History of the Thai armed forces

Royal Armed Forces กองทัพหลวง Kongthap Luang
Active	1238–1852
Country	Kingdom of Siam
Branch	Palace Guards Capital Defense Corps Artillery Corps Elephantry Corps Cavalry Corps Infantry Regiments Navy
Type	Army, Navy
Role	Military force
Engagements	Burmese–Siamese wars Siamese–Vietnamese War (1831–34) Siamese–Vietnamese War (1841–45)
Commanders
Notable commanders	Ramkhamhaeng, Naresuan, Taksin, Bodindecha

The Royal Siamese Armed Forces (Thai: Kongthap Luang) was the armed forces of the Thai monarchy from the 12th to 19th centuries. It refers to the military forces of the Sukhothai Kingdom, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the Thonburi Kingdom and the Early Rattanakosin Kingdom in chronological order. The army was one of the major armed forces of Southeast Asia until it was reform into new Western style army in 1852, the Royal Siamese Army was reformed into new European trained military force.

The Royal Thai Armed Forces is current armed forces.

Organization

The Royal Siamese Army was organized into three general tiers: the Palace Guards, the Capital Defense Corps, and the field levies. Only the first two were the standing military. They protected the sovereign and the capital region, and formed the nucleus of the armed forces in wartime. The third, the field levies or conscripts, were usually raised just prior to or during wartime, and provided manpower to resist attacks and project power beyond the boundaries of the empire. Most of the field levy served in the infantry but the men for the elephantry, cavalry, artillery and naval corps were drawn from specific hereditary villages that specialized in respective military skills.

Special branches

The infantry was the backbone of the wartime Siamese army, and was supported by special branches—the elephantry, cavalry, artillery, and naval corps. These special branches were formed by the men from certain hereditary villages that provided the men with specialized skills. In a typical Ayutthaya or Rattanakosin formation, a 1000-strong infantry regiment was supported by 100 horses and 10 war elephants.

Elephantry

The main use of war elephants was to charge the enemy, trampling them and breaking their ranks. Although the elephantry units made up only about one percent of the overall strength, they were a major component of Siamese war strategy throughout the imperial era. The army on the march would bring expert catchers of wild elephants.

Cavalry

From the 17th century onward, cavalry troops made up about 10% of a typical regiment. The men of the cavalry were drawn mainly from hereditary villages.

Artillery

During the 16th century, the Siamese artillery and musketeer corps were originally made up exclusively of foreign (European and Muslim) mercenaries.

Military history of Thai armed forces

Reform

In 1852, the Royal Siamese Armed Forces came into existence as permanent force at the behest of King Mongkut, who needed a European trained military force to thwart any western threat and any attempts at colonialisation. By 1887, during the next reign of King Chulalongkorn, a permanent military command in the Kalahom Department was established. However the office of Kalahom and the military of Siam had existed since the days of the Sukhothai Kingdom in the 13th Century.^[1]

Types of uniforms

• 

  Siamese general uniform.

• 

  Siamese infantry uniform.

See also

• Military history of Thailand
• History of Thailand
• Burmese–Siamese wars

References

1. The Royal Thai Army. Brief History. rta.mi.th