The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. The country's official name was Siam, until May 11, 1949. The word Thai means "freedom" in the Thai language and is also the name of the majority ethnic group.

According to archeological evidence various indigenous cultures have existed in Thailand from the time of the Ban Chiang culture (4420 BC-3400 BC) onwards, but due to its geological location, Thai culture has always been greatly influenced by China and India.

The first Siamese/Thai state is traditionally considered the Buddhist kingdom Sukhothai founded in 1238, following the decline and fall of the Khmer Empire in the 13th - 15th century.

A Century later, Sukhothai's power was overshadowed by the larger Siamese kingdom of Ayutthaya, established in the mid-14th century.

After Ayutthaya sacked Angkor itself in 1431, much of the Khmer court and its Hindu customs were brought to Ayuthaya, and Khmer customs and rituals were adopted into the courtly culture of Siam.After Ayuthaya fell in 1767, Thonburi was the capital of Thailand for a brief period under King Taksin the Great, until a coup d'etat in 1782. The current (Ratthanakosin) era of Thai history began in 1782 following the establishment of Bangkok as capital of the Chakri dynasty under King Rama I the Great.