Vanarith (Mr. Oh LaL a) :
Inscriptions record the presence of the Thai or Siamese in Southeast Asia, probably from the 12th century. The Thai or Siamese originally lived in Yunnan Province, China, and began to migrate southward gradually from the 9th century.
The Thai or Siamese initially settled in what is now northern Laos and Chiang Mai. The Thai or Siamese population in northern Southeast Asia grew and they formed several small kingdoms, such as Sukhothai, Chiang Sen, Chiang Mai, Srei Ikhlaen, and Ayutthaya. However, at first, all of these kingdoms were weak and under the influence of the Khmer Empire.
As the Khmer Empire began to decline, the Thai or Siamese kingdoms gradually consolidated their country into a fully sovereign kingdom, starting with Sukhothai in the 13th century. Then, in the 14th century, after the death of King Rama I, Sukhothai fell into decline and fell under the control of another Siamese kingdom, the kingdom of Ayutthaya. It was Ayutthaya that expanded the power of the Siamese kingdom and became the Khmer Empire's greatest rival in the late Angkor period.
2025-07-29 12:19:14