The current inhabitants of Thailand can be traced to back to an Austro-Thai people that periodically migrated all over Southeast Asia including Indonesia and Southwest China. One of the largest groups was in present day Yunnan and was known as Nanchao, translated as Lords of the Rivers. This homeland of Northern Thai and Thai Lü groups is sometimes referred to as the origin of all Thais, but historians place Thai groups everywhere along the Thai diaspora from Vietnam to Assam in north-eastern India.
Works of great art were produced in Thailand during the Dvaravati period. Stucco reliefs on temple walls, exquisite terracotta heads, votive images and a variety of sculptures were produced including Buddha images showing an Indian Gupta influence. The Dvaravati culture quickly declined in the 11th century under the domination of the invading Khmer. The Khmer referred to the Thais as ‘Syam’, possibly from the Sanskrit shyama, meaning golden, referring to their skin colour, later to give rise to the former name of the nation, Siam. During this time the Thai state, Nanchao was flourishing in southwest China, but in 1253 the Mongols of Kublai Khan conquered Nanchao, causing a sharp increase in the southern migration of Thai peoples to what is now northern Thailand.
Many consider the first true Thai kingdom to be the Sukhothai Kingdom, King Si Intharathit declaring independence in 1238, sparking a period regarded as a ‘golden age’ where politics, religion and culture developed and helped form a true national identity. The Sukhothai period (mid-13th to mid-15th century) is noted for its sculpture and pottery. Graceful bronze sculptures of the Buddha, especially those showing him in the walking posture, are typical of the period, while the celadon ware made at Sukhothai and nearby Sawankhalok was exported throughout Southeast Asia. Sukhothai was not the only Tai state in Southeast Asia during this period. In the mid-13th century in what is today northern Thailand, a Tai ruler conquered the ancient Mon kingdom and built a new capital at Chiang Mai. Under Mangrai and his successors, Chiang Mai became a powerful province and served to spread Theravāda Buddhism among Tai peoples in what are now north-eastern Myanmar, southern China, and northern Laos. During the 16th century Lan Na was conquered by the Burmese and incorporated into the Burman Empire. Subsequently, the central Tai (Siamese) states of Ayutthaya and Bangkok challenged Burman control over the area, but it was not until the 19th century that Lan Na was brought fully under Siamese rule.
Ayutthaya was one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in Asia. Europeans that visited the capital in the 1600s were in great awe of the city, describing London as a mere ‘village’ in comparison. The Kingdom of Ayutthaya, lasting more than 400 years, saw an unbroken monarchical succession through 34 reigns. Thai kings succeeded in pushing back the Khmer and in 1431, they sacked the great capital of Angkor. In 1438 a greatly weakened Sukhothai was made a province of Ayutthaya. Lan Na, however, remained free of Ayutthaya control, although it was later brought under Burman influence. The Burmese invaded Ayutthaya for the second time in 1765, destroying much held sacred by the Thais including temples, manuscripts, religious sculptures and other works of art. The city was not to recover. The king and members of the royal family along with thousands of captives were enslaved in Burma.
A new era in Thai history began with the rise to power of Taksin, a powerful and charismatic military commander who succeeded in pushing back the Burmese and seizing political power. Ruling from Thonburi, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River opposite Bangkok he helped rebuild the devastated economy by encouraging trade with the Chinese. Taksin began expanding Thai territories, but became mentally unstable, regarding himself as the next Buddha. This level of delusion was not appreciated by his ministers and he was deposed and then beaten to death in a velvet sack- the custom execution of a royal. He was succeeded by his former military commander, known by his official name of Chao Phraya (“Great Lord”) Chakri. As Rama I, he became the first king of the still-reigning Chakri dynasty. The ninth king of the Chakri dynasty, King Bhumibol, succeeded the throne in 1946 and continues to be a unifying force in Thailand to this day.
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