4 - The North

Summary

Background

Prior to 1809, the upper Northern Region or “Lanna Kingdom” (Lanna means the land of a million rice fields) with Chiang Mai as the capital had a close relationship with Burma after which relations with Bangkok developed and grew stronger. As Siam's vassal state, Lanna had to send royal tributes, gifts, and soldiers in times of war to Bangkok. Lanna was granted autonomy by the Siamese government thus the kingdom could appoint its own governor and viceroy. Lanna was free from being governed by Bangkok until the 1860s. The Northern Region extends to the upper Central Region, or the part that is usually called the lower Northern Region, covering the area occupied by nine provinces today: Nakhon Sawan, Tak, Sukhothai, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Phetchabun, and Uthai Thani.

In the nineteenth century, the population of the Northern Region comprised of Thais, Chinese, and various minority groups such as Khmu, Lau, Karen, Meo, Yao, and other ethnic groups. The Northern Region's subsistence economy focused mainly on rice cultivation. Households made various goods mostly for their own consumption through exchanges within the villages. Exchanges also took place between northern villages and nearby regions such as Yunnan and Burma due to the limited access of the mountainous terrain and because waterway transportation was prohibitively expensive. The North traded with Yunnan Province in China and the city of Moulmein in Burma, using mules and horses. Yunnanese and Shan merchants brought iron, opium, brass pans, and beeswax from Yunnan and would buy salt, areca nut, and raw cotton from the North and lac, ivory, and tobacco from Moulmein.

The North traded with Burma and China more than with Bangkok because of better transportation. Bowring stated that in 1855 the river flowing to Bangkok, from Chiang Mai to Rahaeng [Tak], was treacherous. Intercity trade was very limited, most of which was through exchanges of goods. Bowring therefore concluded that:

Currency was rare and it could almost be said that trade was through the exchange of goods. Salt was highly lucrative and could be exchanged with any goods. Salt, one of Bangkok's goods, was sold at very high prices in Chiang Mai.