The Kingdom of Hiran or Kingdom of Ngoenyang ( th, อาณาจักรหิรัญเงินยาง ) was an early
mueang or kingdom of the
Northern Thai people from the 7th through 13th centuries AD and was originally centered on Hiran, formerly Vieng Preuksa, in modern-day
Thailand near today's
Mae Sai District in
Chiang Rai
Chiang Rai ( th, เชียงราย, ; nod, , เจียงฮาย, ) is the northernmost major city in Thailand, with a population of about 200,000 people. It is located in Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai Province. Chiang Rai ...
, and later on Ngoenyang or
Chiang Saen. Ngoenyang was the successor to the mueang of
Singhanavati
The Singhanavati (; ) Kingdom was based along the Kok River, in the Chiang Rai Basin in northern Thailand. The ancient Lanna society of northern Thailand was considered more progressive than many other contemporary societies in other regions bec ...
. King
Mangrai, the 17th king of Ngoenyang, went on to found
Lanna.
In contrast to most contemporary
Tai states, Ngoenyang was mentioned in local chronicles, which provide some information about its history.
In 545 AD, an earthquake destroyed the city of Naknakorn and thus the mueang of Singhanavati. Survivors gathered together and an elective monarchy was established there. The mueang was named Vieng Prueksa, as ''prueksa'' means "to counsel".
After 93 years of elective monarchy, Phraya Kalavarnadishraj of the
Lavo Kingdom forced the Vieng Prueksa to accept Phraya Lavachakkaraj as their king in 638 AD. Lavachakkaraj renamed the mueang Hiran.
Lavachakka is hypothesized to have been a tribal chief in the area who gained the support of the Lavo Kingdom. The Lavachakkaraj or "Lao dynasty" would go on to rule the area for 700 years.
Lao kiang __NOTOC__
Lao may refer to:
Laos
* Something of, from, or related to Laos, a country in Southeast Asia
* Lao people (people from Laos, or of Lao descent)
* The Lao language
* Lao script, the writing system used to write the Lao language
** Lao ...
, the ninth king of Hiran, founded the city of Ngoenyang (modern Chiang Saen) around 850 AD, moved the capital there, and thus became the first King of Ngoenyang. The territorial claims of Ngoenyang extended from Chiang Saen in the west through parts of modern
Laos north of
Luang Prabang to Thaeng (modern
Điện Biên Phủ
Điện Biên Phủ (, meaning: ''Established Frontier Prefecture''), is a city in the northwestern region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Điện Biên Province. The city is best known for the decisive Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, which occ ...
,
Vietnam). Ngoenyang fell under the dominion of the
Lu mueang
Chiang Hung
Chiang Hung, Sipsongpanna or Keng Hung ( th, เมืองหอคำเชียงรุ่ง; Mueang Ho Kham Chiang Rung, zh, 車里 or 江洪) was one of the states of Shans under the suzerainty of Burma and China.
Chiang Hung was inh ...
in the north around 1250 AD and remained within that orbit until the
Mongol invasions again shifted power in the area.
The religion of Ngoenyang kingdom was heavily influenced by the
Theravada Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
of the
Hariphunchai kingdom to the south. Around 1250,
Lao meng the 16th king of Ngoenyang founded Chiangrai and his son, Mangrai, moved the capital to Chiang Rai when he was crowned as the king of Ngoenyang in 1262. In 1281, Mangrai invaded
Hariphunchai and captured the capital (modern
Lamphun).
List of Rulers of Hiran Kingdom Age
* 1. Phraya Lavachakkaraj
* 2. Lao Khao Kaew Mah Mueng
* 3. Lao Sao
* 4. Lao Tang
* 5. Lao Ghrom
* 6. Lao Lheaw
* 7. Lao Gab
* 8. Lao Kim
List of Rulers of NgeonYang Kingdom Age
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