- 4,000 – 3,000 BC: Prehistoric communities are living in Thailand (rice cultivation and bronze metallurgy in Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand
- 6th – 10th century: Theravada Buddhism spreads over Mon population in Thailand
- 9th – 13th century: Angkor extends control over Thai principalities
- 13th century: The armies of several Thai principalities conquer and dislodge the Khmer (Cambodian) enemy. They unite to establish the Kingdom of Sukhothai (capital: Sukhothai), considered to be the first Thai kingdom
- 1350: Foundation of the Kingdom of Ayyuthaya by king Ramathibodi, who takes over the predominant regional reign from Sukhothai
- 1431: Ayyuthaya conquers the Khmer kingdom of Angkor (Angkor Wat) and becomes an Asian power. The city of Ayyuthaya is bigger and more luxurious than London at that time. The first European traders and missionaries (Portuguese, French, Dutch) settle in Ayyuthaya.
- 1569: Ayyuthaya is in its turn attacked by Burma (actual Myanmar), attracted by the wealth and prosperity of the Thai kingdom
- 1656: King Narai ascends the throne of Ayyuthaya. The commercial rivalry between foreign tradesmen increases.
- 1678: Establishment of the first Jesuit mission. In the meantime, a French ecclesiastic mission brings a letter of Louis XIV and seals an agreement of military assistance. An attempt to convert king Narai to Catholicism remains unsuccessful.
- 1767: Burmese troupes conquer and destroy Ayyuthaya. The city is burnt to the ground, but the domination of the Burmese doesn’t last very long.
- 1769: A Thai general, Phaya Taksin, succeeds in regrouping the dispersed Thai army and drives out the Burmese. He re-conquers the Thai throne and creates a new capital in Thonburi (now part of Bangkok, on the opposite side of the Chaophraya River)
- 1782: King Taksin is overthrown by general Chao Phraya Chakri who founds the actual Chakri dynasty, reigns under the name of Rama I (1782-1809), and moves the capital to Bangkok, on the other side of the Chaophraya River
- King Rama II (1809-1824) and king Rama III (1824-1851) develop agricultural production and the trade with China, but have to make concessions to the British.
- 1851-1868: The country is being modernized by king Rama IV (King Mongkut), who manages to entertain good diplomatic relations with all European nations. The French (Indochina) and British (India) colonial empires in Asia expand until the Thai borders, but the kingdom of Siam succeeds in remaining independent.
- 1868-1910: Reign of king Rama V. He continues to modernize his country (administration, judiciary, army, navy, infrastructure, urbanization…) with the help of European advisors. The administration of justice is being restructured with the assistance of a Belgian advisor, Gustave Rolin-Jaecquemyns. In 1893, under the pressure of French cannonades, three provinces in the East and North-East are abandoned and attached to the French colonies of Laos and Cambodia. In 1902, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat are annexed in the south.
- 1917: Siam opts for the camp of the Allied Forces during WW1 and will become a founding member of the League of Nations (the predecessor of the United Nations Organization) after the war.
- 24 June 1932: Coup d’état led by Pridi Bhanomyong. The absolute monarchy is abolished and replaced by a constitutional monarchy. Thailand becomes subject to a never-ending series of military coups.
- 1935: King Rama VII abdicates and is replaced by Anand Mahidol, elder brother of the actual king Bhumibol, who is attending a school in Switzerland. As the new king is only 10 years old, an interregnum is ensured by the royal family. The army dominates Thai politics.
- 1939: The country’s official name is changed from Siam to Thailand. When WWII starts, Thailand chooses to side with Japan.
- 1941-1944: Japanese forces occupy parts of Thailand. The infamous ‘Death Railway’ is built in the valley of Kanchanaburi (Bridge over the River Kwai) to connect with Burma and send troops and amunition to fight the British
- 1944: The pro-Japanese government is overthrown and Thailand ends the war in the pro-American camp.
- 1945: Anand returns to Thailand and becomes effectively the king (Rama VIII), but he is assassinated (shot dead in his bedroom) in 1946
- 24 June 1946: King Bhumibol Adulyadej succeeds his brother and becomes king Rama IX. He is the actual king of Thailand and very much revered by the Thai population. In 2006 he celebrated his 60th year on the throne. He is the longest reigning monarch in the world.
- 1950-1980: the political situation in Thailand is very unstable. One government replaces another, often after a military intervention. Coup d’états and military dictatorship are very much present in the political landscape.
- 1980-1988: General Prem is Prime Minister. Under his leadership, Thailand’s political situation is stabilized and the country’s economy starts booming. Civil governments led by influential businessmen and politicians succeed each other.
- February 1991: General Suchinda Kraprayoon stages a new military coup. A popular uprising is crashed but makes many victims. The king intervenes to reinstate order and calm. A new constitution is written in December. It will be replaced by other ones in 1995, 1998 and 2007.
- 1996-2000: A financial crisis sweeps through the Asian countries and affects Thailand also greatly. Thailand is governed by a coalition led by the Democrat Party. The Prime Minister is Chuan Leekpai.
- February 2001: The parliamentary elections are won by Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais), a new party founded by business tycoon Taksin Shinawatra, who becomes Prime Minister, pursues a populist policy and is overwhelmingly re-elected in 2004. But he and his family members are also deeply involved in a number of financial scandals and cases of corruption.
- 19 September 2006: The government of Taksin Shinawatra is overthrown by the latest military coup, under the leadership of General Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, while Taksin Shinawatra attends a United Nations meeting in New York. The ousted TRT leader stays in exile in London. Retired General Surayud Chulanont is nominated as interim Prime Minister.
- 23 December 2007: Parliamentary elections are held after a new constitution is adopted by the National Legislative Assembly. A new coalition government is formed in and the (actual) Prime Minister is Samak Sundaravej of the PPP (People’s Power) party, an off-spring of the Thai Rak Thai party. The new political leader is an ex-Bangkok Governor. His election was assured by his large popularity in the Northeast and the North, the main agricultural regions and bastions of TRT-PPP.
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