secret protocol wherein |
| There were 5 dynasties during Ayutthaya | | | | Tokyo agreed to help Thailand get back |
| period: | | | | territories lost to the British and |
| 1.Eu Thong Dynasty which consisting of 3 | | | | French colonial powers and Thailand |
| kings | | | | undertook to assist Japan in her war |
| 2.Suphanabhumi Dynasty consisting of 13 | | | | against the Allies. |
| kings | | | | After Japan's defeat in 1945, with the |
| 3.Sukhothai Dynasty consisting of 7 | | | | help of a group of Thais known as Seri |
| kings | | | | Thai who were supported by the United |
| 4.Prasart Thong (Golden Tower) Dynasty | | | | States, Thailand was treated as a |
| consisting of 4 kings | | | | defeated country by the British and |
| 5.Bann Plu Dynasty consisting of 6 kings | | | | French, although American support |
| | | | mitigated the Allied terms. Thailand was |
| Thornburi and Bangkok period | | | | not occupied by the Allies, but it was |
| After more than 400 years of power, in | | | | forced to return the territory it had |
| 1767, the Kingdom of Ayutthaya was | | | | gained to the British and the French. In |
| brought down by invading Burmese armies, | | | | the post-war period Thailand enjoyed |
| its capital burned, and the territory | | | | close relations with the United States, |
| split. General Taksin managed to reunite | | | | which it saw as a protector from the |
| the Thai kingdom from his new capital of | | | | communist revolutions in neighbouring |
| Thonburi and declared himself king in | | | | countries. |
| 1769. However, Taksin allegedly became | | | | Recently, Thailand also has been an |
| mad, and he was deposed, taken prisoner, | | | | active member in the regional |
| and executed in 1782. General Chakri | | | | Association of Southeast Asian Nations |
| succeeded him in 1782 as Rama I, the | | | | (ASEAN), especially after democratic |
| first king of the Chakri dynasty. In the | | | | rule was restored in 1992. |
| same year he founded the new capital | | | | Democracy |
| city at Bangkok, across the Chao Phraya | | | | The post-1973 has been marked by a |
| river from Thonburi, Taksin's capital. | | | | struggle to define the political |
| In the 1790s Burma was defeated and | | | | contours of the state. It was won by the |
| driven out of Siam, as it was now | | | | King and General Prem Tinsulanonda, who |
| called. Lanna also became free of | | | | favoured a democratic constitutional |
| Burmese occupation, but the king of a | | | | order. |
| new dynasty was installed in the 1790s | | | | The post-1973 years has seen a difficult |
| was effectively a puppet ruler of the | | | | and sometimes bloody transition from |
| Chakri monarch. | | | | military to civilian rule, with several |
| The heirs of Rama I became increasingly | | | | reversals along the way. The revolution |
| concerned with the threat of European | | | | of 1973 inaugurated a brief, unstable |
| colonialism after British victories in | | | | period of democracy, with military rule |
| neighbouring Burma in 1826. The first | | | | being reimposed after a bloody |
| Thai recognition of Western power in the | | | | right-wing coup in 1976. For most of the |
| region was the Treaty of Amity and | | | | 1980s, Thailand was ruled by Prem, a |
| Commerce with the United Kingdom in | | | | democratically-inclined strongman who |
| 1826. In 1833, the United States began | | | | restored parliamentary politics. |
| diplomatic exchanges with Siam, as | | | | Thereafter the country remained a |
| Thailand was called until 1939, and | | | | democracy apart from a brief period of |
| again between 1945 and 1949. However, it | | | | military rule from 1991 to 1992. The |
| was during the later reigns of King | | | | populist Thai Rak Thai party, led by |
| Chulalongkorn, and his father King | | | | prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, |
| Mongkut, that Thailand established firm | | | | governed since 2001. |
| rapprochement with Western powers. It is | | | | On September 19, 2006, with the prime |
| a widely held view in Thailand that the | | | | minister in New York for a meeting of |
| diplomatic skills of these monarchs, | | | | the UN, Army Commander-in-Chief |
| combined with the modernising reforms of | | | | Lieutenant General Sonthi Boonyaratglin |
| the Thai Government, made Siam the only | | | | launched a successful coup d'état. |