King Mangrai founded Lan Na, one of the two most important early Thai kingdoms. Through his alliance with Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai, the Thai people came to dominate the region now known as Thailand.
Through alliances and military conquests, the northern Thai (or Lao) king Mangrai established a powerful kingdom in territory that had been under Mon rule. Mangrai placed the capital of his realm in the city of Chiang Mai. He formed an alliance with King Ramkhamhaeng
Before the Thai people established themselves as dominant in the land that is now known as Thailand, much of the region was under Khmer (Cambodian) or Mon rule. The Mon and the Khmer spoke related languages, and their descendants still live in Southeast Asia. In the northern part of Thailand, the Mon
Groups of Thai tribes had apparently migrated south from China over the course of centuries, settling in the river valleys of mainland Southeast Asia.
The Thai tribes, in the broader sense of all members of the ethnic and linguistic group, generally lived in muangs, collections of settlements that acknowledged common chieftains or kings. These leaders, in turn, recognized the rule of greater regional powers, such as the Mon and Khmer dynasties. Mangrai was the son of the local Thai ruler of Ngoen Yang, located in the region of Chiang Saen. His mother was the daughter of a Thai chief from the Tai Leu group in Yunnan, China.
In 1259, Mangrai succeeded his father. The new ruler possessed considerable personal magnetism, and he rapidly brought the neighboring principalities under his leadership. Mangrai founded the city of Chiang Rai in 1262 and made it the capital of his expanding domain. He formed an alliance with Ngam Muang
According to historical tradition, the clever Mangrai plotted to overthrow the Mon kingdom of Haripunjaya
The alliance with Ngam Muang helped Mangrai forge ties with Ramkhamhaeng, the powerful ruler of the growing Thai kingdom of Sukhothai. Ngam Muang and Ramkhamhaeng had studied together as children. In 1287, Mangrai and Ramkhamhaeng made their own alliance. According to legend, Mangrai helped maintain relations between Ngam Muang and Ramkhamhaeng when he convinced Ramkhamhaeng to apologize to Ngam Muang and pay reparations for seducing Ngam Muang’s wife. The truth of the legend is uncertain, but the alliance with Sukhothai secured Mangrai’s southern boundaries and enabled him to turn his attention to the north and successfully resist pressure from the Mongols, who ruled China.
Mangrai was continually seeking the best location for his capital. In 1268, he moved it from Chiang Rai to Fang. In 1286, he founded the city of Wiang Kum Kam, on the eastern bank of the River Ping. Still unsatisfied, in 1292, Mangrai decided to build a new capital, which he would call Chiang Mai
With the building of Chiang Mai, the kingdom of Lan Na was fully established. From his seat of power there, Mangrai continued to hold off the Mongols. In 1301, the Mongols
Mangrai adhered to the Theravāda
According to legend, Mangrai died when he was struck by lightning in the center of Chiang Mai. The place where he is thought to have died is marked today by a sacred pillar. Mangrai had three sons, and the second, Chai Songkhram
In 1558, as a result of struggles over the succession to the throne, the Burmese were able to establish their sovereignty over Lan Na. When Mangrai’s dynasty finally became extinct, in 1578, the Burmese appointed their own kings to rule the northern Thai kingdom. Thailand, then known as Siam, fought with Burma over Lan Na for the next two centuries. In 1775, a Thai army took Chiang Mai. However, Lan Na continued to be ruled by its own king under guidance and control from Bangkok until 1939.
Lan Na was a buffer that helped prevent the southward extension of Mongol power. The city of Chiang Mai became the most important cultural and political center of northern Thailand, and it continues to be Thailand’s second major city, after Bangkok. By bringing northern Thailand together under a single rule, Mangrai and his descendants helped to establish a distinctive northern Thai identity.
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Coedès, George. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. Translated by Susan Brown Cowing. Honolulu: East-West Center Press, 1968. The classic work on Southeast Asian history. Chapter 12 gives a succinct history of the founding of Lan Na and discusses Mangrai’s relations with Ramkhamhaeng. -
Freeman, Michael. Guide to Northern Thailand and the Ancient Kingdom of Lanna. New York: Weatherhill, 2002. Illustrated guidebook and history that gives readers a good grasp of the places in the history of Lanna. -
Freeman, Michael. Lanna: Thailand’s Northern Kingdom. London: Thames and Hudson, 2001. Traces the settlement of northern Thailand by different ethnic groups, examines the kingdom of Lan Na, and describes the artifacts and architecture of the region. -
Penth, Hans. A Brief History of Lan Na: Civilizations of North Thailand. Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia Press, 2001. Short, highly recommended history of the kingdom of Lan Na, covering its earliest times to its present-day influence, by a specialist in northern Thai history at the University of Chiang Mai. -
Wyatt, David K. Thailand: A Short History. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1986. Provides an introduction to Thai history, including coverage of the thirteenth century kingdoms. -
Wyatt, David K., and Aroonrut Wichienkeeo, eds. and trans. The Chiang Mai Chronicle. 2d ed. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 1998. A translation of the major historical documents of Lan Na, from the thirteenth through the nineteenth centuries, together with helpful annotations and maps.