Ayutthaya's History as an Economic Hub

Photo by Oleksandr Pidvalnyi from Pexels

Introduction

A beautiful land scattered with complex, intricate architectures, and dusted with layers of history. My fellow Treasure Makers have previously shared a few of the many treasures left behind in Ayutthaya. However, one question arises. Where did all these evidence of culture come from? What made Ayutthaya a land so densely filled with unique cultures?

The treasure I'm going to share is something which is not present in current times nor is it physical. Still, it is no less of a treasure. I'll like to dive into it's history, and more specifically, into its role as an economic hub during its peak and how it attracted people from all around the world.

About Ayutthaya

The ancient city-state of Ayutthaya was founded in 1350 and it was the Siamese's second capital. During its peak from the 14th to 18th century, Ayutthaya has grown to become centre of global diplomacy and commerce. In the 16th century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East.

Beginnings of a Powerful City State

The kingdom of Ayutthaya with its fish filled waters and vast rice fields has an abundance of resources to further its interest. It grew by conquering new kingdoms, eliminating rebellions, and controlling more trade ports. Ayutthaya eventually became the region’s most powerful kingdom, even capturing Angkor and forcing the Khmer to submit to Thai suzerainty.

Painting of Ayutthaya c.1665, painted by Johannes Vingboons, ordered by the Dutch East India Company, Amsterdam

Economic Development

Ayutthaya has become a powerful state. But how did it develop into an economic hub? This was mainly due to its friendly foreign policy and strategic location.

The Siamese kings were open to foreign trade, and permitted foreigners to set up suburbs outside the walls of the capital. Many foreigners from all around the world has set foot into the city, these include the Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Indians, Japanese, Koreans, Persians, and late arrivers include the Spaniards, Dutch, English, and French.

As for Ayutthaya's location, first of all, it is relatively safe. The city is located above the tidal bore of the Gulf of Siam, thus preventing attacks by the warships of other nations. Secondly, it is also located between the Bay of Bengal, the main transport route to Europe, and the South China Sea, the key transport route to East Asia and Southeast Asia. Sailors would stop by the city before journeying further, resulting in ample opportunities for trade.

Entrepreneurs of the Ayutthaya Era

The commercial wealth available during the Ayutthaya period contributed to the emergence of proto-entrepreneurial groups such as traders, resident foreigners and mestizos. These groups can be classified into four categories: private merchants and tax farmers, trade experts and court merchants, traders and peddlers, and last of all local officials. They were involved in commercial ventures, particularly in the 17th century. This is due to the fact that Ayutthaya monarchy wanted to establish social and economic stability, as well as a rising demand for forest products abroad.

Most of these entrepreneurs, armed with their Chinese junks and carts, scouted goods to resell. The most sought out product is of course, forest products. Traders could exchange goods on credit and make payments after they resold the merchandise. 

As the king, nobility and high-ranking officials needed their services, the middlemen and merchants gained social recognition and the new group mushroomed in Siamese society.

Photo by Min An from Pexels

Manpower is Gold

Having bags of money in your possession does not make you particularly wealthy during those days. In Ayutthaya, there are ample reserves of land available for cultivation, and the success of the state depended on the acquisition and control of manpower for farm labor and defensive purposes. Manpower could mean yourself, or others, or the number of cows and cattle you owned. 

And yes, manpower is the most important asset during that period of time. The constant need of labour is evident. Ordinary folks could even ask for loans by using themselves as collateral. During that period, when a kingdom won a war, the victor would usually commit into moving people from the losing kingdom to increase their labour.

Merchandises in Trades

During that period of time, Siam mainly traded tin, rhino horn, ivory, coconut wine and forest products such as sappanwood, an agent in the manufacture of red dye, to China.

European traders originally planned to sell textiles such as velvet and wool only to find that such heavy fabrics were not suitable for the tropical climate. They later turned Ayutthaya into a transit hub to trade goods such as deerskins to China and Japan. They also imported Chinese and Japanese goods to sell in Ayutthaya.

Meanwhile, commoners also profited from robust business activities by trading a wide collection of products such as food, fish, textiles, furniture, metal mortars, ready-made partitions, wooden furniture and bronzeware.

Ayutthaya © Courtesy of Guillaume Capron/Flickr

Conclusion

History itself is a treasure. It is our roots, civilisation's drafts of today's society. I hope that sharing about the history of Ayutthaya will bring the preciousness of its surviving treasures to light. Preserving these treasures will mean inspiring people of the future. Only when we understand our past can we understand our future.

References

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576/
http://www.asienreisender.de/depictionofsiam.html
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/1233010/the-truth-about-ayutthaya
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayutthaya_Kingdom
http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8a/entry-3186.html#chapter-12
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/a-brief-history-of-the-ancient-ruins-of-ayutthaya-in-thailand/