Wiang Prueksa (also spelled Wiang Pueksa; ), also known as Wiang Chiang Saen Noi (), was an ancient polity of the Tai Yuan people, centered at Ban Sop Kham (), in present-day Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It comprised a number of settlements that survived the fall of the Yonok Kingdom, traditionally attributed to earthquakes in the late 5th century.
In the mid 7th century, the Tai Yuan people of Wiang Prueksa invited Lao Chakkaraj, a leader of the Lawa people from Doi Tung, to become their new ruler. After ascending the throne, Lao Chakkaraj constructed a new city at Mae Sai and established it as his principal center under the name Hiran Nakhon, marking the beginning of the Ngoenyang Kingdom. This polity later developed into the Lan Na Kingdom, which was formally established in 1292 during the reign of King Mangrai the Great.Wyatt, D. K. Thailand, A Short History, p. 35–38, Bangkok 2003
History Following the fall of Yonok Nakhon and the end of the Singhanati dynasty in the 6th century, a group of survivors led by Khun Lang, together with Khun Phanna and other community leaders, migrated east of the former Yonok capital to establish a new settlement on the western bank of the Mekong River. This settlement became known as Wiang Pueksa or Wiang Prueksa, also referred to as Wiang Chiang Saen Noi ().
The ruler of Wiang Pueksa was not selected through hereditary succession but through public consultation, a process known as pueksa (; ). According to the chronicles, the inhabitants collectively chose their leader, following principles resembling a proto-democratic system, in which each settlement appointed its own governor. In total, sixteen rulers of Wiang Pueksa are recorded in the traditional accounts.
During the same broad period, a new political center emerged in the Doi Tung region under Lao Chakkaraj, regarded as the first ruler of Hiran Ngoenyang Chiang Lao. Lao Chakkaraj consolidated surrounding settlements to form this polity and founded the Lao dynasty, which later became the royal lineage of King Mangrai, the founder of the Lan Na Kingdom.Manuscript Chronicle of Yonok Nakhon Chiang Saen, Wat Chiang Man version, Chiang Mai.Manuscript Chronicle of Singhanavati Yonok, Wat Lam Poeng version, Chiang Rai.Apichit Sirichai. Analysis of Local Chronicles: On Yonok Nakhon, Wiang Si Tuang, Wiang Phang Kham, Ngoenyang, and the History of Wat Phra That Chom Kitti, Wiang Subdistrict, Chiang Saen District, Chiang Rai Province. 1st edition. Chiang Rai: Lanna Wheel Press, 2017.
List of Rulers The list of rulers is derived from the Legend of Singhanati. However, the chronology proposed in the 1973 critical edition of the legend prepared by Manit Vallipodom raises significant historiographical concerns. In this edition, the regnal years of the 16 monarchs are dated between 1558 and 1638 BE (1015–1095 CE), based on Manit's identification of the years given in the original legend with the Chula Sakarat era. This dating conflicts with other textual traditions, which associate Wiang Prueksa with the era of Lao Chakkaraj, whose reign is conventionally placed in the mid-7th century CE, beginning around 638/639 CE. Moreover, during the period proposed by Manit, the Chiang Saen area—the center of Wiang Prueksa—is generally understood to have been in the late phase of Ngoenyang, which itself is regarded as the successor polity to Wiang Prueksa.
Phiset Chiachanphong has proposed instead that the Tṛtīya Era (, tertiary era) named in the legend is the Shaka era. On that reading the last reign at Wiang Prueksa coincides with the accession of Lao Chakkaraj; the final column of the table gives the resulting dates.
Name Reign length(years)Period Romanized Thai Original legend(Unspecified era) By Manit Vallipodom(Buddhist Era; BE) Legendary dates in theSE converted to the CEKhun Lang ขุนลัง 11 378–386 (478–486?)1558–1569456–464 (556–564?) Khun Changขุนชาง7 ?–4921567–1574?–570 Khun Lanขุนลาน9 ?–5001573–1582?–578 Khun Thanขุนทาม7?–507 1582–1589?–585 Khun Tamขุนตาม10?–516 1588–1598 ?–594 Khun Tongขุนตน5(unmentioned) 1597–1602 Khun Timขุนติม7?–520 1601–1608 ?–598 Khun Taengขุนแตง5?–530 1607–1612 ?–608 Khun Chanขุนจัน4?–533 1611–1615 ?–611 Khun Khongขุนคง5?–537 1614–1619 ?–615 Khun Chomขุนจอม6?–5411618–1624 ?–619 Khun Chongขุนชง3(unmentioned)1622–1625 Khun Seekขุนชิง3?–550 1624–1627?–628 Khun Itthiขุนอิทธิ4(unmentioned)1631–1635 Khun Phatthaขุนสุทธิ5(unmentioned)1634–1639 Khun Sukhขุนสุข13??–559–? 1638–1651 ?–637–?
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