Mangrai

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Monument of King Mangrai in Chiang Rai

Mangrai ( Thai : พญา มั ง ราย , Phaya Mangrai , also: Mengrai , พญา เม็ง ราย ; * 1238 or 1239 in Ngoen Yang ; † 1311 or 1317 in Chiang Mai ) was the founder of the northern Thai kingdom of Lan Na .

Origin, conquests and the founding of an empire

Three Kings Monument in Chiang Mai (from left: Ngam Mueang by Phayao , Mangrai by Lan Na and Ramkhamhaeng by Sukhothai )
Map of northern Thailand, partially congruent with Mangrai's kingdom Lan Na

The historian Michael Vickery (1931–2017), who specializes in the history of Southeast Asia, largely regarded the information in northern Thai chronicles on Mangrai and the first 100 years of Lan Na's history as legends and fiction. Thai history books as well as most western historians who deal with the subject, however, assume the actual historical existence of Mangrai and rely on traditional chronicles as sources, although their dates are often contradictory.

According to the chronicles, Mangrai was born as the son of the Tai Yuan ruler of Ngoen Yang - a city-state ( Müang ) in what is now Chiang Saen in the far north of Thailand. His mother was the daughter of the ruler of the Tai Lü of Chiang Hung (or Chiang Rung, today Jinghong ) in Sipsong Panna (Chinese Xishuangbanna). He ascended the royal throne after his father's death in 1259.

He quickly gained dominance over the small empires of the neighbors, in 1262 he brought Chiang Tung (now Keng Tung), a state of the Lawa, under his control. At the beginning of 1263 he founded Chiang Rai ("City of (Mang-) Rai") as the capital of his newly formed kingdom Lan Na ( land of millions of fields ). Around 1268 he arranged for the establishment of a new city, Fang, west of Chiang Rai. Mangrai ensured the steady expansion of his empire through diplomatic and military means, much like his contemporary rival Ramkhamhaeng in Sukhothai .

In Fang, traders told him about the prosperity of the country Hariphunchai , the then leading political, economic and cultural power in what is now northern Thailand, which was ruled by Mon. This aroused the desire Mangrais and he devised a ruse to weaken Hariphunchai and to be able to take. He sent his adjutant Ai Fa to Hariphunchai, where he became the confidante of King Yiba. In order to weaken Hariphunchai through resentment and discord, Ai Fa ordered the construction of a complex irrigation system in the name of the king and obliged the population to do hard labor. The anger of the people against the king caused by this made it possible for Mangrai to take Hariphunchai. According to the Chronicle of Chiang Mai this happened in 1281/82, according to the Jinakalamali Chronicle 1292/93. Historians consider the latter to be more plausible. With the conquest of the flourishing Hariphunchai, Mangrai's empire assumed the role of the leading power in the north of what is now Thailand.

Consolidation of rule

In 1287 Mangrai concluded an assistance pact, the "Three Kings Treaty" (sanya sam kasat) , with two other Tai kings, Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and Ngam Mueang of Phayao against the Mongols. Presumably, the three agreed to delimit their spheres of interest. He also formed strategic alliances with the ancient kingdoms of the Mon of Hongsawadi ( Pegu ) and the Shan of Ava .

After residing in Wiang Kum Kam , a settlement in a former arch of Mae Nam Ping , for five years , he founded Chiang Mai ("new city"; today the largest city in northern Thailand) and donated numerous temples, including Wat Chiang Man .

From 1301 the Mongols under Kublai Khan tried to subjugate Mangrai's empire, which was the last independent southern neighbor of China. Mangrai was able to fend off attacks by the Mongols that had lasted over two years. These had to deal with a tribute delegation led by Mangrai's son, who brought a white and several tamed elephants as well as local products from Chiang Mai and Chiang Hung. In return, the envoys from Lan Na were given leather and fur clothing as well as shoes. While China viewed its southern neighbor as a vassal because of this relationship, the Tai Yuan of Lan Na continued to see themselves as independent.

At the end of Mangrai's rule, his empire expanded beyond what is now northern Thailand to southern Yunnan and the eastern Shan states . However, it was not a centralized state, but rather a federation of princes of individual Müang who had sworn allegiance to Mangrai due to personal dependencies or kinship ( mandala model ). There were no political institutions or administrative structures that went beyond these personal relationships of loyalty. Nor can it be regarded as a Thai state, as the majority of the population was in the core area of Mon and Lawa . Mangrai probably took the first steps to establish a system of binding rules for worldly affairs in Lan Na. Historically, however, it is very unlikely that the legal code later applicable in Lan Na, called Mangrai-sat (“Laws of King Mangrai”) actually goes back to Mangrai. The cohesion of the empire depended heavily on the charismatic personality and leadership of Mangrais, who succeeded in preventing the vassal Müang from striving for independence.

Death and inheritance

Mangrai died in 1311 (according to the Jinakalamali Chronicle ) or 1317 (according to the Chiang Mai Chronicle). He is said to have been struck by lightning in his capital . After his death, the principalities of the Lü, Khün and Shan on the fringes of the empire no longer recognized the supremacy of Lan Nas and stopped their tribute deliveries. The federation also split into two rival centers of power, as Mangrai's eldest son Chaiyasongkhram did not want to move to Chiang Mai, but instead made Chiang Rai, which was his residence during his father's lifetime, his capital. Instead, his son Saenphu ruled Chiang Mai. While the northeast of Lan Nas was controlled from Chiang Rai, the southwest of the country was dependent on Chiang Mai. Only at the end of the 14th century did Lan Na regain unified rule. The dynasty founded by Mangrai ruled Lan Na until the 16th century. Then the empire came under Burmese control.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The name is 'Mangrai' in historical inscriptions. However, due to a historical work from the early 20th century, the misspelling 'Mengrai' is widespread. The district of Amphoe Phaya Mengrai , named after the king, also officially follows this incorrect spelling.
  2. ↑ In David K. Wyatt , The Chiang Mai Chronicle , the birthday is given very precisely: Saturday, October 2, 1238 (600 CS ). Wyatt notes that this date is also mentioned in the Jinakalamali Chronicle . At Sarassawadee u. a. 1239.
  3. ↑ Mangrai's birthplace is usually given as Chiang Saen , although a city of that name was not founded until almost 100 years later. It is, however, in almost the same place as the Müang Ngoen Yang.
  4. ↑ According to Jinakalamali Chronicle 1311, according to Chronicle of Chiang Mai 1317/18.
  5. ^ Foon Ming Liew-Herres, Volker Grabowsky: Lan Na in Chinese historiography. Sino-Tai relations as reflected in the Yuan and Ming sources (13th to 17th centuries). Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 2008, p. 43.
  6. ^ Grabowsky: Population and State in Lan Na. 2004, pp. 80-81.
  7. ^ Grabowsky: Population and State in Lan Na. 2004, pp. 81-82.
  8. ^ Grabowsky: Brief history of Thailand. 2010, p. 64.
  9. ^ Grabowsky: Brief history of Thailand. 2010, p. 65.
  10. ^ Grabowsky: Population and State in Lan Na. 2004, p. 89.
  11. ^ Grabowsky: Population and State in Lan Na. 2004, p. 90.
personal data
SURNAME Mangrai
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Phaya Mangrai (full name); Mengrai; พญา มั ง ราย (th); พญา เม็ง ราย (th)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of Lan Na (Kingdom of Northern Thailand)
DATE OF BIRTH 1238 or 1239
PLACE OF BIRTH Ngoen Yang
DATE OF DEATH 1311 or 1317
Place of death Chiang Mai