Chet Ton Dynasty

The Chet Ton Dynasty (Thai: เชื้อเจ็ดตน; (RTGS: Chuea Chet Ton; meaning the Dynasty of the Seven Lords), also spelled Jedton, or officially, Thipphachakkrathiwong Dynasty (Thai: ราชวงศ์ทิพย์จักราธิวงศ์), was the royal house to which King Kavila, ruler of Lanna from 1782, belonged.

History

The Royal cemetery of the Chet Ton Dynasty at Wat Suan Dok, Chiang Mai.

It was established towards the end of the reign of King Thai Sa of Ayutthaya by Thipchang of Nan, a mahout and woodsman who was appointed ruler of Lampang City for good military deeds. Afterwards his grandson, urged by King Kavila, helped restore southern Lanna with the help of the royal army of King Taksin the Great of Thonburi.

The Chet Ton dynasty is noted for having formed ties with other older Lannanese dynasties such as the Mangrai and Chiengsaen dynasties of which King Mangrai the Great and Phya Ngammuang were respective members thereby incorporating them into the dynasty through marriage.

Moreover, many female members of the Chet Ton Dynasty intermarried with members of the Chakri Dynasty; two such worth noting are Princess Sri Anocha, sister of King Kavila of Chiang Mai and wife of Maha Sura Singhanat who was the younger brother and right hand of the first monarch of the Chakri dynasty of Siam, and Princess Dara Rasmi, daughter of King Inthawichayanon of Chiang Mai and one of the princess consorts of Chulalongkorn, King Rama V of Siam. It is held that such a bond between the two dynasties, forged since the dawn of the Bangkok Era, proved to help ease the transition of Lanna into the lands of Siam proper.

Seal

The seal of the Chet Ton Dynasty is the representative seal for those who attach the royal suffix na Lampang to their surnames, passed down since before the reforms of traditional land division were imposed. The seal shows a white cockerel standing on a crystal pedestal surrounded by flowers of various kinds. This seal is likely still preserved in that of Lord Subhadra Bhubanija Charoenkula Viratana Kasem na Lampang.

References

• The Chronicles of Chiang Mai Ed.2, trans. David K. Wyatt and Aroonrat Wichienkaeo, Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1998, pp141-157 ISBN 974-7100-62-2
• Ongsakul, Sarassawadee, History of Lanna, trans. Chitraporn Tanratanakul, Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, Thai text 2001, English text 2005, pp129-143 ISBN 974-9575-84-9