The history of Thailand proper begins in the thirteenth century with the overthrow by Thai chieftains of the Khmer governor of central Thailand and the formation of the kingdom of Lavo. Then in 1287, the very year in which the Mongols captured Bagan in Burma or Myanmar -more here [http://www.allmyanmar.com], the three most powerful Thai chieftains in the central and northern part of the country combined to form an alliance

This was Sukhothai, it consolidated both the kingdom of Sukhothai, the first to create an independent cultural tradition, a second state was further north his capital was Chiang Mai.

The basic pattern for Thailand history was thus established, with two main regions of power and culture; one in the flat rice-fields of the central region, around the lower reaches and delta of the Chao Phraya river complex; the other in the mountainous, forested region of that river's northern tributaries and included tributaries of the Mekong.

Between them, the central region around Sukhothai held an uneasy balance.
The inhabitants of the central Thailand region were predominantly Mon, and they had been there for centuries, one of the main sources of the intellectual strength of the Khmer empire.

Works of Khmer art had been made in their territory, testimony to the Hindu royal cult of Cambodia.

The people who formed the new states were not Mon, however, but Thai. The Thai were actually of the same racial stock as the Vietnamese, and had, during the early years of the Christian era, been forced gradually out of the regions of Canton and then Tonkin by the pressure of Chinese colonization.

The Thai were originally tribal people without writing or an organized state. Although the Buddhism they eventually adopted from their contact with the kingdom of Bagan gave them an integral culture, a literature and a system of education, it could not be converted into a state-religion unifying the whole country and directing its efforts.

Thai lived a self-contained existence, in separate city-states, and the history of the Thai kingdoms was marked by internal dissensions and shifts of power rather than by major foreign encounters. The Burmese or today Myanmar, their coreligionists, were their chief enemies, often subjecting them to cruel invasions.

All Thai peoples had buildings of wood, mainly bamboo; as it was common at that time. Only sacral and some government buildings were made from bricks or other stones. They were rice farmers, and knew how to navigate the large rivers. Their religion of the spirits gave ground only partially to Buddhism, and even today is very much alive: the guardian spirits of trees still need to be pacified, and the ancestors can be powerful helpers.
Since 1932 Thailand has a constitutional monarchy. The current Thai King, His Majesty King Bhumibol, took the throne fourteen years later, after King Ananda Mahidol, his older brother, passed away. King Bhumibol is the longest reigning king in Thailand and the longest ruling monarch on planet earth.
Thai people show great respect to their king. No one talks negative about their King and the Royal Family is above any criticism. According to Thai law it is not allowed to peak negative about the Thai Royal family and especially the King. If someone do offence carry a maximum sentence of seven years in jail, considering the poor state in which Thai jails are it would be a terrible experience.

Almost all Thai households and public offices have pictures or paintings of the King and sometimes even his predecessors on display.

This is only a short article on Thailand due to the limited space. For much more please visit http://www.thailandmagic.com and http://www.phuket-to-krabi.com