Part 65

Explore the rise of the Tai kingdoms of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya in Civilization V, from Ramkhamhaeng's expansion to Ayutthaya's eventual fall to Burma.

The Khmer Empire, once dominant over much of modern Thailand and following Hinduism, faced an influx of Tai-speaking people around 1,000 AD. These Tai people, believed to have originated in northern Vietnam, spread across Southeast Asia. By the 13th century, they were strong enough to challenge the Mon and Khmer influence in Siam.

In the mid-13th century, a Tai ruler revolted against the Khmer Empire, establishing the Sukhothai kingdom. This kingdom remained minor until the ascension of Ramkhamhaeng in 1279. Over twenty years, Ramkhamhaeng transformed Sukhothai into a major regional power, expanding its dominance west into Burma, east into Laos, and south along the Malay Peninsula. Many territories joined his confederation voluntarily due to his shrewd diplomacy. Towards the end of his rule, Ramkhamhaeng commissioned a stone inscription detailing his triumphs, portraying a prosperous and contented kingdom under a benevolent monarch. Ramkhamhaeng died in 1298. Sukhothai lasted a century after his death before being absorbed by the rising Tai power of Ayutthaya.

The kingdom of Ayutthaya was founded by Ramathibodi I in 1351 on the fertile Chao Phraya River Basin, north of modern Bangkok, on the remains of the earlier kingdom of Lavo. In 1352, Ramathibodi I attacked the Khmer, driving them east out of Siam. By 1387, Ayutthaya conquered Sukhothai, and in 1431, it captured and sacked the Khmer capital of Angkor after a seven-month siege.

Ayutthaya was a beautiful and wealthy city, crisscrossed by canals. The Tai of Ayutthaya were the first to be called "Siamese." They adopted the Khmer belief in the divinity of the king, who was considered above all people and whose face could not be gazed upon except by royal family members. King Trailok (1448-1488) reorganized the state, concentrating political power in the monarchy. Socially, Ayutthayans lived under a rigid caste system where individuals were assigned numerical values (called "sakdi na") based on rank: a slave was worth five units, a freeman around 25, and the heir to the throne perhaps 100,000 units. Both Buddhism and Hinduism were practiced.

The greatest threat to Ayutthaya came from Burma to the west. In 1569, Burma conquered Ayutthaya, though it regained independence by the end of the 15th century. Burmese troops sacked the city again in 1767, deporting the royal family, burning the city, and destroying its art and historical records. The kingdom never recovered.

In 1767, a Tai leader named Taksin founded a new capital at Thon Buri, downstream from Ayutthaya near present-day Bangkok. This city, on the eastern side of the Chao Phraya River, was easier to defend and closer to the sea, facilitating international trade. Taksin encouraged Chinese merchants, using tax revenue to rebuild the Siamese economy. Taksin constructed a powerful army, retook former Sukhothai and Ayutthaya territories, conquered Laos, and pushed Burmese forces out of traditional Tai lands. In 1782, Taksin, showing signs of mental illness, was overthrown and killed. He was succeeded by General Chao Phraya Chakri, who became Rama I. The Chakri dynasty has ruled Thailand since.

Rama I moved the capital to Bangkok, which quickly grew into a trading city due to Chinese immigration. Rama I and his successors expanded Siamese power into Laos and down the Malay Peninsula, clashing with Burma until Britain became a threat. Rama I was a patron of Siamese culture, religion, and law, rebuilding temples and palaces and updating the legal system. His successor, Rama III (ruled 1809-1824), was a patron of the arts. Siam notably avoided Western occupation, signing a treaty with Great Britain in 1826, expanded in 1855.