Sukothai period
Between 1238 and 1376 Sukothai was the first Thai kingdom, with the city of Sukothai as its capital. Sukothai (“The beginning of happiness”) was a Siamese capital, after two princes collaborated against the Khmer and occupied the city. The city became the northernmost border of the Khmer kingdom. The might of Khmers (originally from what is now part of Kampuchea /Cambodia) was in decline. During the 11th and 13th centuries the Khmer had taken over large parts of Thailand and also exercised a great cultural influence.
The kingdom of Sukothai had its heyday under King Ram Khamhaeng, who reigned from 1283 to 1317. Agriculture and trade (especially with China) flourished. The Thai version of Theravada Buddhism took form and applied art blossomed. The Khmer as well as the Mon (ethnic peoples) had an influence on the applied art and architecture, which was also influenced by the Indian and Sri Lankan cultures. King Ram Khamhaeng initiated the development of the Thai alphabet, which was based on the Burmese. He not only maintained close relations with China but also supported two northern warlords, who had their seats in Chiang Mai and Phayao, and which later became the Kingdom of “Lan Na Thai” (later named Lanna).
At the end of the 14th century the 'golden era' of the Kingdom of Sukothai came to an end with the rise of the kingdom of Ayutthaya.
Nowadays the area of the ruins of the city is a UNESCO monument, and despite their current condition they can still prickle your imagination over past glories.
Ayutthaya period
In 1350 Prince U Thong declared himself King Ramthibodi the First, and chose Ayutthaya as the capital of his kingdom. Just like Sukothai, Ayutthaya became a border town with the Khmer and is named after Ayodhya, (Sanskrit for ‘Not someone to be messed with’) the residence of King Rama of the Indian legend, Ramayana. The Ayutthaya period surpassed the glory days of Sukothai with its cultural growth, political influence, and expansion of its borders. The latter extended far to the current borders of Laos, Cambodia and Burma, while the Sukothai occupied mainly a wide stretch of North-South. There were 33 kings who reigned over this kingdom for more than 400 years. The city of Ayutthaya was renowned for its enormous palaces, countless temples and stupas with mosaics and coated with gold leaf. In its heyday, the head of state was frequently visited by business delegations from China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Malaysian cities, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Portugal. In 1511, Portugal had an embassy in Ayutthaya. In 1690 Engelbert Campfer from London wrote: “Among the Asian Nations, the Kingdom of Siam is the greatest. The magnificence of the Ayutthaya court is incomparable.”
At its peak at the end of the 17th century, more than a million people lived in the city, at that time more than in London, Paris or Amsterdam. All Western visitors to the city enthused over the glory they found there. Just like Sukothai, Ayutthaya was surrounded by a city wall and water to keep invaders out. Unfortunately this didn't help. In 1767, the city fell to the Burmese after two years of siege, and was totally plundered. Everything that the Siamese held holy was taken away or destroyed. Golden statues of Buddha were melted, temples were desecrated and manuscripts destroyed. Anything not taken away by the Burmese can now be found in museums, one of which is the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum in Ayutthaya, opposite the city wall in Rojana Road.
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