The Chakri Dynasty (Thai: ราชวงศ์จักรี; RTGS: Ratchawong Chakkri Pronunciation) is the current ruling royal house of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Head of the house is the King of Thailand. The dynasty has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Ratthanakosin era and the city of Bangkok in 1782 following the end of King Taksin of Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok. The Royal house was founded by King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, an Ayutthayan military leader.
Prior to the founding of the dynasty, King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I), held the title of Chao Pharaya Chakri for over ten years. This title was held by the greatest warlords of Ayuthaya and was meant to reflect the prowess of the holder on the battlefield. In the founding of the dynasty King Rama I himself chose both name and emblem for the dynasty. The Chakri which provides both name and emblem to the house of Chakri, is composed of the discus (Chakra) and the trident (Trisula, sometimes shortened to "Tri" in Thai language), the celestial weapon of the God Narayana (an Avatar of Vishnu) of whom the Siamese king is seen as a personification. The coined name Chakri thus denotes the transcending force of divine strength and stability upon the physical realm. (Cf. Chakravartin.) The current Head of the Dynasty is King Bhumibol Adulyadej since 1946, the Heir Apparent to the headship is Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. The House's dynastic seat is the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
Bangkok is the capital and the most populous city of Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (กรุงเทพมหานคร, pronounced [krūŋ tʰêːp máhǎː nákʰɔ̄ːn] ( listen)) or simply Krung Thep (help·info). The city occupies 1,568.7 square kilometres (605.7 sq mi) in the Chao Phraya River delta in Central Thailand, and has a population of over eight million, or 12.6 percent of the country's population. Over fourteen million people (22.2 percent) live within the surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, making Bangkok an extreme primate city, dwarfing Thailand's other urban centres in terms of importance.
Bangkok traces its roots to a small trading post during the Ayutthaya Kingdom in the 15th century, which eventually grew in size and became the site of two capital cities: Thonburi in 1768 and Rattanakosin in 1782. Bangkok was at the heart of Siam's (as Thailand used to be known) modernization during the later nineteenth century, as the country faced pressures from the West. The city was the centre stage of Thailand's political struggles throughout the twentieth century, as the country abolished absolute monarchy and underwent numerous coups and uprisings. The city grew rapidly during the 1960s through the 1980s and now exerts a significant impact among Thailand's politics, economy, education, media and modern society.