221-210 B.C. - The Qin Dynasty of China (221-207 B.C.), in its drive to establish a single rule over all Chinese societies, invades and subdues some Thai principalities or kingdoms located in what are now Sichuan and Yunnan areas like those of the Pa and the Ngio. These kingdoms are annexed placing a part of those groups considered ancestors of present-day Thais under central Chinese rule.
Around 200 B.C. - Forces of the Chinese Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) invade Yunnan in order to have an unrestricted land communication with India.
122 B.C. - The small Kingdom of Aliao is formed by proto-Thai inhabitants in Yunnan and proto-Thai migrants from territories earlier settled by proto-Thais but then conquered by Chinese armies. Already at this stage, a tendency is established for those ethnic groups seen as ancestors of present-day Thais to move southwards to evade Chinese pressure. This trend continues throughout the centuries. However, the Thais at that early time did not seem to flee from Chinese rule as a complete group or as an expelled nation. Parts of the Thai populations remained in Chinese ruled areas intermarried with Chinese, assimilated and finally became Chinese.
1824, Jul 20 - King Rama II dies at 57, without having appointed a heir to the throne (in spite of the fact that he had 38 male and 35 female children from 38 different mothers). With the consent of the Accession Council (comprised mainly of members of the royal family) Prince Jetta, the eldest son of Rama II but begotten with a non-royal wife succeeds the throne - instead of Prince Maha Mongkut, the eldest son of the King by a royal mother who could have been considered the rightful successor to the King. But due to Prince Maha Mongkut’s exposure and prominent participation in numerous public affairs, Prince Jetta wins the support of the Accession Council so that no opposition comes up during his proclamation as King Rama III. His posthumous title is Phra Nangklao.
1826 - A treaty of friendship and commerce is concluded between Siam and the British East India Company (against which the Siamese King Narai had declared war more than 100 years before).
1833 - Siam concludes its first treaty of amity and commerce with the US.
1838 - The former Sultan of Kedah tries to regain control of his territory. Siam invades Kedah again, affecting the nearby Malay territories which had already been accepted as belonging to Great Britain thus straining the relationship between Siam and Great Britain.
1851, Apr 2 - Upon the death of his half brother, King Rama III, Prince Maha Mongkut is finally crowned King Rama IV, assuming the royal title Phra Chomklao. After missing out on the throne in 1824, he had become a Buddhist monk for 27 years and lived a highly disciplined live in northern Siam. He even founded the monastic sect Thammayut which still exists and whose rules are stricter than those of the larger Mahanikai sect. During his monastic life, he studied Western science as well as Western and Eastern languages. With this background he intends to open Siam to the west. The opening brought about by Mongkut probably saves the Thai kingdom from becoming a colony of either Britain or France. By making concessions and by and large granting the European powers what they think they urgently need, he avoids his kingdom becoming a target for European conquest. One of the main matters, Mongkut has to grant the European powers are rights on free trade.
100 B.C. - Armed conflict between China and Aliao Kingdom breaks out when the latter denies passage to the emissary of Emperor Wu Ti of China; the emissary is on his way to India to inquire about the teachings of Buddha.
87 B.C. - The Aliao Kingdom disappears as it is subdued by the Chinese.
Last decades B.C. - Thais who want to preserve their independence migrate from their settlement areas in present-day southern China towards the Indo-Chinese peninsula and settle in an area that is now northern Thailand. The whole ethnic Thai group somehow splits, with each of the two groups developing independently in the following centuries. Those in the north (the areas of present-day Yunnan and neighboring Chinese provinces) develop their culture and language with Chinese and Annamese (Vietnamese) influences and more and more are assimilated into Chinese and Vietnamese societies. Only the Thais in the south (an area roughly identical with the one of present-day Thailand) are the direct ancestors of the present-day Thais - but also of the Laotians, Shans and several smaller groups now considered ethnic minorities in Thailand. (Under the current headline Thai Yunnan Kingdoms, only the northern Thais are dealt with; the part on the southern Thais follows further below.)
9 - The Aliao Kingdom resurrects, rising again against Chinese rule.
50 - The Aliao Kingdom falls again to Chinese supremacy. However, the kingdom remains widely independent as a Chinese vassal until 225.
69 - Together with 77 minor Thai chiefs and 51,890 families of 553,711 persons (exact Chinese records), a Thai Prince named Miulao submits to the Chinese Emperor Ming Ti of the Han Dynasty. This is the first time a Thai prince officially becomes a dependent of a Chinese dynasty. In the same year, the Chinese Emperor sends a delegation to India to secure a copy of the Sacred Books of Buddha.
78 - Another Thai group, led by a Prince with the name Leilao, rebels against the Chinese. The group is subdued. Fearing Chinese revenge, many Thais again move south to seek new homes in the region just north of what are present-day Thailand’s northern boundaries.
First century A.D. - The groups regarded as early Thais organize themselves in the form of the Muang, a basic political organization for mutual defense. Enemies are usually the Chinese or Vietnamese who are constantly extending their administrative control into territories inhabited by Thais. The term Muang is still in heavy use in present-day Thailand. It can be translated as "town proper" but also describes a provincial capital as opposed to the province as a whole - both have usually the same name and only the prefix Muang indicates that the town or city is meant, and not the province.
225 - During the Era of Three Kingdoms in China (220-280), southern Chinese troops attack Thai settled areas, beat the Thais in battle and submit them to the rule of the King of Sichuan. In the Era of the Three Kingdoms, there wasn’t much of a central government in China. The north was ruled by Turkish invaders, the south split into several regional kingdoms.
650 - Thais in their former areas of settlement, today’s Chinese Yunnan and southern Sichuan provinces, rebel against the Chinese and succeed in winning back their sovereignty. Out of this victory grows the kingdom Nanchao, first ruled by King Sinulo. Instead of trying to subdue this new kingdom through military force, the Chinese Emperor Kao Tsung of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) rather accepts its existence and binds it to China through a treaty of friendship. For several centuries, Nanchao will, for most of the time, remain an ally of China and in the course of history become more and more Chinese in its character.
674 - King Sinulo of Nanchao dies and is succeeded by his son Loshengyen.
712 - King Loshengyen of Nanchao dies and his son, Shenglope, succeeds on the throne of the Sinulo Dynasty.
728 - Pilaoko becomes the next King of Nanchao.
