Burmese–Siamese War (1802–1805)

After the capture of Chiang Mai by King Bayinnaung of the Burmese Toungoo dynasty in 1558,[2] the whole Lanna kingdom (modern Northern Thailand) came under the Burmese rule, for about 200 years.[3] In 1774, the native Tai Yuan chiefs Paya Chabaan and Paya Kawila conflicted with Thado Mindin the Burmese governor of Chiangmai and decided to join Siam,[2][4] leading to the successful Siamese capture of Chiangmai by Chao Phraya Chakri (King Rama I). Then, most of the Lanna city-states including Chiangmai, Lampang and Nan came under Siamese rule. The northern towns of Chiang Saen and Chiang Rai, however, remained under Burmese rule.[2] King Taksin of Thonburi appointed Paya Chabaan as Phraya Wichenprakarn the ruler of Chiangmai and Paya Kawila as the ruler of Lampang. Thado Mindin the former Burmese governor of Chiangmai moved to become the governor of Chiang Saen, which served as the center of Burmese interests in Lanna territories. King Singu Min sent Burmese forces to invade Chiangmai in 1776.[1] Phraya Wichenprakarn of Chiangmai, with inferior manpower, decided to abandon[1] the city in the face of Burmese invasion and, together with the whole inhabitants of the city, retreated and took refuge down south in Sawankhalok. Chiangmai ceased to exist as a city. The town of Lampang, ruled by Prince Kawila, became the first-line defense against the Burmese incursions.

Chiang Saen became the base for Burmese operations to reclaim the lost dominions in Lanna. During the Nine Armies' War in 1785, Thado Mindin the governor of Chiang Saen and Prince Thado Thiri Maha Uzana led the massive army of 30,000 men[5] to lay siege on Lampang. Prince Kawila held the town for four months until the Siamese relief forces arrived from the south and expelled the Burmese in 1786. Thado Mindin invaded Lampang again in 1787.[5] Prince Maha Sura Singhanat, younger brother of King Rama I, personally led the Siamese army to help Prince Kawila successfully repel the Burmese. Thado Mindin (Po Myo Wun in Thai sources) was captured and sent to Bangkok. King Rama I restored the city of Chiangmai as the forefront citadel against the Burmese invasion and made Prince Kawila the ruler of Chiangmai in 1787. Thado Mindin later returned to resume the governorship of Chiang Saen.

Burmese Invasion of Chiangmai (1797-98)

Prince Kawila of Chiangmai had defended Northern Siam from Burmese incursions on many occasions. He was crowned as King of Chiangmai by King Rama I in 1803.

King Bodawpaya of Burma was eager to retake the Burmese lost territories in Lanna, east of Salween River.[6] In November 1797, Bodawpaya dispatched the armies with the total number of 55,000 men under the command of Einshe Wun Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu,[6] who had earlier utterly defeated the Siamese at the Battle of Tavoy in 1794, as the Bogyok. Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu marched his Shan army through Mongnai and divided his forces into two routes, each passing through Mong Pan and Mong Hin.[6] The two Shan armies intercepted at Chiangmai and laid siege on the city on all four directions in January 1798. The Burmese also occupied Lamphun to the south of Chiangmai.

King Rama I assigned his younger brother Prince Maha Sura Singhanat of the Front Palace to lead Siamese armies to relieve the siege of Chiangmai in the north.[5] The prince marched the Siamese armies northwards, reaching Thoen. From Thoen, the Prince Maha Sura Singanat sent his close friend Prince Sunthonbhubet and his nephew Prince Thepharirak to Lampang. The two princes marched from Lampang to attack the Burmese-occupied Lamphun, leading to the Battle of Lamphun in April 1798. The Burmese were defeated at Lamphun and retreated to Chiangmai.

Prince Anurak Devesh of the Rear Palace and Prince Anouvong of Vientiane and their armies reinforced the Siamese at Chiangmai. Prince Thepharirak, Prince Sunthonbhubet and Prince Anouvong of Vientiane assaulted the besieging Burmese at Chiangmai. The Burmese were defeated in the Battle of Chiangmai in April 1798[6] and suffered heavy losses. One of the Burmese commanders, Nemyo Kyawdinthiha, was killed by a Siamese gunshot.[6] The Burmese general Upagaung was captured.[6]

Prince Maha Sura Singhanat of the Front Palace, younger brother of King Rama I, led the Siamese armies to support his brother-in-law Prince Kawila on three occasions in 1787, 1797 and 1802. He passed away in November 1803.

King Bodawpaya sent general Einshe Wun Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu to invade and laid siege on Chiangmai and occupy Lamphun again in 1802. The Siamese adopted nearly the same strategies and marching routes as the campaign of 1797-98. King Rama I sent his younger brother Prince Maha Sura Singhanat, who was accompanied by his friend Prince Sunthonbhubet (Prince Sunthonbhubet was originally a Chinese man who was not related to the royal dynasty. He was a close friend of Prince Sura Singhanat and was given a princely rank.) and his general Phraya Kalahom Ratchasena Thongin, to bring the Front Palace Army to the north.[5] The king also sent his nephew Prince Thepharirak and Phraya Yommaraj Boonma to lead the Royal Army. Prince Anouvong, brother of King Inthavong of Vientiane, also led the Lao army to join the campaign.

