principality · Mainland Southeast Asia

Principality of Lampang

1732 CE – 1899 CE (approx.) · capital Lampang

A northern Thai principality whose Chet Ton dynasty led the expulsion of the Burmese from Lan Na and later ruled Chiang Mai.

Origins

In 1732 Nan Thip Chang, a hunter turned local leader, drove out a Burmese-backed governor from Lampang and was recognised as ruler. His descendants, known as the Chet Ton or Chao Chet Ton dynasty, governed Lampang under Burmese overlordship.

Rule and society

Lampang was a rice-growing principality on the Wang river with the revered Wat Phra That Lampang Luang. In the 1770s its ruler Kawila allied with the Thonburi Kingdom and helped drive the Burmese out of Lan Na. Thereafter Lampang was a Siamese vassal, and Kawila's family also governed Chiang Mai and Lamphun.

Decline and legacy

Lampang kept its own princes during the 19th century, while British timber firms logged teak in its forests. The provincial reforms of the Rattanakosin Kingdom brought it under direct administration from 1899, and Lampang is now a province of Thailand.

Lineage

Principality of LampangRattanakosin Kingdom 1782 CE – 1932 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Principality of Lampang. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-lampang
MLA
“Principality of Lampang.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-lampang. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Principality of Lampang.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-lampang.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Principality of Lampang’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/principality-of-lampang (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