The Decline of Political and Economic Power of Northern Royalty: Lampang City

Abstract

          This article examines the decline of political and economic power of northern royalty in Lampang City. It demonstrates that under the centralization efforts of the Chakkri dynasty in Bangkok through the administrative system known as the “thesaphiban” system resulted in the transformation of local leaders in the north into civil servants for the central government of Siam. Through the thesaphiban system, the Lampang Chief lost power but gained the rank of nobility and was given a salary in exchange. The Siamese government began its administrative reforms of the Lanna area in 1884, and as a result the roles of the Commissioners from the central state in Bangkok increased while the roles of various local leaders in Lanna decreased. In 1922 when “Chao (Prince) Boonyawatwongmanit,” the last Lampang Chief, passed away, the noble titles of all Northern Chiefs were abolished by Royal Decree. This article, therefore, has as its main objective to explain the decline of economic and political power of Local Chiefs in Lampang City. This article describes the process by which northern royals lost economic and political power by looking at the case of Lampang City at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, and explains in details of the process of centralization initiated by Siam. Excluding the administrative reforms that exchanged the north from a system of dependent states to an administrative area in the Monthon Thesaphiban system, the expansion of a capitalist economy was the most important external factor that led to the decline of Northern Royalty. The influx of capitalism, for example, with the export of teak and the import of consumer products, to Lanna had an impact on the chiefs, who could not adjust to new economic, monetary systems. The chiefs looked for new financial resources by taking loans from the royal treasury of Siam. Finally, they preferred to be loyal to Siam as clients until the final collapse of northern royalty.