Sociable Earth The unification of several Thai principalities in the 13th and 14th centuries led to the first true Thai kingdom Sukhothai. In the 15th century, the Sukhothai capital was moved to Phitsanulok and was annexed by Ayuthaya. The Thai kings of the Ayuthaya period grew powerful in the 14th and 15th centuries, expanding out to the east and assuming the god-king title. In the 18th century the Chakra dynasty took hold until the 20th century, during which the country faced a new threat of European colonization. Despite this, Thailand became the only Southeast Asian state to avoid colonisation. Following a bloodless coup by students in 1932, the monarchy came to an end and Thailand went through 60 years of military rule before establishing a democratically elected-government system. Today, Thailand is again under a coup d’état, placed on the country in 2014 after the government dissolved.
History
Evidenced by linguistic and archaeological evidence, the Thai people are the first true agriculturists and metal workers. That said, limited written and chronological records make it difficult to accurately identify the different cultural influences in Thailand up until 500 AD. Buddhism was well established in the region, with a strong network of agricultural communities. Until the 11th Century, central Thailand was the epicentre of the Dvaravati culture - a sanskrit name meaning Place of Gates referring to the city of Krishna, a Hindu God. The Khmer Kingdom (located in present day Cambodia) expanded westward into Thai borders between the 9th and 11th centuries and elements Brahmanism, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism (religions of Khmer) remain in Thai religious and court ceremonies.