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Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.<br/><br/> The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.<br/><br/> The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.<br/><br/> The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.<br/><br/> The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.<br/><br/> The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
The old town of Lopburi dates back to the Dvaravati era (6th - 13th century). It was originally known as Lavo or Lavapura. After the foundation of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the fifteenth century, Lopburi was a stronghold of Ayutthaya's rulers. It later became a new royal capital during the reign of King Narai the Great of the Ayutthaya kingdom in the middle of the 17th century. The king stayed here for about eight months a year. Today, Lopburi is renowned for its Crab-Eating Macaques that live amid the Khmer temple ruins of the city.
Somdet Phra Narai (1633 - 11 July 1688) or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the Persians and the West.<br/><br/> During the latter years of his reign, Narai gave the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon so much power that technically he became the chancellor of the state. Through Phaulkon's arrangements, the Siamese kingdom came into close diplomatic relations with the court of Louis XIV and French soldiers and missionaries filled the Siamese aristocracy and defense.<br/><br/> The dominance of French officials led to frictions between them and the native mandarins and led to the turbulent revolution of 1688 towards the end of his reign. Narai’s reign was also known for a small war with England in 1687 and the invasion of Burmese Lanna in 1662.
Twelve royal barges were dispatched to the mouth of the Chao Phraya River to receive the French delegation and lead them upriver to the capital in Ayutthaya.<br/><br/> The Siamese, or Thais, moved from their ancestral home in southern China into mainland Southeast Asia around the 10th century CE. Prior to this, Indianized kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. The Thais established their own states starting with Sukhothai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Mai and Lanna Kingdom, before the founding of the Ayutthaya kingdom. These states fought each other and were under constant threat from the Khmers, Burma and Vietnam.<br/><br/> Much later, the European colonial powers threatened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to avoid colonial rule. After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand endured 60 years of almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratic elected-government system.
Presumably drawn in the 17th century when the Siamese capital was located in Ayutthaya, the lower illustration represents the king's barge while the upper galley was an escort for the French embassy.<br/><br/> The Siamese, or Thais, moved from their ancestral home in southern China into mainland Southeast Asia around the 10th century CE. Prior to this, Indianized kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer and Malay kingdoms ruled the region. The Thais established their own states starting with Sukhothai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Mai and Lanna Kingdom, before the founding of the Ayutthaya kingdom. These states fought each other and were under constant threat from the Khmers, Burma and Vietnam.<br/><br/> Much later, the European colonial powers threatened in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but Thailand survived as the only Southeast Asian state to avoid colonial rule. After the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand endured 60 years of almost permanent military rule before the establishment of a democratic elected-government system.
Nakhon Si Thammarat was the administrative center of southern Thailand during most of its history. Originally a coastal city, silting moved the coastline away from the city.<br/><br/> It is one of the oldest towns in Thailand and most historians recognize the Tambralinga kingdom of Chinese records as a precursor of Nakhon Si Thammarat. With the fall of the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767 it regained independence, but returned to its allegiance on the founding of Bangkok. In the 17th century British, Portuguese and Dutch merchants set up factories here and carried on an extensive trade.