Mangrai (; ; c. 1238–1311) was the 25th king of

Ngoenyang Hiran Nakhon Ngoenyang (; ), also known as Chayaworanakhon Chiang Lao, Hiranyanakhon Ngoenyang Chiang Saen, Nakhon Yangkapura, or Thasai Ngoenyang was an early mueang or kingdom of the Northern Thai people from the 7th through 13th centuries A ...

(r. 1261–1292) and the first king of

Lanna The Lan Na kingdom or the Kingdom of Lanna (, , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; , , ), also known as Lannathai, was an Indianized state centered in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to the 18th centuries. The cultural developme ...

(r. 1292–1311). He established a new city,

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

, as the capital of the Lanna Kingdom (1296–1558).Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short History, p. 35–38, Bangkok 2003

Early years

King Mangrai the Great was born on 23 October 1238, in Ngoen Yang (present day

Chiang Saen Chiang Saen () is an old city in Northern Thailand. Chiang Saen is the capital of the Chiang Saen district, which lies in the north of the Chiang Rai province. Geography Chiang Saen is located in the northernmost tip of Thailand. The provincia ...

), Thailand, on the

Mekong River The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of rivers by length, twelfth-longest river and List of longest rivers of Asia, the third-longest in Asia with an estimated l ...

, a son of the local ruler Lao Meng and his wife Ua Ming Chom Mueang, a princess from the Tai Lue city of Chiang Rung, which is now called

Jinghong Jinghong (; ; , , ; , ; , ; also formerly romanised as ''Chiang Hung'', ''Chengrung'', ''Cheng Hung'', Jeng Hung, ''Jinghung'', ''Keng Hung'', ''Kiang Hung'' and ''Muangjinghung'') is a city in and the seat of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefec ...

, in Sipsongpanna (

Xishuangbanna Xishuangbanna, sometimes shortened to Banna, is one of the eight autonomous prefectures of Yunnan Province. The autonomous prefecture for Dai people is in the extreme south of Yunnan province, China, bordering both Myanmar and Laos. Xishuangbanna ...

), China. In 1259, Mangrai succeeded his father to become the first independent king of the unified Tai city states in northern Lanna and what is now northern

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. Seeing the Tai states disunited and in danger, Mangrai quickly expanded his kingdom by conquering Muang Lai, Chiang Kham and Chiang Khong and initiating alliances with other states. In 1262, he founded the city of

Chiang Rai Chiang Rai (, ; , ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai was established as a capital city in the reign of King Ma ...

as his new capital in the

Kok River The Kok River (, , ; , ) is a tributary river of the Mekong that flows in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces in northern Thailand. Source The river originates in the Daen Lao Range, Shan State, Myanmar. It flows eastwards across the Myanmar ...

basin. He also seems to have been operating around this time in the area of

Fang A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fangs, ...

in the Upper Kok Valley. In 1287, Mangrai first made peace between King Ngam Muang of

Phayao Phayao (; ,) is a city ('' thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Phayao Province. For administrative purposes the city is divided into 15 sub-districts (''tambons''), which are further subdivided into 172 administrative villages. ...

and King

Ram Khamhaeng Ramkhamhaeng (, ) or commonly known as Pho Khun Ramkhamhaeng Maharat (, ) was the third king of the Phra Ruang Dynasty, ruling the Sukhothai Kingdom (a historical kingdom of Thailand) from 1279 to 1298, during its most prosperous era. He is c ...

of Sukhothai, who had seduced the former's queen. The three kings then entered into a "Strong pact of friendship". While still living in the area of Fang, he was visited by merchants from the

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * A ...

kingdom of Haripunchai (Haripunjaya, now known as

Lamphun Lamphun (; , ) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Lamphun Province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' Nai Mueang of Mueang Lamphun district. As of 2006 it has a population of 14,030. Lamphun lies north of Bangkok and ...

). Hearing of the wealth of that kingdom, he was determined to conquer it, against the advice of his counselors. As it was thought impossible to take the city by force, Mangrai sent a merchant named Ai Fa as a

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole" * Golden mole, southern African mammals * Marsupial mole Marsupial moles, the Notoryctidae family, are two species of highly specialized marsupial mammals that are found i ...

to gain the confidence of its King Yi Ba. In time, Ai Fa became the Chief Minister and managed to undermine the King's authority. In 1291, with the people in a state of discontent, Mangrai defeated the Mon kingdom and added Haripunchai to his kingdom. Yi Ba, the last king of Hariphunchai, was forced to flee south to

Lampang Lampang, also called Nakhon Lampang (; , ) to differentiate from Lampang province, is the third largest city in northern Thailand and capital of Lampang province and the Mueang Lampang district. Traditional names for Lampang include Wiang Lak ...

Chiang Mai Era

After defeating the Hariphunchai kingdom, Mangrai decided to relocate his capital, and in 1294,

Wiang Kum Kam Wiang Kum Kam (; ) is an historic settlement and archaeological site along the Ping River, which was built by King Mangrai the Great as his capital before he moved it to Chiang Mai. It was flooded and abandoned more than 700 years ago; that move ...

was founded on the eastern bank of the

Ping River The Ping River (, , ; , ) along with the Nan River, is one of the two main tributaries of the Chao Phraya River. It originates at Doi Thuai in the Daen Lao Range, in Chiang Dao district, Chiang Mai province. After passing Chiang Mai, it flows th ...

. The site was plagued with floods, and a new site was chosen several kilometres to the northwest at the foot of

Doi Suthep Doi Suthep (ดอยสุเทพ), is a mountain ("doi") west of Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is in elevation and is one of the twin peaks of a granite mountain. The other peak is known as Doi Pui and is slightly higher (). Doi Suthep is from ...

, on the site of an older fortified town of the

Lua people The Lua people () are a minority ethnic group native to Laos, although there is now a sizable community living in Thailand. ''Luaʼ'' is their preferred Exonym and endonym, autonym (self-designation), while their Lao people, Lao neighbours tend ...

. Construction of

(lit. "New City") began in 1296. and it has been the capital of the northern provinces more or less ever since. A few years later, Yi Ba's son, King Boek of

, attacked Chiang Mai with a large army. King Mangrai and his second son, Prince Khram, led the defence against the Lampang army. Prince Khram defeated King Boek in personal combat on elephant-back at Khua Mung, a village near

. King Boek fled by way of the Doi Khun Tan mountain range between Lamphun and

, but he was caught and executed. King Mangrai's troops occupied the city of Lampang, and King Yi Ba was made to flee further south, this time to Phitsanulok.

Death and succession

King Mangrai's eldest son grew tired of waiting and tried to seize the throne, but his attempt failed and he was executed. Mangrai's second son, Khun Kham, was then named to succeed Mangrai. King Mangrai died in 1311 in Chiang Mai. According to tradition, he was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm when he was in the city's market. Mangrai's death was followed by period of confusion, with six kings ruling in the next eleven years. This could have been disastrous if the northern powers had not had their own troubles. Sukhothai to the south had also been weakened. Not until the ascension of Mangrai's grandson, Kham Fu, in 1328 did the kingdom achieve the stability it had had during the lifetime of its founder.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangrai Monarchs of Lan Na 1230s births 1317 deaths Thai monarchs Deaths from lightning strikes 13th-century monarchs in Asia 14th-century monarchs in Asia 13th-century Thai people 14th-century Thai people Founding monarchs in Asia Mangrai dynasty