Thailand Ascendent

The Sukothai Rebellion.

(This happened in out own time line in about some time between 1450 and 1460 so it is not too unreasonable that it should happen in this slightly different TL. Ayudhyan influence is likely to be stronger in this TL because they have better access earlier than they did in OTL,)

The Thai states of the Kra Isthmus readily joined the expanding Ayudhyan empire wooed by its increasing wealth, and awed by its military strength.

To the north the remnant of the Lan Na kingdom had been slowly gaining strength under the guidance of Sean Phu, who had come to power after the death of Sam Fang Kean in 1454. Lan Na had slowly recovered some of its power after the fall of Chian Mai, Sean Phu had expanded his kingdom north into the Shan states and in 1462 he made an alliance with Luang Prabang against Ayudhya.

The forces of Luang Prabang began a march on Nan while those of Lan Na made an attempt to capture Chian Mai. The results of the battles were generally inconclusive, and the war began to evolve into a stalemate. However in 1466 capitalising on the disruption caused by the war to the north the Sukhotai revolted. Suddenly Ayudhya was cut in two.

The revolt was quickly suppressed, but its effects allowed the forces of Luang Prabang to liberate Nan. To the west Lan Na had less success and Chiang Mai remained firmly part of Ayudhya. A generation of warfare and the loss of its most populous regions had taken its toll on the Lan Na kingdom and over the next few years Lan Na was absorbed by its ally Luang Prabang. Had Luang Prabang been able to continue to grow in this manner it could have seriously threatened Ayudhya, and might have formed a more northerly Thai empire.

For ten years there was occasional warfare between Luang Prabang and Ayudhya. mainly over the provinces of Nan, still held by Luang Prabang and over Phayo one of the provinces of the decayed Lan Na kingdom.

(There are the beginnings of major divergences from OTL here, I’ve assumed that Lan Na is still able to expand northwards into the Shan states to gain extra manpower. The alliance with Luang Prabang didn’t happen in OTL, but as Ayudhya is much larger than either of them it makes sense that they unite to oppose their major rival in the Thai world. In OTL Lan Na takes longer to begin to suffer from a shortage of manpower, but in its reduced form the decay will occur sooner.)

Ayudhya, began to expand in the south once more after the disruption caused by the northern wars. But expansion was slower as a result of a greater need for military strength in the north and also the Mons were less willing to submit to Thai rule. Once again attention was turned toward the goal of dominating the trade of the Bay of Bengal. From their port city of Mergui they began a slow advance up the coast toward Tavoy. An attack on the Moulmain state of the Mons was attempted through the Three Pagodas Pass, but was beaten back by determined resistance.

In 1479 the growth of the empire of Luang Prabang was brought to a premature end. when an invasion by Vietnam succeeded in capturing the capital. Ayudhya was quickly able to extend its dominion over the former provinces of Lan Na, capturing Phayo, and accepting control of Chiang Saen, Hang and Fang.

The Vietnamese had over stretched themselves, in their capture of Luang Prabang and with grim determination Suvanna Banlang the new king of the country retook its former capital. Unfortunately he did not live long to enjoy his victories, and his son La Sean Thai was crowned in Vientiane in 1486.

Taking advantage of the relative peace that the Vietnamese invasion had created Ayudhya continued to pursue their attempts to dominate the trade on the Bay of Bengal. By the time king Trailok died of old age in 1488, Ayudhya had succeeded in capturing the coast between Mergui and Tavoy and securing Moulmein from the Mons.

(The Vietnamese invasion of Luang Prabang did occur in 1479, only to be beaten back by determined Lao resistance. In fact they must have been severely chastised by their defeat in OTL because they don’t invade again until the end of the seventeenth century. The invasion was a convenient manner in which to release the weakened provinces of Lan Na annexed by Luang Prabang and have them reabsorbed by Ayudhya. Ayudhya is now in a very strong position they have under their control most of the population of the region. And they are now able to concentrate on the Thai domination of trade, now that their most serious competition has withered.

Note on geography: this brings the Ayudhya state roughly to where the northern edge of Thailand is today. There is slightly more northern penetration of the Shan states. There is as yet little penetration of the Khorat Plateau of eastern Thailand. in the south east there is sporadic fighting against the Cambodian kingdom over control of the region around Angkor. To the west the Tenasserim coast has been captured as far as Moulmein.)