‘You are Thai, but I never considered myself Thai to begin with. I am proud of my Mueang identity and there is nothing that can change that.”
ROYAL REMINDER: The Three Kings Monument in front of the old town hall in Chiang Mai’s old town, where locals come to pay their respects. photos: bangkok post archive
Nong is a well-educated 33-year-old woman from a wealthy family with connections to traditional northern royalty. The Mueang identity she refers to comes from the language spoken by the people of Lanna, the “kingdom of a million rice fields”.
As many people know, the north of Thailand was once a separate kingdom, with a proud heritage, culture and traditions of its own. What is less well realised is that many people in the region still feel distinctly apart from mainstream Thai culture. The story of the history of the Lanna kingdom, which dates back more than 700 years, is told in the accepted authority on the subject, Prawat Sart Lanna (Lanna History), written by Professor Saratsawadee Ongsakul.
At the heart of the kingdom was modern-day Chiang Mai province, but at the height of its power, the kingdom included the modern-day provinces of Chiang Rai, Lampang and Lamphun, and even extended across the borders into what are today Myanmar, China and Laos.
Nong says she has always felt different when mentioning her ethnic roots, but never thought they would be politicised until the current political conflict dividing the nation erupted. Her natural affiliation is with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), but not necessarily its leadership or connections to exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose family hails from Chiang Mai, which is also the centre of his political support base.
“I’m a UDD supporter,” she says. “In fact, all my family are. But my choice has nothing to do with the UDD leadership. It’s purely because of the pressure I felt under from Thai people in Bangkok.
“They call Lanna people stupid. They stereotype us and make us feel we are beneath them. They say we’re poor and we’re stealing the tax money that people in Bangkok pay. If they hate us that much, why won’t they let us take our land back and manage it ourselves?” she said angrily.
Lanna has its own language, Kham Mueang or Phasa Mueang, which is the modern spoken form of the old Lanna language still widely used among people in the north but with varying accents and pronunciations.
Kham Mueang means “language of the principalities” and is distinct from the languages of many hill-tribe people in the surrounding areas. The language may be written in the old Lanna script, which resembles the script of Myanmar and Cambodia, but differs significantly in spelling rules.
BIRTH OF A KINGDOM
According to Ms Saratsawadee, the Lanna kingdom and its precursors were centred in present-day northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries. But the cultural evolution of the Lanna people had begun long before, under successive Tai Yuan kingdoms founded by a rich ethnic mix of people from the modern-day countries of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and China.
King Mangrai of the Lavachakkaraj dynasty was the 25th king of Ngoen Yang, an early Tai Yuan kingdom in what is now Chiang Rai province. His mother was a princess of the Jinghong kingdom, located in present-day Yunnan in China. He united the various city-states of Ngoen Yang into a single kingdom, and allied with the neighbouring kingdom of Payao.
CONQUERER: A statue of the Thai King Taksin. photo: istock/thinkstock
In 1262, Mangrai moved the capital to the new city of Muang Chiang Rai, and renamed it after himself. He then expanded his new kingdom to the south, subjugating the Mon Haripunchai kingdom, in modern-day Lamphun, in 1281.
Mangrai swore allegiance with two other kings: Ngam Mueng of Payao in 1276, and Ram Khamhaeng of Sukhothai in 1277. Tourists who visit Chiang Mai can still see the Three Kings Monument in front of the old town hall.
The capital moved several times. Mangrai left Lamphun due to the region’s heavy flooding, and began building Wiang Kum Kam in 1286, staying there until 1292. He then moved to what would become Chiang Mai.
He founded Chiang Mai in 1296 and expanded it to become the capital of the Lanna kingdom. The territories of Mangrai’s new kingdom covered most of the modern northern provinces, with the exception of Phrae, which was part of the Sukhothai kingdom, and Payao and Nan which were parts of the Payao kingdom.
Mangrai received tributes from areas of modern northern Vietnam, principally in the Black and Red river valleys, and most of northern Laos, plus the Sipsong Panna (12 districts) region of modern-day Yunnan in China.
FAMILY INFIGHTING
However, the battle for power between Mangrai’s sons brought political instability and weakened the kingdom, according to Ms Saratsawadee. “King Mangrai’s favourite son, Khun Kueng, received special treatment, and became ruler of many important cities in the Lanna kingdom.
“Khun Kaeng amassed too much power, and was not averse to abusing it, and in a bid to restore order to his kingdom Mangrai himself ordered the execution of Khun Kueng, his eldest son.”
After Mangrai died in 1311, his son Paya Chaisongkram took over the throne and moved the capital to Chiang Rai. He appointed his son, Thau Saen Phu, as Uparaja (viceroy) of Chiang Mai. However, another of Mangrai’s sons and Chaisongkram’s brother, Khun Kruea — the king of Mong Nai, now known as Shan state in Myanmar — had designs upon the Lanna throne and launched an invasion. Thau Saen Phu found himself under attack by his own uncle and fled the city.
