Reading: The ancient kingdom of Thailand in the pre-Sukhothai period

"What was the history of Thailand before the Sukhothai dynasty?" This is an interesting question, but for those who do not pay attention to and study the history of Thailand and Southeast Asia, it is difficult to understand and trace the history of the pre-Sukhothai dynasty in Thailand, and the average person will not be too interested in it - not to mention the average person, even some Thai historians and people lack a systematic and detailed understanding of the pre-Sukhothai dynasty. For a long time in the past, many Thais felt that the history of Thailand began with the Sukhothai Dynasty established by the Thai people in the 13th century on the territory of today's Thailand, and it seems that the history of Thailand is the history of the Thai people.

We casually flipped through a brochure on Thai tourism culture, or went to Thailand to listen to a guide to learn about the so-called four dynastic periods: 1 Sukhothai period (1238-1349); 2 Ayutthaya period (Ayutthaya period, 1350-1767); 3 Thonburi period (1767-1782); 4 Rattana Koshin period (Bangkok period, 1782 to the present), which is a rough understanding of Thailand's historical dynasties.

But the question also arises: the Sukhothai period began in the 13th century AD, is there no history in Thailand before the 13th century? Is there no other kingdom? Are there no people of other nationalities in this land? This is clearly contrary to common sense. Understand that the Sukhothai dynasty was not the one we imagine to unify the whole of present-day Thailand, and even during the duration of its rule, there were small coexisting states around it (also within the territory of present-day Thailand).

With archaeological and documentary excavations, we can also be sure that before the Sukhothai Kingdom, there were of course other peoples in the land of Thailand and some kingdoms were established, and even Sukhothai was not necessarily the first kingdom in Thai history with the Thai people as the main body. Just like Hall's "History of Southeast Asia" mentions many countries in Southeast Asia, naturally including some city-states that appear in the territory of Thailand now, but archaeological discoveries and documentary records are not so detailed, many things are relatively vague, there will be records in Thailand's own historical materials and other documents (such as ancient Chinese books), of course, there will be false rumors, omissions, which is also one of the problems faced by the entire study of Southeast Asian history: We know that the height of the development of ancient civilizations in the entire Southeast Asian region may exceed previous estimates. Its history is also far richer than we now know, but more research and evidence is needed.

Therefore, if we want to talk about the history of Thailand before the Sukhothai period, then it will not be limited to the kingdom with the Thai people as the main body, which is the main body of the nation; on the other hand, it will not be limited to the border line of today's Thailand, and it will inevitably involve the regions of some other countries on the Indochina Peninsula today - because in this long historical process, the rise and fall of power, the expansion and contraction of the territory, all affect people's understanding, which is itself a law of history. There will be no "uh-huh", a border line has been drawn, only within this line, is the history of Thailand, outside the line, is not Thai history, this is unrealistic.

Back to the point, I have compiled and excerpted the materials at hand, and made a brief introduction to the history of Thailand in the pre-Sukhothai period and the ancient countries that appeared in the region, so that readers can have a superficial understanding and understanding; and for students who study Southeast Asian history and Thai history, I think this should be their familiar professional knowledge.

1. The ancient country of northeast Thailand

1. Northeastern Thailand was once part of the Khmer Kingdom established by the Khmer people around the 1st century AD and the Chenla Kingdom established in the 6th century AD, with its center on the territory of present-day Cambodia. The two countries once ruled as far northeast thailand as far as the rest of the country.

2. Samson. The New Book of Tang records a semi-semi-state that was originally inhabited by the Lava people of the Mon and Khmer ethnic groups. In fact, it appeared in the 1st century AD during the Funan period, or as the Funan vassal state, and later as the Chenla vassal state, in the area of present-day Chiang Mai, Thailand.

