theocracy · Mainland Southeast Asia
Sawangkhaburi regime
Origins
After the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767, a senior monk known as Chao Phra Fang, formerly abbot in Fang (Sawangkhaburi, near Uttaradit), gathered followers and established his own regime in the upper Nan river region, retaining his monk's robes while exercising political power.
Rule and society
The regime was unusual in being led by monks: Chao Phra Fang and senior monks among his followers held both religious and military authority. In 1768 it absorbed the Phitsanulok regime after the death of its ruler. Its power rested on control of northern rice lands and the loyalty of local troops.
Decline and legacy
In 1770 Taksin of the Thonburi Kingdom marched north and captured Sawangkhaburi. Chao Phra Fang fled and disappeared. Taksin then purged and reformed the northern sangha, re-ordaining monks whose conduct was doubted.
Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Phitsanulok regime was conquered by Sawangkhaburi regime1768 CE
- Sawangkhaburi regime was conquered by Thonburi Kingdom1770 CE
More states of Mainland Southeast Asia →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sawangkhaburi regime. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sawangkhaburi-regime
- MLA
- “Sawangkhaburi regime.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sawangkhaburi-regime. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Sawangkhaburi regime.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sawangkhaburi-regime.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sawangkhaburi regime’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sawangkhaburi-regime (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