In 1351 a man named U Thong established the city of Ayuthaya as his capital city on the Chao Phraya River not for from Thailand's modern capital, Bangkok. Thong was probably the son of a Chinese merchant who had married into local nobility; he changed his name to Ramathibodi and set about creating a new center for the Thai world.
In 1378, Ayuthaya defeated Sukothai in battle and became the capital, not just of Ramathibodi's dynasty, but of the entire Thai world. In 1431, the Thai army of Ayuthaya defeated the declining Khmer kingdom of Angkor Wat.
A Burmese army invaded Ayuthaya in 1765. It took the Burmese two years to take the city. They destroyed everything: manuscripts, temples, and religious sculpture -- melting many of the gilded statues and domes for their gold. 
2 comments:
i love your pictures
Ann, this is a treat for my students!
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