Ancient history of Thailand

In the central northern region of modern-day Thailand, the establishment of Sukhothai as the capital in 1238 can, in many respects, be regarded as the birth of the prototype Thai nation itself. Sukhothai was founded as the great Khmer empire, which had held sway for thousands of years, went into decline. Some Thais sentimentally perceive this era to have been a cultural golden age in Thailand’s history.

In 1350 King Uthorn established another Thai capital, which eventually overshadowed Sukhothai, at Ayuthaya (just north of present-day Bangkok). Ayuthaya held sway for over two centuries and was an extremely prosperous city. Thailand has a history of incessant warfare with Burma, and during this era they remained arch enemies. Eventually, in 1767 the Burmese totally destroyed Ayuthaya city after a prolonged siege. The Siamese (later known as Thais) regrouped and managed to expel the Burmese, but the great city was never rebuilt.