|
It is now believed that Thailand's human history predates
that of any other country in the world. The archaeological
discoveries at Ban Chiang suggest that it was the site of
the world's oldest Bronze Age civilisation, with artifacts
dating back seven to eight thousand years.
Although the inhabitants of Ban Chiang later moved on, for
centuries there was a steady flow of immigrants arriving from
the northern and eastern countries, crossing the Mekong River
and settling in the north of the country. These settlers included
Mon, Khmer and Chinese and small township soon established
themselves around the country. By the 11th and 12th centuries
some of these townships had grown into the small city-states
of Lanna, Phayao and Sukhothai, although the powerful Angkor-based
empire of the Khmers ruled most of the land at that time.
However it wasn't long before Angkor's rule was challenged,
and in 1238, a Thai prince marched on the Khmer garrison at
Sukhothai and defeated the local Khmer commander in an elephant
duel. Consolidating his power, he became the first king of
Sukhothai, Sri Indraditya - the first truly independent Thai
kingdom. Thailand would never again be a vassal state, despite
many attempts to overwhelm the country throughout the ages.
Sukhothai was a prosperous new kingdom and, under the expert
guidance of it first few kings, prospered and grew. The third
Sukhothai king, Ramkhamhaeng, (1279-1316) combined his military
skills, diplomacy, trading expertise, and cultural gifts to
bring the kingdom to its zenith. During his reign, Sukhothai
grew to fill all of the Chao Phraya river basin, bordering
Lanna in the north, and as far as the Malay Peninsula in the
south. Under Ramkhamhaeng, Theravada Buddhism got its first
foothold in Thailand and the Thai alphabet was formulated.
The late Sukhothai period is known as Thailand's Golden Age
of Art.
Sukhothai's later kings were more interested in religion
and art than in maintaining their kingdom, and by the mid-14th
century the power of Sukhothai had waned sufficiently for
its upstart vassal state of Ayuthaya to take power. Over its
400 years of prosperity and power Ayuthaya became one of the
world's largest and most beautiful cities, rivalling Paris
and London for size and acclaimed as the "Venice of the East"
by its foreign visitors. However, after repelling several
invasions by Burmese armies, the city was finally sacked and
burned in 1767. A Siamese force led by General Taksin arrived
just too late to save the city, however the general consolidated
his forces on the banks of the Chao Phraya and eventually
drove the Burmese far back into their own territory.
Taksin made himself king and established his new capital
in Thonburi - on the east banks of the Chao Phraya River.
However, madness finally cost Taksin his throne and his life.
Concerned about further invasions by the Burmese, the new
king, Rama I, the first of the present Chakri Dynasty, moved
his capital across the river to a small fishing village in
1782. That village was to become the huge metropolis of Bangkok.
What with the British massing in Burma and French colonialism
spreading throughout Cambodia and Laos, were it not for the
shrewd diplomacy and political understanding of King Mongkut
(Rama IV 1851-1868) and his son Chulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868-1910),
Siam could very easily have become yet another victim of the
empire-builders. However, maintaining the country's independence
was perhaps the least these two great kings achieved. King
Chulalongkorn was particularly impressed by western methods
of law and education and he set about fully reforming the
legal system of Siam and introducing state education for the
masses (previously all education had been the privilege of
the rich or through schools set up at monasteries). Bangkok's
premier university is named after him.
 The
bloodless coup of 1932 brought an end to absolute monarchy
in Siam and six years later the country changed its name to
Thailand. However, despite the introduction of constitutional
monarchy, Thailand struggled for many years to remain constitutional,
with power slipping backwards and forwards from the hands
of corruptly elected politicians to military strongmen for
the next sixty years. It has only been in the last few years
that the government has been under complete and continuous
civilian control and, with the introduction of the new constitution
in 1997, Thailand is finally a fully functioning democracy.
|
