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The Ayutthaya Kingdom:
The
Ayutthaya Kingdom was founded in 1350 in the Ayutthaya area at
the convergence of the Chao Phraya, Loburi and Pasak Rivers. King
Uthong was the empire’s first ruler. The Ayutthaya Kingdom’s
strength and influence quickly spread to encompass neighboring
kingdoms and occupied most of modern Thailand. It was during this
time that diplomatic relations with other countries were encouraged
and international trade developed. Diplomats and merchants from;
France, Portugal, Spain, Britain, Netherlands, Japan, India and
China began to visit the region during this period. It is during
this period that formal education based on Buddhist ideologies
began and monk-hood was introduced.
The Ayutthaya Kingdom had to endure a number of invasion attempts
by the powerful neighboring Burmese empire. The first attempt
to lay a siege occurred in 1760 but was unsuccessful.
A second
attempt in 1766 resulted in the city of Ayutthaya being taken
over by the Burmese in 1767. During this period, the Burmese
pillaged and destroyed the City and its contents, leaving Ayutthaya
in ruins. Thai General Phaya Taksin was able to reorganize
his army and retake the City. Taksin became the King
of Siam (Thailand)
in 1767 and is an idolized figure in Thai History.
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