When the Siamese arrived at Thoen, however, Prince Maha Sura Singhanat suffered from stones.[5] His pain was so great that he had to immerse himself in the water to relieve.[5] From Thoen, there were two routes to Lamphun; the eastern route through Lampang and the western route through Li. Instead of choosing the eastern route as in the campaign of 1797, the prince chose the western route from Thoen to Chiangmai through Li. Unable to personally lead the campaigns, Maha Sura Singhanat assigned Prince Sunthonbhubet and Phraya Kalahom Ratchasena Thongin to go on to march the Front Palace Army to Li. Prince Thepharirak and Phraya Yommaraj Boonma also followed to Li. However, the army of Prince Thepharirak was delayed and fell back behind the Front Palace Army.

Prince Kawila of Chiangmai defended the city against Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu the Burmese commander. Upon learning that the southern Siamese had reached Thoen, Prince Kawila sent a man named Mahayak[5] of great physical strength to go through Burmese blockade to visit Prince Maha Sura Singhanat at Thoen. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat conveyed the messege through Mahayak to Prince Kawila that he had already sent Siamese relief forces to Chiangmai. The Siamese attacked the Burmese at Lamphun and the Burmese were routed.

King Rama I at Bangkok learnt that his younger brother was ill and stayed at Thoen. He sent his another nephew Prince Anurak Devesh for substitution. Prince Anurak Devesh visited his uncle at Thoen. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat gave his nephew the authorities to command the Front Palace Army and ordered him to go to Chiangmai. Meanwhile, Prince Sunthonbhubet and Prince Thepharirak, after the victory at Lamphun, attacked the Burmese at Chiangmai. Prince Anurak Devesh arrived in Chiangmai and ordered the Siamese armies to attack the Burmese in all directions. Nemyo Kyawdin Thihathu was defeated at Chiangmai for the second time and the Burmese retreated northwards. Chiangmai was again saved.

After the Siamese victory at Chiangmai, all of the princes came down to visit Prince Maha Sura Singhanat at Thoen. Prince Anouvong of Vientiane and his Lao army, however, only arrived seven days after the Battle of Chiangmai. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat angered[5] at the delay of the armies of Prince Thepharirak and Prince Anouvong. He then ordered Prince Thepharirak, Prince Kawila, Prince Anouvong and Phraya Yommaraj Boonma to attack and take Chiang Saen. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat and Prince Anurak Devesh then returned to Bangkok.

In 1803, Prince Kawila of Chiangmai was crowned as "King of Chiangmai" as a tributary ruler by the orders of King Rama I for his contributions to the defense of Lanna on many occasions.

Upon his return to Bangkok, the illness of Prince Maha Sura Singhanat subsided. However, his illness flared up again in July 1803. Prince Maha Sura Singhanat passed away in November 1803.[5] Three months later, however, his two eldest sons Prince Lamduan and Prince Inthapat[5] was found training armies for rebellion. Phraya Kalahom Ratchasena Thongin was also implicated. They were executed for treason in February 1804.[5]

Prince Thepharirak and Yommaraj Boonma, who were assigned to take Chiang Saen, stayed at Chiangmai to assemble armies and wait for the dry season.[5] The armies were drafted from the northern towns of Chiangmai, Lampang, and Nan. King Kawila assigned his younger brother and heir Paya Upahad Thammalangka[8] to lead the Lanna army to subjugate Chiang Saen. The Lao army of Prince Anouvong also joined the campaign. The armies comprised of five regiments included;

• The Siamese regiment under Prince Thepharirak and Phraya Yommaraj Boonma
• The Lanna regiment under Paya Upahad Thammalangka of Chiangmai with 1,000[10]> men.
• The Lao regiment under Prince Anouvong of Vientiane
• The regiment under Prince Kamsom of Lampang (younger brother of King Kawila) with 1,000[10] men.
• The regiment under Prince Atthawarapanyo of Nan with 1,000[10] men.

All five regments set off from Chiangmai, Lampang and Nan northwards to attack Chiang Saen in April 1804. Nakhwa, the governor of Chiang Saen was a son of the exiled Sao Kawng Tai the saopha of Kengtung.[8] Thado Mindin, the former governor of Chiang Saen, led the Burmese defenses. After besieging Chiang Saen for about one month, the combined Siamese-Lanna-Lao forces were unable to take the city. As he ran out of food resources, Prince Thepharirak decided to retreat, leaving only Lanna and Lao armies at Chiang Saen. However, the inhabitants of Chiang Saen also suffered from starvation and rebelled against Burmese authorities.[5] Paya Thammalangka and his allies was then able to take Chiang Saen. Thado Mindin was shot to death in the battle. Nakhwa and the Burmese retreated north beyong Mekong. Thammalangka pursued and captured Nakhwa. Nakhwa, together with his father Sao Kawng Tai, was sent to Bangkok to King Rama I. Nakhwa later died of illness at Bangkok.

