| Early years | | | | This time Burmese caused much fear to Thais. |
| The Thais, most historians believe, began | | | | Burmase soldiers destroyed everything, including |
| migrating from southern China in the early part of | | | | temples, manuscripts, and religious sculpture. After |
| the Christian era. At first they formed a number | | | | the capital fell in their hands for two years, the |
| of city-states in the northern part of what is | | | | Burmese effectiveness could not further hold the |
| present-day Thailand, in places like Chiang Saen, | | | | kingdom. Phaya Taksin, a Thai general, promoted |
| Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, but these were never | | | | himself to be the king in 1769. He ruled the new |
| strong enough to exert much influence outside | | | | capital of Thonburi on the bank of Chao Phraya |
| the immediate region. Gradually the Thais | | | | River, opposite Bangkok. Thais regained control of |
| migrated further south to the broad and fertile | | | | their country and thus scattered themselves to |
| central plains, and expanded their dominance over | | | | the provinces in the north and central part of |
| nearly the entire Indochina Peninsula. Contradictory | | | | Thailand. Taksin eventually turn himself to be the |
| as it may seem, however, recent archaeological | | | | next Buddha and was dismissed and executed by |
| discoveries around the northeast hamlet of Ban | | | | his ministers who did not approve his religious |
| Chiang suggest that the world's oldest Bronze | | | | values.The British gained a colonial foothold in the |
| Age civilization was flourishing in Thailand some | | | | region in 1824, but by 1896 an Anglo-French |
| 5,000 years ago. | | | | accord guaranteed the independence of Thailand. |
| It is difficult to determine the type of culture | | | | A coup in 1932 demoted the monarchy to titular |
| which existed in Thailand before the Christian era, | | | | status and established representative government |
| since no written records or chronologies exist but | | | | with universal suffrage. At the outbreak of World |
| archeological excavations in the area north of | | | | War II, Japanese forces attacked Thailand. After |
| Nakorn Ratchasima indicate that there were | | | | five hours of token resistance Thailand yielded to |
| people living here over 4000 years ago. Thailand | | | | Japan on Dec. 8, 1941, subsequently becoming a |
| (previously known as Siam) has been populated | | | | staging area for the Japanese campaign against |
| ever since the dawn of civilization in Asia. There | | | | Malaya. Following the demise of a pro-Japanese |
| are conflicting opinions of the origins of the Thais. | | | | puppet government in July 1944, Thailand |
| It presumed that about 4,500 years the Thais | | | | repudiated the declaration of war it had been |
| originated in northwestern Szechuan in China and | | | | forced to make in 1942 against Britain and the |
| later migrated down to Thailand along the | | | | U.S. |
| southern part of China. They split into two main | | | | The politics of Thailand took some significant turn |
| groups. One settled down in the North and | | | | on 24 June 1932 when a group of young |
| became the kingdom of ""Lan Na"" and the other | | | | intellectuals, educated abroad and imbued with the |
| one is in further south, which afterward was | | | | concept of Western democracy, staged a |
| defeated by the Khmers and became the | | | | bloodless coup, demanding a change form absolute |
| kingdom of ""Sukhothai"". | | | | to a constitutional monarchy, Determined to avoid |
| In the early 16th century, the European visited | | | | any bloodshed, His Majesty King Prajadhipok |
| Ayutthaya, and a Portuguese embassy was | | | | (Rama VII) agreed to the abolition of absolute |
| established in 1511. Portugal's powerful neighbor | | | | monarchy and the transfer of power to the |
| Spain was the next European nation to arrive in | | | | constitution-based system of government as |
| Ayutthaya forward the end of the 16th century. | | | | demanded. On 10 December 1932, His Majesty |
| In he early 17th century they saw the arrival of | | | | King Prajadhipok signed Thailand first constitution |
| two northern European, the Dutch and the British, | | | | and thus ended 700 years of Thailand absolute |
| and France in 1662. | | | | monarchy. Despite the number of successive |
| In the mid-16th century, Ayutthaya and the | | | | constitutions that followed in the span of just |
| independent kingdom in Chiang Mai was put under | | | | over half a century, the basic concepts of |
| the control of the Burmese, but Thais could regain | | | | constitutional government and monarchy laid down |
| both of the capitals by the end of the century. | | | | in the 1932 constitution have remained unaltered. |
| The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya again in 1765. | | | | |