Formation Following the collapse of the
Yonok Kingdom as a result of a severe earthquake in the 6th century, the remaining settlements consolidated into an alliance and relocated the principal political center to
Wiang Prueksa, which was subsequently governed by a succession of sixteen rulers. Thereafter,
Tai Yuan people of
Wiang Prueksa invited
Lao Chakkaraj, a head of the
Lawa people from
Doi Tung, to became their new ruler. After ascending the throne,
Lao Chakkaraj reconstructed the city, and established it as his new chief center under the name "Hiran Nakhon" in 638. with four additional regional centers besides
Hiran–
Ngoenyang:
Mueang Fang, north of modern
Chiang Mai province;
Mong Hsat in present-day
Shan State, Myanmar; Mueang Hang Rung Rung () in modern
Hot district of Chiang Mai province; and Mueang Jawad Noi () in present-day
Mueang Chiang Mai district. Taken together, these accounts suggest that Ngoenyang was most likely located in the vicinity of
Doi Tung, while Hiran can be more confidently identified with modern
Mae Sai. This conclusion is consistent with archaeological research conducted by Worasit Ophap at
Wiang Phang Kham, an ancient city in
Mae Sai district. His survey found that the site is enclosed by an earthen embankment that divides the settlement into two sections, indicating a later expansion of the city. The site is located in the Doi Wao–Doi Kha–Doi Pa Lao () area, which lies along the same mountain rage as
Doi Tung.
Wiang Phang Kham should therefore be identified as the same city as the city of Ngoenyang. Nevertheless, this identification remains disputed. should be located within the fluvial zone of present-day
northern Thailand, an area subsequently associated with the
Lan Na cultural and political sphere. To substantiate this identification, he argues that He Ling (), described in the text as the northern neighbor of Duo Mo Zhang, is distinct from the He Ling situated south of
Chenla. This distinction is supported by the Biography of Guo Wei, a
Tang noble in
Yunnan, which records a He Ling among the eight polities subdued during his campaign. This confederative arrangement culminated in 738 with the establishment of the
mandala-style kingdom of
Nanzhao, which subsequently emerged as a dominant regional power in
southwestern China and
mainland Southeast Asia and maintained its political primacy until its dissolution in 902. Although no extant historical records explicitly document direct political or diplomatic engagement between
Nanzhao and either the
Tai Yuan kingdom of Ngoenyang or the Lao
muang of
Muang Sua, a constellation of indirect indicators suggests that some degree of contact, interaction, or structural influence was likely. By the 9th century, Nanzhao had developed into a territorially expansive polity, extending approximately 600–700 miles from north to south. In parallel, a substantial corpus of oral tradition and popular historiography asserts that
Nong Zhigao escaped southward into what is now
northern Thailand, where he is venerated as an ancestral figure by various
Tai-speaking communities, who, among other Tais, identify themselves as descendants or cultural inheritors of his movement.
Southern military expansion Another episode of
Tai Yuan political expansion is recorded in the
Northern Chronicle. Around the reign of
Suvacanaraja of
Mueang Chaliang, which commenced in 1052, the ruler of
Chiang Saen, Śrīdharmatripiṭaka (ศรีธรรมไตรปิฎก), is described as having mobilized a coalition force drawn from
Chiang Rai, Chiang Lue (), Chiang Ngoen (either Ngoenyang or
Xiengngeun),
Chiang Tung,
Chiang Fang, and
Chiang Nan, and advancing southward to attack
Mueang Chaliang. In response, Brahmavidhiḥ (), ruler of Mueang Pichai Chiang Mai (), also known as , and a nephew of Suvacanaraja, ordered the evacuation of populations from the regions corresponding to modern
Nan, as well as
Phrae and
Lampang, consolidating them at his principal center before advancing to reinforce his uncle at
Mueang Chaliang. By this time, Mueang Chaliang had already undergone significant fortification and military preparation from the outset of Suvacanarāja’s reign, supplemented by support from his father-in-law, the Chinese monarch. Meanwhile, Śrīdharmatripiṭaka continued to exercise a significant regional role, notably through the reconstruction of
Phitsanulok, After ceding the throne at Chiang Saen to his younger son, he is said to have relocated to Phitsanulok in 1106, where he established his authority and governed until his death. According to these accounts, Ngoenyang was subjected to invasions by neighboring powers, notably Mueang Kaew Prakan () and
Candrapuri. Mueang Kaew Prakan is commonly identified with
Xiangkhouang (
Muang Phuan) Following the conclusion of Chueang’s reign, the polities under his lineage developed into autonomous
mueang, each exercising independent authority while maintaining dynastic and ritual ties to one another. Upon his enthronement, Mangrai founded the city of
Chiang Rai, designating it as his new capital. This act marked the end of the Lao Dynasty of Ngoenyang Chiang Lao and the beginning of the
Mangrai dynasty, which later became the foundation of the
Lan Na Kingdom. ==Rulers==