Borommaracha I sent his troops to invade Lanna but was repelled. This was the first armed conflict between the two kingdoms. Lanna faced invasions from the newly-established Ming Dynasty in the reign of Sam Fang Kæn.

The Lanna kingdom was strongest under Tilokarat (1441 - 1487), who is the second of the three important kings of Lanna (Mangrai, Tilokarat and Kawila). He seized the throne from his father Sam Fang Kæn in 1441. At this time in the south, the emerging Kingdom of Ayutthaya was also growing powerful. Relations between the two kingdoms had worsened since they hade given support to Thau Choi, Tilokarat's brother, in his rebellion against the King.

In 1451, Yuttitthira, a Sukhothai royalty who had conflicts with Trailokanat of Ayutthaya, gave himself to Tilokarat. Yuttitthira urged Trilokanat to invade Pitsanulok which he had claims on, igniting the Ayutthaya-Lanna War over the Kingdom of Sukhothai. In 1460, the governor of Chaliang surrendered to Tilokarat. Trailokanat then used a new strategy and concentrated on the wars with Lanna by moving the capital to Pitsanulok. Lanna suffered setbacks and Tilokarat eventually sued for peace in 1475.

Tilokarat was also a strong patron of Theravāda Buddhism. In 1477, the 8th Buddhist Council was held at Wat Chet Yod, just outside Chiang Mai city. Tilokarat also built and rehabilitated many notable temples. In 1480, Tilokarat sent aid to help the King of Lan Xang to free his kingdom from Vietnamese occupation. Tilokarat then expanded west to the Shan States of Laikha, Hsipaw, Mong Nai, and Yawnghwe.

After Tilokarat, Lanna was subjected to old-style princely struggles that prevented the kingdom from defending itself against its powerful and growing neighbors, and the Shans broke free of Lanna control. The last strong ruler was Paya Kæw who was the great-grandson of Tilokarat. Kæw sent Lanna armies to re-exert control over the Shan teritories but was readily defeated by Hsipaw armies. The loss was so tremendous that Lanna never regained such dominance.

In the middle of the 16th c. Lanna was invaded and made subject to Burma, in which condition it remained for the following two centuries. As the Lanna kings were strictly manipulated by Burma, the resistance was then instead led by common people – ranging from respectful monks to those who claimed to have extraordinary powers or merits. Narai of Ayutthaya launched the invasion of Lanna in 1662. The Siamese sacked the cities including Chiang Mai but the rule was short. In 1664, Burma decided to end the autonomy of Lanna and installed Burmese agents to be the nobles of Lanna. And in 1701 Chiang Sæn was annexed to Burma.

In 1732, an elephant mahout who was said to have powers called Tipchang made himself the lord of Lampang, giving birth to the Lordship of Lampang and Tipchak dynasty. Tipchang’s kingdom paid tribute to Ava. Tipchang’s grandson, Kawila, planned the liberation of Lanna and Lampang. Kawila and Phraya Chabaan, a Lanna noble, became the leading figures. Kawila requested supports from Taksin of Thonburi who sent Phraya Chakri and Phraya Surasi to Lanna. In 1774, the joint Lampang and Thonburi forces captured Chiangmai, ending two hundred years of Burmese rule. Kawila was installed as the king of Lampang and Phraya Chaban as the king of Chiang Mai, both as vassals of Siam.

The Burmese attempted to retake the Lanna Kingdom in the following year, and even drove their forces right down into the Siamese heartland, but they were forced to withdraw again. Around this time, owing to depletion of population and destruction of property, Chiang Mai was abandoned for around 20 years, until Kawila repopulated the city and its surrounding areas with captives from the Shan states and from Yunnan, after which he spent his time improving the fortifications and attending to renovations of the temples and monasteries.

King Kawila was the last great King in the independent Lanna Kingdom, and less than a century after his death it was incorporated into the Thai Kingdom, and by the 1930s it had ceased to exist as an independent entity and had became a province in the larger Thai kingdom.

Text adapted from Wikipedia (retrieved, July 15th 2011

The Three Kings

This was already after King Ngam Muang had made a pact of friendship with King Mangrai forestalling an attack by the latter against Kingo. That King Ruang (King Ramkhamhæng) of Sukhothai when they had both studied under the same master provided the final link of the basis for the three kings to make an alliance. The pact of friendship between the three kings enabled the Tai to expand their territory and ensured that they did not have to worry about each other. Inviting his two allies to review the city plan was the same as receiving their approval to establish the city.

The establishment of the city was based on seven auspicious signs unanimously agreed upon by the three kings. These were:

1. Two white deer, a doe and fawn, left the forest to the north of the city and came and settled in the grove where the city was to be established. This was interpreted to mean that people would come in large numbers to pay their respects.

2. Both deer had fearlessly attacked and driven off the hunters’ dogs.

3. While the three kings were inspecting the site for the new city, they saw a white mouse with five offspring come out of the grove and go into a banyan tree. This tree later became a symbol of the city and remained so until is was cut down during the reign of King Tilokarat.

4. The area to the west of the new city was a high mountain which gradually sloped down to the east. The high land preventing flooding was seen as auspicious.

5. From the site of the new city, the waterfall on Doi Suthep could be seen cascading down into the river. First it flowed north, then turned east from where it wound around to the south before flowing in a westerly direction encircling Wiang Kum Kam. This was considered fortunate for the people as it provided water for drinking and other uses.

6. To the north-east of the grove was a large lake. This was interpreted to mean that rulers from many different countries would come to pay their respects.

7. The Raming (Ping) River flowed from the bathing pond of the Lord Buddha (Ang Salung in Doi Chiang Dao) and passed by the eastern side of the city.

These traditional beliefs showed how the perception of fate played as much of a role in determining the site of the city as reason and logic. In rational terms there were several advantages to the siting of the city. Firstly, its location between the Kok and Ping River basins gave it a good strategic position for supervising smaller outlying towns. Secondly, its location on the north-south trading route on the Ping River made it suitable as a centre for trade and commerce. Thirdly, the large area near the Ping River was extremely fertile making it most suitable for a large agricultural community. Finally, the area gently sloped down from the west to the east and was permanently fed by a stream flowing from Doi Suthep. This, along with the large lake to the north-east, ensured a good water supply.

With his friends' approval, King Mangrai founded the new city. The day and time that work on the new city began (based on authenticated inscriptions stored in Wat Chiang Mun) corresponded with the 12th day of April, 1296. City planning was based on astrological theories recorded in an ancient manuscript that determined many aspects of the city layout such as the followers, the life span, the power, the glory, the foundations, the fortifications, the assembly points and inauspicious times.

Work commenced with the digging of moats measuring nine wah (one wah = two metres) and the construction of ramparts from the soil. Digging began at the eastern corner (Chæng Sri Phum) which was considered most auspicious. Bricks were made and placed on both sides of the earthen rampart and on top of the wall. Boundary markers were placed at the four corners. The rectangular shaped walled city was 900 wah wide and 1000 wah long. Together with construction of the king's palace and a market place, the work took a total of four months to complete. When it was finished, King Mangrai celebrated for three days and nights. Then, the three kings gave the city the name Nophaburi Sri Nakhon Ping Chiang Mai.

Text adapted from files found here
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