HISTORY & POLITICS
HISTORY
1688
King Narai dies and
is followed by the
Palace Revolution and
the expulsion of the
French.1767
Ayuthaya is sacked by
the Burmese.1768
King Taksin
establishes a new
capital in Thonburi.1782
Founding of the Chakri
dynasty and Bangkok
as the new capital.The most revered of the Sukhothai kings was Ramkhamhaeng, who is
credited for developing the modern Thai writing system, which is based
on Indian, Mon and Khmer scripts. He also established Theravada Bud-
dhism as the offi cial religion.
In its prime, the Sukhothai kingdom extended as far as Nakhon Si
Thammarat in the south, to the upper Mekong River Valley in Laos and
to Bago (Pegu) in southern Burma. For a short time (1448–86), the Su-
khothai capital was moved to Phitsanulok, but by that time another star
was rising in Thailand, the kingdom of Ayuthaya.Ayuthaya
In the mid-14th century, the Ayuthaya kingdom began to dominate Chao
Phraya River basin during the twilight of the Khmer period. It survived
for 416 years, defi ning itself as Siam’s most important early kingdom
with an expansive sphere of infl uence (including much of the former
Khmer empire) and a fundamental role in organising the modern Thai
state and social structure.
With a strategic island location formed by encircling rivers, Ayuthaya
grew wealthy through international trade during the 17th century’s age
of commerce and fortifi ed itself with superior Portuguese-supplied fi re-
arms and mercenaries. The river system connected to the Gulf of Thai-
land and to the hinterlands as well.
This is the period when Western traders ‘discovered’ Southeast Asia
and Ayuthaya hosted many foreign settlements. Accounts by foreign
visitors mention Ayuthaya’s cosmopolitan markets and court. In 1690
Londoner Engelbert Campfer proclaimed, ‘Among the Asian nations, the
kingdom of Siam is the greatest’.
Ayuthaya adopted Khmer court customs, honorifi c language and ideas
of kingship. The monarch styled himself as a Khmer devarajaa (divine
king) rather than Sukhothai’s dhammarajaa (righteous king); AyuthayaAncient
Sites» (^) Ayuthaya
Historical Park
» (^) Sukhothai
Historical Park
» (^) Chiang Saen
Historical Park
» (^) Lopburi Khmer
ruins
» (^) Nakhon Si
Thammarat Na-
tional Museum
» (^) Phimai Histori-
cal Park
FRIENDS OF THE KING
In the 1680s many foreign emissaries were invited to Ayuthaya by King Narai, who
was keen to acquire and consume foreign material, culture and ideas. His court placed
orders for spyglasses, hourglasses, paper, walnut trees, cheese, wine and marble foun-
tains. He joined the French Jesuits to observe the eclipse at his palace in Lopburi and
received a gift of a globe from France’s King Louis XIV.
In the 1680s, Narai recruited the services of the Greek adventurer Constantine
Phaulkon, who was later accused of conspiring to overthrow the ailing king. Instead, the
accusers led a coup and executed Constantine.