The Siamese people represent multiple succeeding kingdoms of Siam and modern-day Thailand, a Modern Age civilization in Civilization VII.
The Siamese' civilization ability is Itsaraphab, which grants an eponymous Diplomatic Action to immediately convert an Independent Power into a City-state with you as the Suzerain, at a higher 
Influence cost than Befriending Independents. Their associated wonder is the Doi Suthep, and their unique components are as follows:
- Unique units: Chang Beun (military), Uparat (civilian)
- Unique improvement: Bang
- Unique civics: Nine Gems, Mandala, Sriwilai
Intro[]
Siam grows like mai pai, like forest bamboo. It bends with the changing winds, it does not break.
Between British colonial expansion in India and French claims in Indochina, Siam emerged. It slowly took in and adapted colonial governance, incorporating parts of Laos, Lanna, and Malaya, walking a delicate line between adopting Western norms and maintaining its own Buddhist traditions and developing into the Thailand of today.
Strategy[]
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Civilopedia entry[]
In the 14th century, former subjects and enslaved peoples formed various new societies from the ashes of the Khmer Empire. This included the Tai. The word “Tai" refers to a large language family. Tai people include the ethnic majorities of Thailand and Laos, and ethnic minorities in China (Zhuong), Vietnam (Black Tai), India (Naga), Burma (Shan), as well as non-Thai ethnic minorities within Thailand (Khonmeuang, Lue, etc.).
The Tai had a few things in common: Theravada Buddhism, the idea of meuang (a city-state built around the prestige of a ruler and sacred city planning), “Indic” forms of power, and high degrees of literacy. Accordingly, Tai city-states arose in loose configurations: Chiang Mai, Luang Phrabang, Sukhothai, and Ayutthaya. Over time, these polities congealed into regional powers – Ayutthaya became the heart of the “Thai” region, Chiang Mai the “Lanna” region, and Luang Phrabang the “Lao” region. Each fought wars of prestige and people; in Southeast Asia, people were more valuable than land, but prestige was more valuable than anything. Through these conflicts, the states sought to capture skilled artisans and steal sacred artifacts, such as the Emerald Buddha, Siam’s most holy relic, which was discovered in Chiang Mai, taken to Vientiane [Laos] then stolen when the city was sacked by Bangkok-based forces.
Ayutthaya rose in the 1600s and was the most powerful of the Tai states. At one point, this cosmopolitan city boasted a Greek governor and had a sizeable Portuguese and Japanese community. By this time, Cambodia was a shell of its former self…and Burma was powerful. The Burmese sacked Ayutthaya, plundering its wealth and sending the Thais fleeing south. These refugees formed an abortive kingdom at Thonburi, which was soon overthrown by a new dynasty. This one would last. In 1782, the newly founded city was given a glorious name: Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit. This means, “City of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra's behest,” but most Thais simply called it Krung Thep, the City of Angels. Foreigners mistakenly termed it “Bangkok.”
The Rama kings of the Chakri dynasty united Siam – or Rattanakosin, as Siamese eras are named for their central kingdom. These kings began an aggressive expansion, retaking lost territory from Burma and gaining new territory from their neighbors, including Muslim states in the south and Laotian states in the northeast. Siam remained a mandala state – one centered around the prestige, beauty, and glory of the capital. Under mandala philosophy, it was better to wholly transplant a beautiful neighborhood, including its people, to the capital rather than let it linger at the edge of the empire. Thus Krung Thep grew, and grew, and grew.
During the years 1824-1851, French and English interests were keenly fixed on the region. Both wanted Siam as a prize. What’s worse, Siam's previous conquests were coming home to roost. After a last fierce act of defiance, the Siamese put down Laotian rebels, and Rama III articulated a policy toward the farang (Europeans): Siam should study their innovations to benefit itself, but avoid obsession or worship.