Chiang Saen was plundered and destroyed. The victors captured the total 23,000[5] inhabitants of Chiang Saen and divided them into five equal portions. Each portion was deported to settle in Chiangmai, Lampang, Nan, Vientiene and Siam. Prince Thepharirak and Yommaraj Boonma led the Siamese war spoils into Siamese central plains and had them settled in Saraburi and Ratchaburi. As Prince Thepharirak returned to Bangkok empty-handed, King Rama I angered and had the prince and Yommaraj Boonma imprisoned for five days until the royal anger subsided.[5] Prince Thepharirak passed away in March 1805 due to illness.

Siamese victories over the Burmese in Lanna in 1802 and 1804 allowed them to expand their influences, through the Lanna princes, into the northernmost Tai princedoms. In August 1804, King Rama I ordered all the northern lords including Chiangmai, Lampang, Phrae, Nan and the Lao kings of Luang Phrabang and Vientiane[5] to march north to subjugate the Shan States, which had been under Burmese suzerainty, east of Salween River. The armies were also drafted from the Northern Siamese towns of Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Sawankhalok, Phichit and Pichai.[5] The main objectives of this campaign were the states of Mongyawng and Chiang Hung (modern Jinghong in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture). Chiang Hung was the center of "Sipsongpanna" - the federation of Tai Lue tribes that roughly corresponds to modern Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture. Sipsongpanna was the former territory of Lanna Kingdom during the times of Mangrai dynasty in the fifteenth century.[11] However, since the sixteenth century, Sipsongpanna had been caught between the domination of Burma and China as its ruler sought recognition from both empires.[12]

King Kawila of Chiangmai assigned his brother Paya Thammalangka[8] to lead the Lanna troops to the north. Prince Thammalangka marched to Mongyawng in March 1805. The saopha of Mongyawng surrendered to the Lanna troops without fighting[5][8] and Maha Hkanan of Kengtung, who had taken refuge there, escaped again to hide in the forests. Paya Thammalangka moved the 10,000[5] people from Kengtung and Mongyawng to settle in Chiangmai.

Prince Atthawarapanyo of Nan led his army to subjugate the Tai Lue princedoms to the northeast in March 1805. The Nan army attacked the Tai Lue towns of Vieng Phouka and Luang Namtha (in modern Luang Namtha Province) first. The ruler of Vieng Phouka surrendered but the ruler of Luang Namtha fled to Mengpeng.[5] Atthawarapanyo proceeded from Vieng Phouka to Mengpeng. Paya Pap, the ruler of Mengpeng abandoned his town and fled to Menglun. As the Nan army approached Chiang Hung, all the princes of Mengpeng, Menglun, and Mengla (all in the Mengla County) of the Sipsongpanna confederacy retreated to the city of Chiang Hung (Jinghong). Chiang Hung peacefully surrendered to the invaders.[5] The ruler of Kengcheng (modern Muang Sing) also submitted. Mahanoi, the ruler of Chiang Hung, was under-aged and was under the regency of his uncle Prince Mahavang. Chiang Hung court then sent Prince Mahavang as his delegate to Bangkok for submission. Prince Atthawarapanyo of Nan moved about 40,000 to 50,000[5] Tai Lue people from Sipsongpanna to settle in Nan and his other dominions.

The whole entourage of Tai Lue princes, headed by the ruler of Kengcheng, including Prince Mahavang of Chiang Hung, Paya Pap of Mengpeng and Paya Kamlue of Mengla, traveled down south to visit King Rama I at Bangkok in May 1805.[5] King Rama I realized that the Siamese rule over the Northernmost Tai states was impractical[5] due to sheer distance and mountainous geographical obstacles so he allowed all of the Tai Lue princes to return to their territories.

The Burmese Invasion of Chiangmai in 1802 was the last Burmese incursion into Lanna or Northern Thailand. The Siamese victory at Chiang Saen eliminated any remaining Burmese influences on Lanna. Siamese successes in Lanna also enabled Siam to expand influences into the Northernmost Tai Kingdoms of Kengtung and Chiang Hung through military expeditions of the Lanna princes. Active resettlement campaigns of King Kawila, however, left Kengtung devastated and depopulated.[7] The Siamese rule over these Northern Tai states, however, was temporary and Siam was soon to lose these states in the 1810s.

Sao Kawng Tai of Kengtung, who was captured in 1802 and sent to Bangkok in 1804, returned to live at Chiangmai in exile. His brother Maha Hkanan, however, led the resistance against the Burmese in the jungles of Kengtung. King Bodawpaya sent armies to reclaim Kengtung. After the protracted guerilla warfare, Maha Hkanan decided to accept Burmese suzerainty and was officially appointed as the ruler of Kengtung by Bodawpaya in 1813.[7] Kengtung then reverted back to the Burmese domination.

King Kawila sent Lanna armies to subjugate Chiang Hung in 1812. However, the Lanna armies were defeated by joint Burmese-Chinese forces. Siam only attempted to exert authority over Kengtung and Chiang Hung again some fifty years later in the Siamese Invasions of Kengtung in 1849 and 1852-54.