Thailand: The view looking upriver to the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew from Wat Arun, Bangkok, c. 1900. Bangkok was little more than a small port at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River until the Burmese sacked the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767. The royal capital was moved to Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, then, after the death of King Taksin, to Bangkok on the east bank, heralding the Rattanakosin era (1782-1932) of the Chakri Dynasty. Siam underwent a period of great modernisation under King Mongkut, Rama IV (r. 1851-1868) and King Chulalongkorn (r. 1868-1910).

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Bangkok was little more than a small port at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River until the Burmese sacked the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya in 1767. The royal capital was moved to Thonburi on the west bank of the Chao Phraya, then, after the death of King Taksin, to Bangkok on the east bank, heralding the Rattanakosin era (1782—1932) of the Chakri Dynasty. Siam underwent a period of great modernisation under King Mongkut, Rama IV (r. 1851—68) and King Chulalongkorn (r. 1868—1910). Today, Bangkok has a population of some 10 million and is a major hub of trade and commerce, as well as Thailand's political and social center.

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Size: 5400px × 3242px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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