2. The ancient country of northern Thailand

1. Harry Ben ChaiGuo. The country founded by the Mon people is called the "Queen's Kingdom" in Chinese history. It is said that in 767 La Siwa Suthep and Rassi Suga Tan built the city of Lamphun (Hallebenchai), and the following year the princess of Lop buried "Jang Devi (Jama Moevi)" was invited to Lamphun. The princess was invited and built many cities along the area from Lopburi to Lamphun. It was destroyed in 1292 by the Lannatai Kingdom. (Speaking of which, I have to complain about many translations of Thai names in books, which lack beauty, and I am accustomed to calling her Zama Miawei.) I spent two years in Lamphun Province, which is relatively small and rich in longan. In the central square of the province, there is also a statue of Zama Yuanwei, known as the "Queen of Warriors". According to legend, Zama Tianwei was smart and beautiful, heroic and extraordinary, she came to Lamphun to build the city as an adult, and her beauty and reputation attracted many suitors, and even some suitors launched wars to get her, but she eventually won. The queen has fought many battles in her life, and Tang Fan's "Book of Barbarians" records that Nanzhao once sent 20,000 troops to conquer the queen's kingdom, "shot by the queen's medicine arrows, ten do not exist one, the barbarian thief is back", so far the people of Lamphun Province are proud of Zama Yuanwei).

2. The kingdom of Yongnaga. The Tai people (also believed to be multi-ethnic tribes such as Thai, Lao, and Shan) who entered the Chao Phraya River Basin in Thailand from southwest to south in the 8th century established a number of small states. In order to resist the infestation of the Khmer, these small countries united to form a tribal confederation state, the Yonaga State. Later Lanna Thailand was part of the Vinaya kingdom at that time.

3. Lannathy Kingdom. The country established by the Tai people, known in Chinese history as the "Eight Hundred Daughters-in-Law Country", explains that "the eight hundred daughters-in-law, who have their length of eight hundred, each leads a village, hence the name", indicating that it may be composed of many villages of different sizes, and the leader is a woman. In 1261, King Muang Lai ascended the throne, the country became increasingly powerful, in 1292 the queen state was destroyed, and in 1296 the capital was established in Chiang Mai. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, it was subordinate to China, and was ruled by Burma several times between the 16th and 18th centuries. Later in 1932 it was incorporated into Thailand as "Chiang Mai Province". (This is also the most well-known ancient country in northern Thailand, the name "Lanna" is more extensive, and it is also widely recognized by Chiang Mai and Northern Thais, "Chiang Mai" means "New City", that is, the capital of the eight hundred daughters-in-law country).)

3. Ancient country in central Thailand

1. Golden Neighbors. The country established by the Meng people is also translated as "Jin Chen Guo" and "Jindi Guo". In the first half of the 3rd century, China's envoys Zhu Ying and Kang Tai sent envoys to Funan, and after their return, they wrote two books, "Funan Foreign Chronicles" and "Foreign Biographies of Wu Shi" (later scattered, only scattered in the Taiping Imperial Records and other books), which mentioned the Neighboring Countries of Jin. Its kingdom was in present-day Lower Burma around the 1st century AD, and central Thailand was near the Gulf of Siam, and its center of rule was located in present-day Thailand, or a vassal state of the Funan Kingdom. In the 6th century, it was replaced by the fallen Kingdom of Luo.

2. Fallen Kingdom of Rhodo. Or the state established by the Mon people, also translated as "tonhe country", "fall and Luo", "Du and Bodi" and so on. Taken from the Pali language "Dvaravati", meaning "gateway", its transportation is well developed, and it can be connected to India and China by water and land. Existed in the 6th-11th centuries AD, the capital city of Buddhism. It was conquered by Chenla around the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the 11th century.

4. The ancient country of southern Thailand

1. Srivijaya's death. The malay state, also known as "Buddha's Death", "Srivijaya", etc., comes from the Sanskrit transliteration of "Srivijava". Around the 7th century AD or before. Its territory at its height may have included parts of Sumatra, Java, and even most of the Malay Peninsula. In the 14th century, the country was annexed by the Kingdom of Java.

2. Wolf's Tooth Repair. The country established by the Mon people, also translated as "wolf's tooth whiskers", "Lingya Sijia", etc., its name is derived from "Lankasuka". Around the 2nd century, it was located on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, and the political center may have been in the area of Jida and Pattani. The country annexed some of the Terracotta territories in the 10th century and later perished in the 14th century. (In the 14th century, in the Area of Pattani, the Great Mud Kingdom appeared, but it was already subordinate to the Ayutthaya Dynasty.)

