The Ngiao rebellion ( th, กบฏเงี้ยว) in 1902 was an uprising of

Tai Yai The Shan people ( shn, တႆး; , my, ရှမ်းလူမျိုး; ), also known as the Tai Long, or Tai Yai are a Tai ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The Shan are the biggest minority of Burma (Myanmar) and primarily live in th ...

(Shan, historically known in Thai as ''Ngiao'') people against Siamese rule, in what is now Phrae province in

northern Thailand Northern Thailand, or more specifically Lanna, is geographically characterised by several mountain ranges, which continue from the Shan Hills in bordering Myanmar to Laos, and the river valleys which cut through them. Though like most of Thailand ...

. It arose as resistance to centralizing reforms initiated by King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

, particularly the levying of taxes and the adoption of the Monthon Thesaphiban provincial administration system, as well as the partitioning of territory with the British, which forced the Shan to adopt either British or Siamese nationality. In the morning of 25 July 1902, rebels attacked and looted the town of

Phrae Phrae (; ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northern Thailand, capital of Phrae Province. The town occupies ''tambon'' Nai Wiang of Mueang Phrae District. It has an area of nine kilometres2 and a population of 17,971 (2005). Phrae is 555 km no ...

, killing over twenty government officials including the royal commissioner, Phraya Ratcharitthanon. The rebellion was soon quelled by troops from Bangkok led by

Chaophraya Surasakmontri Field Marshal Chaophraya Surasakmontri, sometimes spelled as Chao Phraya Surasak (1851–1931) was a Thai Field marshal (Thailand), field marshal, nobleman, and businessman. He was best known in Haw wars campaign. He served as List of commanders- ...

. Ten rebel leaders were executed, sixteen were took to Bangkok for imprisonment, and , the ruler of Phrae, escaped into exile in

Luang Phrabang Luang Phabang, ( Lao: ຫລວງພະບາງ/ ຫຼວງພະບາງ) or ''Louangphabang'' (pronounced ), commonly transliterated into Western languages from the pre-1975 Lao spelling ຫຼວງພຣະບາງ (ຣ = silent r) ...

. The revolt was part of several acts of resistance that arose in the fringes of the country in the 1890s to early 1900s. A few months earlier, the

Holy Man's Rebellion The Holy Man's Rebellion ( th, กบฏผู้มีบุญ), took place between March 1901 and January 1936. It started when supporters of the Phu Mi Bun religious movement initiated an armed rebellion against French Indochina and Siam, aim ...

in the Northeast saw rebels sack the town of Khemmarat before being routed by the Siamese army. While it was unclear whether and to what extent the local rulers supported the rebellion in Phrae, the local lordship of Phrae was ended, and further reforms were put into place that helped Siam fully annex the former lands of

Lanna The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

and assimilate its people.

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Further reading