Thailand Guides - History

Archaeological evidence reveals that ancient Thailand had a flourishing civilization four to seven thousand years ago. But the culture as we know it today began with Thai tribes in the sixth and seventh centuries AD that was assimilated into Khmer around the year 1000 but became an independent feudal Thai state called sukhothai in 1257.

Sukotai was succeeded by the Kingdom of Ayutthaya in 1350, while another equally important kingdom called Chiang Mai flourished farther north. The two would ultimately merge. King Uthong, the first ruler of Ayutthaya, established Theravada Buddhism as the official religion and instituted a legal code based on traditional Hindu and Thai sources. 400 years later, invading Burmese armies destroyed Ayutthaya.

In 1782, Rama I ascended the throne as the first king of the Chakri Dynasty. He moved the capital from Ayutthaya across the river to Bangkok. From 1785 to 1802, border wars were fought with Burma and traditional and spiritual Indian literature were translated into Thai. Cambodia and Vientiane became vassal states of Siam, and the Kingdom of Vientiane

National Flag

Before 1917 the Thai flag was red with a white elephant, an emblem of the absolute monarchy. It was changed by King Raman VI in 1917. Today’s flag consists of five horizontal bands of red, white and blue. The three colours represent the three pillars of the Thai nation. The outer red bands stand for the country, white for Buddhism and blue for the monarchy.