When did Chiangmai exist?

Chiangmai existed 1775–1899. On this map it is drawn 1775–1884.

Southeast Asia · Konbaung, Chakri and the colonial century

Chiangmai

Tributary kingdom of Siam · 1775–1899

Chiang Mai, founded by Mangrai in 1296 as capital of the Lan Na kingdom, had been under Burmese rule since 1558. After the Konbaung reconquest (1763), the oppressive governorship of Thado Mindin provoked the Fuen Man ("liberation from Burma") movement: the Lanna nobles Phaya Chaban Boonma of Chiang Mai and Kawila of Lampang allied with King Taksin of Thonburi, whose generals Chakri and Surasi took Chiang Mai on 14–15 January 1775.

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Type: Tributary kingdom of Siam (mandala city-state; Chet Ton dynasty)
Existed: 1775–1899
Shown on the map: 1775–1884
Peak area: 66k km² (dataset)
Region: Southeast Asia

Origins & foundation

Political history & notable rulers

A Burmese counterattack in 1777 forced the abandonment of Chiang Mai for twenty years; Lampang under Kawila held the front line, repelling great sieges in 1785–86 and 1788. Kawila finally re-entered Chiang Mai in March 1797, repelled Bodawpaya's 55,000-man assault that year and again in 1802, and in December 1802 was rewarded by Rama I with the title King of Chiang Mai, founding the Chet Ton ("Seven Princes") dynasty. Allied Lanna–Siamese forces destroyed the last Burmese stronghold, Chiang Saen, in 1804. To repair decades of depopulation, Kawila and his successors pursued the policy of "putting vegetables into baskets, people into towns", deporting 50,000–70,000 Tai Khuen and Tai Lue people from Kengtung, Mong Yawng and Sipsongpanna into Lanna — Lamphun being founded as a third princely seat in 1805–06. After Kawila's death (1816) Bangkok appointed successors as Phraya-rank governors rather than kings; notable rulers include Phutthawong ("Lord of the Peaceful Reign", 1826–1846), the failed Kengtung expeditions of 1849–1854, King Kawilorot Suriyawong (1856–1870) — the autocratic Chao Chiwit who defied the Bowring Treaty's application to Lanna and executed Christian converts — and the last king, Inthawichayanon (1873–1897).

Economy, culture & religion

The tributary state comprised three autonomous princedoms (Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun) sending triennial tribute — golden and silver trees, teak and lacquer — to Bangkok. From the 1840s Lanna's teak forests drew British and Burmese loggers, entangling the courts in contract disputes. Theravada Buddhism dominated; Daniel McGilvary's Laos Mission (1867) introduced Protestant Christianity under severe persecution. The language was Lanna (Kham Mueang), written in Tai Tham script.

Peak & territorial extent

At its height the tributary covered modern Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, with claimed suzerainty reaching across the Salween into the trans-Salween Shan states (66,000 km² in the dataset).

Decline & end

The Chiangmai Treaties of 1874 and 1883 subordinated Lanna's courts and forests to Anglo-Siamese control; a Siamese royal commissioner (Kha Luang) was installed from 1875. Chulalongkorn's centralisation — the Monthon Lao Chiang (1894) and confiscation of the teak forests (1896) — stripped the princes of revenue, and in December 1899 Monthon Phayap absorbed Lanna fully into Siam. The last ceremonial Prince of Chiang Mai, Kaew Nawarat, died in 1939.

Legacy & modern connections

Chiang Mai remains Thailand's northern cultural capital, conscious of its Lanna identity; the Chet Ton descendants bear the surname Na Chiangmai, and Doi Inthanon is named after the last king.

Common questions

What was Chiangmai?: Chiang Mai, founded by Mangrai in 1296 as capital of the Lan Na kingdom, had been under Burmese rule since 1558. After the Konbaung reconquest (1763), the oppressive governorship of Thado Mindin provoked the Fuen Man ("liberation from Burma") movement: the Lanna nobles Phaya Chaban Boonma of Chiang Mai and Kawila of Lampang allied with King Taksin of Thonburi, whose generals Chakri and Surasi took Chiang Mai on 14–15 January 1775.
When did Chiangmai exist?: Chiangmai existed 1775–1899. On this map it is drawn 1775–1884.
How large was Chiangmai at its height?: At its height the tributary covered modern Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son, with claimed suzerainty reaching across the Salween into the trans-Salween Shan states (66,000 km² in the dataset).
Who ruled Chiangmai?: A Burmese counterattack in 1777 forced the abandonment of Chiang Mai for twenty years; Lampang under Kawila held the front line, repelling great sieges in 1785–86 and 1788. Kawila finally re-entered Chiang Mai in March 1797, repelled Bodawpaya's 55,000-man assault that year and again in 1802, and in December 1802 was rewarded by Rama I with the title King of Chiang Mai, founding the Chet Ton ("Seven Princes") dynasty.
How did Chiangmai end?: The Chiangmai Treaties of 1874 and 1883 subordinated Lanna's courts and forests to Anglo-Siamese control; a Siamese royal commissioner (Kha Luang) was installed from 1875. Chulalongkorn's centralisation — the Monthon Lao Chiang (1894) and confiscation of the teak forests (1896) — stripped the princes of revenue, and in December 1899 Monthon Phayap absorbed Lanna fully into Siam.
What did the economy and culture of Chiangmai rest on?: The tributary state comprised three autonomous princedoms (Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun) sending triennial tribute — golden and silver trees, teak and lacquer — to Bangkok. From the 1840s Lanna's teak forests drew British and Burmese loggers, entangling the courts in contract disputes.
Why does Chiangmai still matter?: Chiang Mai remains Thailand's northern cultural capital, conscious of its Lanna identity; the Chet Ton descendants bear the surname Na Chiangmai, and Doi Inthanon is named after the last king.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Chiang Mai en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Mai
redirects to "Nakhon Chiang Mai (1775–1899)" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Chiang_Mai

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 10 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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