Rama IV put these plans into action. Even crippled by illness, he was an astute scholar of Buddhism, science, and history. Rama IV instituted reforms to the Buddhist clergy that might look oddly Catholic, creating a new, unified sect that was loyal to the monarchy, rather than Theravada’s previous devotion to the local community. He uncovered the ruins of Sukhothai, and within “discovered” a Thai precedent for the righteous rule of an absolute monarch. Rama IV also studied European sciences and arranged a great expedition to observe an eclipse in the southern provinces. In this, he presented himself as an enlightened monarch, an equal to European ones, and not a barbarous king. This image also distinguished him from the crumbling Qing empire (allying him with the Meiji emperors of Japan).
Rama V, Chulalongkorn, was the next, and arguably the greatest, Thai monarch. He turned his attention from religion to statecraft, taking Siam to the height of its power. Chulalongkorn, now revered as a god, modernized Bangkok by installing tram lines, instituting rational city planning, and creating a vast bureaucracy.
Thai bureaucracy was a complicated system that transformed the country’s way of life. In the Thai feudal system (sakdina), dukes and princes were not lords of fixed territories as they were in Japan or Europe. Instead, these aristocrats served the center. The monarchy called itself the chakri, meaning the great wheel. Lords were appointed from the king’s family, and people often gained the king's favor after sending a daughter to his harem. As a result, there were a LOT of lesser lords to go around. The lords who didn’t receive a territorial appointment might work in the bureaucracy (patterned after the German imperial bureaucracy), which swelled to enormous proportions but remained incredibly productive. Chulalongkorn instituted a professional (not feudal) army, abolished slavery and prostration to the monarch, adopted western dress (selectively), and otherwise transformed Siam into a model of a European state…at least at first glance. Under the façade remained the workings of a divine god-king working within an Indic model. The two blended.
The late Siamese period deepened in what Michael Herzfeld termed the “crypto-colonialism” of Siam: Western norms were adopted in ways that gave the impression they were already part of Thai tradition. Rama VI built upon Thai nationalism and recast the term “Thai” to denote an ethnic group, rather than a class status. Still, tensions were brewing, especially with the middle class, which was increasingly aware of a better life elsewhere. In 1932, the People’s Party forced Rama VII to abdicate and adopted a constitution, falling just short of proclaiming Siam a Thai Republic (the monarchy would return to a significant position in the 20th century, though the kingdom would technically become a constitutional monarchy). The Thai Phibul government drew close to fascist Italy and Japan, and it allied with the Axis in World War II, partially as an excuse to seize French possessions in Indochina. By the end of the war, elements of the People’s Party were operating at cross-purposes, feeding the Allies information on Japanese positions and opening the door for Siam – now Thailand – to escape punishment for the conflict.
Thailand remains a hybrid state today – a powerful military, an influential monarchy, and a sizeable bureaucratic middle class – and it holds an influential position within the region.
Cities[]
Trivia[]
- The Siamese civilization's symbol is the chang phueak or white Asian elephant, as depicted on the 1855‒1916 "white elephant" flag of Siam, an often albino variety of elephant considered a symbol of good fortune and royal power in Southeast Asia, particularly in Thailand and Myanmar.
- The Siamese civilization's ability is the romanization of the word อิสรภาพ, meaning "liberty" or "independence" in Thai, used to refer to Siam's independence following King Taksin of Thonburi's successful resistance to Burmese occupation in the 1760s, as well as Thailand's status as the only Southeast Asian country which remained independent from Western colonial powers.
- The Siamese background art depicts the Suphannahong, a ceremonial barge used in the Thai Royal Barge Procession, being rowed down the Chao Phraya River, with Wat Arun visible in the background, and a sarus crane (also known in Thailand as a Thai crane) visible in the foreground.
Soundtrack[]
| Original Track | № | Based on | Credits | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Siam (Modern Age)" | 45 | Kang Kao Kin Kluay | Composed by Geoff Knorr Performed by FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague; with Chamni Sripraram |
3:59 |
Gallery[]
.jpg "Siamese city in-game (Civ7).jpg (5.12 MB)")
.jpg "Siamese city in-game 2 (Civ7).jpg (2.67 MB)")
.png "Doi Suthep in-game (Civ7).png (4.65 MB)")
.jpg "Siamese Background (Civ7).jpg (86 KB)")
Videos[]
See also[]
- Siamese in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Civilizations [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Antiquity | |
| Exploration | |
| Modern | |
| 1 Requires DLC | |