Chronology of Central Thailand History
This chronology highlights and puts into historical perspective events in Central Thailand of interest to travelers today.- 250 King Ashoka in India sends Buddhist monks to Nakhon Pathon to preach Buddhism
- 11-13C Lop Buri merged into Khmer Empire
- 1219 Khmer power fades and Sukhothai Empire now dominates from the North
- 1292 King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai inscribes in stone the Thai Alphabet he is acclaimed as creating
- 1350 City of Ayuthaya is created by King Ramathibodi (U Thong)
- 1351 Tai-Siam Mandala formed
- 1431 Siamese Tai of Ayuthaya invade and conquer the Khmers and the Kingdom of Angkor and sack Angkor
- 1438 Empire of Sukhothai absorbed into the Ayutthaya Empire ending the Sukhothai Empire
- 1511 Portuguese arrive in Ayutthaya and in 1516 establish diplomatic relations
- 1569 Mon Burmese capture Ayutthaya and Vientiane (Laos)
- 1590 King Naresuan rules in Ayutthaya and with it, resistance to the Mon Burmese
- 1593 Battle of Nong Sarai at which Naresuan defeats the Burmese invaders
- 1662 Siamese Tai led by Narai invade Burma
- 1668 1668 Palace Revolution in Ayutthaya
- 1732 Summer Palace commissioned by King Prasart Thong
- 1767 Ayuthaya sacked by Burmese ending the Ayutthayan Empire
- 1767 Taksin establishes new capital at Thon Buri, (on west bank of Chao Phraya River)
- 1768 Taksin becomes King
- 1778 General Chao Phraya Chakri (Chakri) captures Vientiane
- 1782 Chakri becomes King Rama I of Kingdom of Siam heralding the start of the Bangkok Empire
- 1783 Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) construction starts
- 1787 Wat Buddhaisawan construction starts (Bangkok)
- 1828 Siamese invade and sack Vientiane and take back North East Thailand
- 1851 King Mongkut comes to the throne (Rama IV)
- 1868 King Mongkut dies and his son Chulalongkorn becomes King Rama 5
- 1893 France asserts sovereignty over Laos (a Tai nation)
- 1893 French gun boats sail up the Chao Praya River (the Pakham incident)
- 1905 slavery abolished in Siam
- 1932 constitutional monarchy established and absolute monarchy abolished
- 1939 Siam renamed to become ‘’ Thailand ‘’
- 1941 Ko Chang naval battle with France in Gulf of Thailand