Prior to the 14th century, the area of Nakhon Ratchasima was under
Khmer empire suzerainty and known in
Khmer as
Angkor raj,
Nokor Reach Seyma, or
Nokor Reach Borei, and
Koreach.
Phimai, to the north, was probably more important. King
Narai of
Ayutthaya in the 17th century, ordered a new city built on the site to serve as a
stronghold on Ayutthaya's northeastern frontier. Nakhon Ratchasima was thereafter mentioned in Siamese chronicles and legal documents as a "second-class" city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A royal governor ruled the city in a hereditary position. After the
final phase of the Ayutthaya kingdom ended with its
complete destruction by the Burmese in 1767, a son of King
Boromakot attempted to set himself up ruler in Phimai, holding sway over Korat and other eastern provinces. King
Taksin of the
Thonburi Kingdom (1768–1782) sent two of his generals, brothers
Thong Duang and
Boonma, to defeat the prince, who was executed in 1768. Thong Duang later became King
Rama I of the
kingdom, and Korat became his strategic stronghold on the northeastern frontier to supervise the Lao and Khmer
tributary states. In 1826,
Vientiane King
Chao Anouvong, perceiving
Siam as weakened, attacked Korat in the
Laotian Rebellion against King
Rama III that was to rage on for two years.
Lady Mo, the wife of the deputy governor at the time, is credited with having freed the city from Anouvong's army, and has been honored with a statue in the center of downtown Korat. A full account of the war and its impact on Laos and Siam, is detailed in the book,
Lady Mo and Heroism at Tung Samrit, written by Frank G Anderson. The city's old wall, east of the monument was designed and built by a French engineer who is believed to be the one who also built
Naraimaharaj Palace in
Lopburi. The French-based design is reflected in the moat system that surrounds the innermost portion of the city. Nakhon Ratchasima continued to be an important political and economic center in the northeastern region under the
Monthon administrative reforms of the late-19th century. In November 1900, the
Royal State Railways of Siam began operation of the Nakhon Ratchasima Line from Bangkok with
Korat Station as its
terminus. It was officially opened on 21 December 1900 by
King Chulalongkorn. The
Ubon Ratchathani Line to the
town of Warin opened 1 November 1922. The
Thanon Chira Junction to
Khon Kaen opened on 1 April 1933.
Korat station was changed to
Nakhon Ratchasima Railway Station in 1934. In October 1933, after the
Siamese revolution of 1932 ended the
absolute monarchy, Nakhon Ratchasima became the headquarters of the
Boworadet Rebellion, an abortive uprising against the new government in Bangkok. During
World War II, the troops from Nakhon Ratchasima joined the fight in
Franco-Thai War, The Thai army was able to temporarily recapture some of the territory. After the war, the
United States helped build
Mittraphap Road from Saraburi to Nakhon Ratchasima. In April 1981 during another
attempted coup, the government, together with the royal family, took refuge in Korat. From 1962 to 1976, during the
Vietnam War,
Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base hosted components of the
Royal Thai Air Force, the
United States Air Force, and a complement of the
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). After the US withdrawal in 1976, the Thai Air Force assumed full control. During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was jointly operated as a civil airport for Nakhon Ratchasima. This ended with the opening of
Nakhon Ratchasima Airport in the early 1990s. On 13 August 1993, Thailand's worst disaster happened in the city, the
collapse of the Royal Plaza Hotel, killing 137 people. On 8 and 9 February 2020, Thailand's
deadliest shooting at the time occurred in the city, when an offduty
Royal Thai Army Sergeant shot 29 people dead and wounded 58 others, mostly at the local
Terminal 21 mall, before being killed by responding officers. == Demography ==