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