Ayutthaya Kingdom: Map & History
The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand.
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The Ayutthaya Kingdom or the Empire of Ayutthaya was a Thai kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. European travellers in the early 16th century called Ayutthaya one of the three great powers of Asia alongside Vijayanagara and Ming China. Ayutthaya is considered the precursor of modern Thailand.
Modern Countries Once Part of Ayutthaya Kingdom
At its mapped extent, Ayutthaya Kingdom covered territory in 2 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
States and Provinces
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Ayutthaya Kingdom's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Ayutthaya Kingdom in Depth
History
In the early second millennium, the lower central plain was anchored by Lavo to the east and Suphannabhum, a former Dvaravati centre, to the west, with Chen Li Fu between them. Lavo, conventionally described as under Angkorian suzerainty, occupied the eastern basin, while Suphannabhum in the west shows Angkorian cultural influence that need not imply direct political or military control. Evidence for varying degrees of Angkorian political and cultural involvement includes Suryavarman I's campaigns in the Kra Isthmus, Khmer-influenced architecture, the place of local elites in the Khmer hierarchy, and Jayavarman VII's patronage of cities in Ratchaburi and Phetchaburi.
Government
In its early maritime phase, Ayutthaya's rulers were primarily leaders of a port city. Ma Huan described the 15th-century ruler of Ayutthaya as wearing gold-trimmed pants and riding an elephant through the city with one attendant, while living in a modest residence. Ayutthaya's relationship with other cities was initially one of first among equals, requiring its rulers to balance their interests with those of their city vassals. As Ayutthaya incorporated the Northern Cities and adapted their governmental functions during the 15th and 16th centuries, its rulers became more regal and asserted greater authority over their vassals. By the 17th century, increasing wealth from trade enabled the kings to display their power through Angkorian and Brahmic rituals and symbolism.
Economy
The Thais never lacked a rich food supply. Peasants planted rice for their own consumption and to pay taxes. Whatever remained was used to support religious institutions. From the 13th to the 15th centuries, however, a transformation took place in Thai rice cultivation. In the highlands, where rainfall had to be supplemented by a system of irrigation to control water levels in flooded paddies, the Thais sowed the glutinous rice that is still the staple in the geographical regions of the north and northeast. But in the floodplain of the Chao Phraya, farmers turned to a different variety of rice – the so-called floating rice, a slender, non-glutinous grain introduced from Bengal – that would grow fast enough to keep pace with the rise of the water level in the lowland fields.
Culture and society
Throughout its existence the kingdom was run by a service nobility of a few thousand, with the rest of the population serfs (phrai), a structure comparable to the contemporary Ancien Regime in France or Feudalism elsewhere in Europe. The social ladder existed during times of war and, particularly during the late Ayutthaya period, of rich commoners challenging the societal status quo of the Ayutthaya Kingdom as a result of commercial prosperity during the kingdom's last 150 years of peaceful existence.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Ayutthaya Kingdom (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ayutthaya Kingdom: Key Facts
| Capital | Historic City of Ayutthaya |
|---|---|
| Official language | Thai |
| Religion | Theravāda |
| Form of government | feudal monarchy, absolute monarchy |
| Founded | 1350 |
| Dissolved | 7 April 1767 |
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q841364 (CC0).
Ayutthaya Kingdom Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Ayutthaya Kingdom appears, with the other states of the time.
Ayutthaya Kingdom Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 450,375 km² in 1609 CE.
Ayutthaya Kingdom: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Ayutthaya Kingdom exist?
The Ayutthaya Kingdom is dated to 1352 CE – 1768 CE, in the High & Late Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom?
The capital of the Ayutthaya Kingdom was Historic City of Ayutthaya.
How large was the Ayutthaya Kingdom at its peak?
At its peak in 1609 the Ayutthaya Kingdom covered about 450,375 km².
How did the map of the Ayutthaya Kingdom change over time?
The Ayutthaya Kingdom appears on 4 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1400 CE to 1700 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Avarga
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Söğüt, Bursa, Edirne, Constantinople
Industrial Era • Capital: London
High & Late Middle Ages • Capital: Thanjavur, Gangaikonda Cholapuram