__NOTOC__

Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

. During the era of the

Kingdom of Ayutthaya The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is consid ...

, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which is reflected in its name: ''thon'' () a loanword from

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

''dhána'' wealth and ''buri'' (), from ''púra'' fortress. The full formal name was Thon Buri Si Mahasamut ( 'City of Treasures Gracing the Ocean'). For the informal name, see the history of Bangkok under Ayutthaya. In 1767, after the sack of Ayutthaya by the Burmese, General

Taksin King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; April 17, ...

took back Thonburi and, by

right of conquest The right of conquest is a right of ownership to land after immediate possession via force of arms. It was recognized as a principle of international law that gradually deteriorated in significance until its proscription in the aftermath of Worl ...

, made it the capital of the

Thonburi Kingdom The Thonburi Kingdom ( th, ธนบุรี) was a major Siamese kingdom which existed in Southeast Asia from 1767 to 1782, centered around the city of Thonburi, in Siam or present-day Thailand. The kingdom was founded by Taksin the Great, ...

, with himself crown king until 6 April 1782, when he was deposed.

Rama I Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...

, the newly enthroned king, moved the capital across the river, where stakes driven into the soil of Bangkok for the City Pillar at 06:45 on 21 April 1782, marking the official founding of the new capital. Thonburi remained an independent town and province, until it was merged with Bangkok in 1971. Thonburi stayed less developed than the other side of the river. Many of the traditional small waterways, '' khlongs'', still exist there, while they are nearly gone from the other side of the river. In 1950, Bangkok had around 1.3 million inhabitants, and the municipality of Thonburi around 400,000. In 1970 Thonburi was Thailand's second largest city proper with around 600,000 residents. Wongwian Yai is a landmark of Thonburi District.

Administration

At the time of the merger, Thonburi province consisted of nine districts ('' amphoe''). # Thonburi District ( th, อำเภอธนบุรี) # Bangkok Yai District ( th, อำเภอบางกอกใหญ่) # Khlong San District ( th, อำเภอคลองสาน) # Taling Chan District ( th, อำเภอตลิ่งชัน) #

Bangkok Noi District Bangkok Noi ( th, บางกอกน้อย, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Neighboring districts are (from north clockwise) Bang Phlat, Phra Nakhon (across Chao Phraya River), Bangkok Yai, Phasi Charoen, ...

( th, อำเภอบางกอกน้อย) # Bang Khun Thian District ( th, อำเภอบางขุนเทียน) # Phasi Charoen District ( th, อำเภอภาษีเจริญ) # Nong Khaem District ( th, อำเภอหนองแขม) # Rat Burana District ( th, อำเภอราษฎร์บูรณะ) As of 2012, these have been reorganized into 15 districts.

References

External links

* {{Former provinces of Thailand Geography of Bangkok History of Bangkok Thon Buri district Former provinces of Thailand th:จังหวัดธนบุรี

Administration

References

Further reading

External links