Fortunately, Thau Nam Tuam, another son of Chaisongkram, stepped in and repelled Khun Kruea’s attack. Chaisongkram then appointed Nam Tuam Uparaja, replacing Saen Phu in 1322.
The kingdom then enjoyed a period of comparative peace, but continuing conflict and infighting in the Lanna royal family prompted Prince Maha Prommatat, Chaisongkram’s brother, to seek aid from the kingdom of Ayutthaya.
But instead of help, Borommaracha I of Ayutthaya sent troops to invade Lanna. His forces were repelled during this first armed conflict between the two kingdoms. In addition, Lanna also faced invasions by the newly established Ming Dynasty in China.
BATTLE FOR REGIONAL POWER
The Lanna kingdom was strongest between 1441 to 1487 under King Tilokaraj, who seized the throne from his father, Sam Fang Kaen. Tilokaraj’s brother, Thau Choi, rebelled to reclaim the throne for his father and sought support form Ayutthaya. Borommaracha II sent troops to Lanna, but they were repelled and the rebellion was suppressed.
But Ayutthaya was growing powerful, and relations between the two kingdoms continued to worsen. In 1451, Yuttitthira, a member of the Sukhothai royal family, urged King Trailokanat of Ayutthaya to invade Phitsanulok, which Yuttitthira had claims on. This ignited the Ayutthaya-Lanna War in the Upper Chao Phraya valley.
Ms Saratsawadee said that ongoing conflicts led to a weakening of the Lanna kingdom, and it finally sought assistance from the kingdom of Siam. There then followed a series of occupations of the Lanna kingdom, starting with Siam. As Lanna became weakened further by dynastic struggles for power, both Ayutthaya and Myanmar saw an opportunity to overwhelm Lanna. King Chairacha of Ayutthaya invaded Lanna in 1545, forcing the Lanna Queen Chiraprapa to sue for peace. Chairacha returned next year, sacking Lampang and Lamphun, and threatened Chiang Mai itself. Chiraprapa was forced to put her kingdom under Ayutthaya as a tributary state.
Ms Saratsawadee said that by the 16th century, the Lanna region was weakened by continual fighting with Ayuddhaya and yet another series of internal power struggles, and became a tributary state of Myanmar in 1558. It was ruled by vassal kings, though some enjoyed autonomy.
Nawrahta Minsaw, a Myanmar king of Lanna, became a vassal of King Naresuan of Siam in 1602. However, Siam’s control was short-lived. But with Naresuan’s death in 1605, Siam’s control weakened, and by 1614 Siam’s control over Lanna was at most nominal.
After 1614, vassal kings of Myanmar descent ruled Lanna for more than 100 years. Siam tried to regain control of Lanna, but failed.
Finally, King Taksin of Thon Buri took control of Lanna in 1775 and broke it down into a number of small tributary kingdoms.
END OF THE KINGDOM
Ms Saratsawadee explained that the final end of the Lanna kingdom was due to two main factors: political and economic instability, and continued invasions by neighbouring states.
The kingdom faced ongoing political problems because high-placed members of the royal family were allowed too much power. They would inevitably rise up against their king, leading to many battles for power.
And in 1727, Chiang Mai revolted because of high taxation. The revolt drove back the Myanmar army, after which Chiang Mai and the Ping valley became independent states.
Chiang Mai became a tributary again in 1757, falling under the control of a new Myanmar dynasty. It revolted again with Siamese encouragement, but the rebellion was suppressed. After that, for almost 10 years, Myanmar used Lanna as a launch pad to invade the Lao states and Siam itself.
Myanmar was then at the peak of its military power, having defeated Siam and China. Its army commanders and governors became “drunk with victory”. This arrogance by the local Myanmar government caused a rebellion in Lanna, and the new Myanmar governor at Chiang Mai, Thado Mindin, was disrespectful to local chiefs and the people, and became extremely unpopular.
According to Ms Saratsawadee, the Lanna people believe the only acceptable leader would be a member of King Mangrai’s family. Those who are not his descendants gained little respect.
One of the local Lanna chiefs, Kawila of Lampang, revolted with Siamese help and captured the kingdom back in January, 1775, ending the 200 year Myanmar rule. Kawila was later installed as king of Lampang, and Phraya Chaban and Chiang Mai, both as vassals of Siam.
LONG MEMORIES: Red shirt supporters wear headbands reading ‘Sor Por Por Lanna’, mistaken by some to mean People’s Democratic Republic of Lanna but later clarified as Lanna Assembly for the Defence of Democracy, greet PM Yingluck Shinawatra on her visit to Chiang Mai’s Sankampaeng Otop Centre.
