Ayutthaya Kingdom
 The
focus of Thai history and politics now moved to the central
plains of present-day Thailand, where Ayutthaya established
itself as a centralized state.
The
glorious Ayutthaya era lasted for 417 years (1350 to 1767
AD). Founded by King U-Tong or Ramathibodi I, the empire of
Ayutthaya quickly established its sovereignty over neighboring
states such as Suphannaphum and Lawo, and came to take over
the role of religious, cultural and commercial capital of
the Thais. Part of Ayutthaya's glory was due to its geographic
and strategic location. The city of Ayutthaya was nestled
at the confluence of the Pa Sak, Lopburi and Chao Phraya rivers,
so it became the ideal center for administration and communication.
Unlike
Sukhothai, where the king had fostered a paternal relationship
with his people, the Ayutthaya kings became autocrats. King
Ramathibodi I consolidated his kingdom through the adoption
of an expansionist policy and the appointment of four powerful
officers in charge of the royal household, local government,
finance and agriculture.
 During
the 14th and 15th centuries the Thai kings of Ayutthaya became
very powerful and began to expand their kingdom eastward until
they took Angkor from the Khmers in 1431. By the mid-16th
century Ayutthaya and the independent kingdom of Chiang Mai
had come under the control of the Burmese, but the Thais had
regained control of both areas by the end of the century.
However,
Ayutthaya's relations with its neighbors were not always cordial.
Wars were fought against Cambodia, Lanna, Lanchang, Pattani
and Burma, Ayutthaya's powerful neighbor to the west. Burmese
power waxed and waned in cycles according to successive ruler's
administrative efficiency in the control of manpower.
Ayutthaya
became embroiled in an ongoing conflict with Burma that led
to three successive wars in 1538, 1548 and finally in 1569,
with the result of Ayutthaya's first defeat at the hands of
the Burmese. Fifteen years after the first defeat, Prince
Naresuan proclaimed independence from the Burmese once again.
Prince Naresuan later became one of the greatest kings of
the Ayutthaya era.
 The
Ayutthaya period also marked the emergence of Thailand's era
of international trade. During the 17th century, Ayutthaya
came to the height of its power with the greatest economic,
social, architectural and cultural achievement. It became
one of the biggest and most significant trading ports of the
Orient. Traders from Europe, China, Japan, India and the East
Indies flocked to Ayutthaya for its bountiful trade prospects.
Some western visitors likened Ayutthaya to Italy's Venice,
calling it the most beautiful city in the East.
Ayutthaya
enjoyed over a century of comparative peace. Then, in the
mid-18th century, the kings of the Alaunghpaya dynasty of
Burma again adopted an expansionist policy. During the 1760's,
the Burmese armies inflicted severe defeats on the Thais.
Finally, in 1767, Ayutthaya succumbed to an all-out attack
by the Burmese. They invaded and captured Ayutthaya, looted
priceless artifacts, killed or enslaved all but 10,000 inhabitants
and razed the city, bringing the glorious age of Ayutthaya
to an end. During the 417 years of the empire, Ayutthaya had
a total of five dynasties with 33 kings.
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