3. Lin Yangguo. A state founded by the Mon people. Zhu Ying and Kang Tai's "Foreign Biography of Wu Shi" and "Funan Foreign History" have Lin Yangguo. The translated name comes from "Ramanya". Its place or in the western part of Thailand.

4. Pan pan country. A state founded by the Mon people. The Book of Liang records that during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, there was a "Panpan State" to come to the dynasty. According to the two Books of Tang, its country was bordered by The Fallen Lobti in the north and Wolf's Tooth Xiu in the south, located on the Malay Peninsula (present-day Isthmus of Clarke) in southern Thailand, and existed for about the 5th-8th centuries AD.

5. Single Horse Lingguo. The mon people founded the state, the word "Tharmaraja", derived from the Sanskrit word "Tharmaraja", located in present-day Nakhon, Thailand. From the 10th to the 13th century, it was a vassal state of the Buddha, the late 13th century to the early 14th century was a period of great power, and gradually disappeared after the 15th century, Zheng He arrived in this area many times when he went to the West, and in the 17th century, it was a vassal state of the Ayutthaya Dynasty.

6. Terracotta. A state founded by the Mon people. Or in present-day Songkhla, Thailand, and it is also said to be located in present-day Malaysia, present-day Sumatra, etc. Its records are mainly found in Sui and Tang dynasty literature, which existed between the 6th and 10th centuries.

5. Other States

In addition, between the 1st and 5th centuries AD, there were the Kingdom of Tuyuan (near present-day Bangkok Bay), the Kingdom of Elu (around the present-day Isthmus of Kra), the State of Cham, and the State of Fugandulu. Among them, cham and fgandulu are located on the east and west sides of the Kra Isthmus of the Malay Peninsula, and their geographical location is very important, so they occupy a very important place in the ancient history of Thailand. However, these two countries are only found in the Itinerary of han envoys in the Book of Han, and there are no more records of the rest.

Regarding the history of Thailand and Southeast Asia during the pre-Sukhothai period, there is actually a lot of valuable information directly derived from the ancient books of our country. About the "Book of Han and Geography" there are records about Southeast Asia, mentioning the name and general location, such as the above Duyuan Kingdom, Yilu Wuguo, ZhanliGuo, Fugan Dulu State, etc.; in the "Book of Later Han" it records the tribute of some southeast Asian countries, and the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" also has a record of a Southeast Asian country paying tribute to The Eastern Wu Dynasty.

Judging from the number of Southeast Asian countries recorded, the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang record the largest number of countries, followed by the Book of Liang and the History of the South, and the number of other biographies is relatively small; from the geographical distribution point of view, the Han and Tang literature focuses on the records of land-based countries in Southeast Asia. Most of the countries recorded are located on the Indochina Peninsula and the Malay Peninsula. Like the "Funan" often mentioned earlier, it was a powerful country that emerged in Southeast Asia in the 1st-7th centuries AD, its political center was in present-day Cambodia, and its native territory included Cambodia and northeast Thailand, known as the Upper Khmer Region.

The above information confirms some of our statements at the beginning of the article: in fact, the ancient countries of Thailand before the Sukhothai period were not necessarily dominated by the Thai people, and their areas also involved some other countries in the Indochina Peninsula, such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia and so on. There are often conflicts on the thai-Cambodian, Thai-Burmese, and Thai-Malaysian borders, and this historical influence is one of the important reasons - of course, if you want to push back to the prehistoric period of Thailand before the 2nd century AD, then its data is already quite scarce, not a problem that can be solved by literature, and only archaeological excavation reports can be relied on.

Primary references

Duan Lisheng. General History of Thailand[M].Shanghai: Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 2014

Qi Shengzhong. Thai Folklore and Culture (2nd Edition)[M].Beijing: Peking University Press, 2013

Li Guangzong. China's Perception of Southeast Asia during the Wei and Jin Dynasties[D].Beijing: Capital Normal University, 2012

WANG Hongfang. The Song Dynasty's Understanding of southeast Asian States: A Comparison with the Han and Tang Dynasties[D].Shanghai: Shanghai Normal University, 2011