He established his
base in 1768 at Thonburi along the western side of the
Chao Phraya River. In 1782 the capital was moved to
Bangkok on the opposite bank by King Buddha Yodfa
(Rama I, 1782-1809), who was the first king in the
Chakri Dynasty. The foundations of modern Thailand
were laid by the Chakri Dynasty, which progressively
extended the rule of Siam – south along the Malay
peninsula, north to Laos and east into Cambodia.