Thao Chai (; ), Saikham (; ) or Mueangchaichao (; ) was the 13th king of

Lan Na 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 developmen ...

from the

Mangrai dynasty The Mangrai dynasty () was the dynasty that ruled Lan Na Kingdom for over 260 years, from the reign of Mangrai to Mekuti. The dynasty entered its period of decline when a Burmese spy (Upanikkhit), embedded in Chiang Mai under the orders of Bayinnaun ...

. He reigned from 1538 to 1543. He seized power from his father, Ket. After reigning for just five years, he was assassinated by a group of nobles who claimed that he lacked the legitimacy to the throne. The nobles then invited Ket to return and resume the throne for a second time. Chai’s reign was marked by great unrest, including rebellions and infighting among various noble factions fighting for power.

Accession to the Throne

Chai’s father, Ket, came into conflict with the nobility in 1535. The nobles of

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 ...

led a rebellion, as mentioned in one passage:

“…the ministers, such as Muen Samlan of Lampang, and his son, Muen Samlan believed Muen Luang Channanok and Muen Yi Ai were conspiring to betray King Ketchettharaj. The King found out and ordered Muen Soi Samlan to be executed that very day…”ตำนานพื้นเมืองเชียงใหม่ ฉบับเชียงใหม่ 700 ปี. เชียงใหม่:ศูนย์วัฒนธรรมจังหวัดเชียงใหม่ สถาบันราชภัฎเชียงใหม่, 2538. หน้า 87

This shows that regional nobles were dissatisfied with the king, and tensions intensified until, in 1538, the nobles gained power over the monarch and deposed Ket and exiled him to Muang Noi. Following this event, the nobles invited Chai to ascend the throne in his father’s place. He began his reign in 1538 at the age of 24.

Assassination

However, not long after his coronation, he was assassinated. Phra That Hariphunchai Chronicle recounts:

“…Phaya Saikham held the throne for six years. He had many daughters and many sons. In the year of the Tiger, 11th lunar month, 1st waning moon, Sunday (B.E. 2086), sword-wielding townsmen killed him entirely at the Minor Palace…”ตำนานพระธาตุหริภุญไชย. พิมพ์เป็นอนุสรณ์งานพระราชทานเพลิงศพ พระพิจิตรโอสถ (รอด สุตันตานนท์), 29 พฤษภาคม 2502. หน้า 31

Chai was murdered in his palace, along with his family, by nobles. The Chiang Mai Chronicle explains the motive:

“…he ruled unlawfully without royal legitimacy. The ministers and officials together had Prince Chai killed in the year of the Rabbit,
Chula Sakarat Chula Sakarat or Chulasakarat (; , ; , ; , , , abbrv. จ.ศ. ''Choso'') is a lunisolar calendar derived from the Burmese calendar, whose variants were in use by most mainland Southeast Asian kingdoms down to the late 19th century. The calendar is ...
905…”

Nonetheless, evidence surrounding the assassination is scarce, and it remains unclear who exactly was involved.

Events after the assassination

After the assassination, the nobles restored his father, Ket, to the throne. However, he reigned for less than two years before being assassinated in 1545 by Saen Khrao, a noble of Shan origin. The Lan Na Kingdom was left without a monarch, leading to fragmentation and civil war. Eventually, Queen

Chiraprapha Jiraprabhadevi (, ''Jiraprabhādevi''; ), also spelt Chirapraphathevi, known in the ''Chiang Mai Chronicle'' as ''Phra Pen Chao'' Maha Jiraprabha Devi (; ) was the Queen consort of Ket, the 12th monarch of the Kingdom of Lan Na, and the mother of ...

, the consort of Ket and mother of Chai, was crowned as the first

queen regnant A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...

in Lan Na’s history.

References

* {{Monarchs of Thailand Monarchs of Lan Na Thai monarchs 1508 births 1543 deaths Murdered royalty 16th-century murdered monarchs Mangrai dynasty

Accession to the Throne

Assassination

Events after the assassination

See also

References