Formation The region was inhabited since the
Neolithic–
Iron Ages. Chaliang layout is also the model for
Haripuñjaya's plan, which Hermit
Suthep built, indicating that it existed before
Haripuñjaya's establishment in 629. In the first era, Chaliang's initial territory included or to the northeast and met
Sukhothai to the south. Hermit Satchanalai had four colleagues, each of whom played an important role in the establishment of the ancient kingdoms in modern-day Thailand, as detailed below. • Satchanalai, founder of Chaliang and assisted
Suthep in establishing
Haripuñjaya. • Sukkatanta, teacher of
Camadevi. Initially, Chaliang was under
Mon's Sukhothai, which itself was a trading hotspot of the
Lavo Kingdom. which Lawrence P. Briggs speculated to have been an early Chinese attempt to transcribe the name of the country or the people of the upper and central
Menam, and the 9-year-long
Angkorian civil wars, which led to the destruction of
Lavapura by the Angkorian king
Suryavarman I in 1002. These were potentially the reasons for Lavo's decrease in influence over northern polities, which included Chaliang and Sukhothai, in the mid-10th century. In the late 10th century, after
Suphannabhum and
Haripuñjaya joined forces and retook
Lavapura from the
Angkor in 1052 and moved the capital to
Ayodhya in 1080s. However, Lavapura was probably taken back by a
Tai royal from Phraek Si Racha (; present-day
Sankhaburi) in the 13th century. which later expanded its influence on
Sukhothai.
Sukhothai period , built by a princess of king Thammaracha in the 10th century.|thumb|260px After Chaliang led by
Sri Naw Nam Thum in 1157, the seat was moved to
Sukhothai, which subsequently led to the establishment of the
Sukhothai Kingdom in 1238. Chaliang went nearly 50 years without a ruler According to the text given in several Sukhothai inscriptions, Chaliang or Si Satchanalai was a city-level settlement, comparable to and equal to
Sukhothai, both of which were considered capital cities ruled by the kings of the
Sukhothai-
Si Satchanalai Kingdom. After the reign of
Lithai,
Sukhothai declined; both Sukhothai and Chaliang were vassals of the
Ayutthaya Kingdom. According to the legend, Khottrabong () was appointed the ruler.
Ayutthaya period During this era, Chaliang was known as
Sawankalok. Historical records on Chaliang during this period are sparse.
Sukhothai and the aforementioned principalities were collectively called by
Ayutthaya as the Northern cities (). Thai chronicles revised during the
Rattanakosin period list these four cities as four of the sixteen vassal states of the
Ayutthaya Kingdom during the reign of King
Ramathibodi I. However, since the information about these vassals conflicts with other evidence, it is assumed that they were added to the chronicles later, perhaps during the reign of King
Intharacha. Due to the succession issue of
Sukhothai which was determined by Ayutthaya, , the son of
Maha Thammaracha IV of Sukhothai, was not satisfying to be appointed as the ruler of a lower-tier city,
Songkwae–Phitsanulok. He therefore pledged allegiance to
Lan Na in 1452 and advised King
Tilokaraj of Lan Na to invade the northern cities of Ayutthaya. As a result, Ayutthaya demoted three of its four northern cities, including
Songkwae,
Sukhothai, and
Kamphaeng Phet, from vassals to frontier cities and sent central nobles to govern instead; Chaliang remained its vassal status until it was conquered by
Lan Na in 1462 when it was renamed Chienjuen (). Ayutthaya re-gained Chaliang in the following years. Nevertheless, Chaliang was occasionally deserted as a result of the people escaping the war, as it was situated on the route of the warring parties between Ayutthaya, Burma, and Lan Na. ==Rulers==