Economic Pursuits of Local Rulers and Officials in the Northern Provinces of the Late Traditional Siamese State

Abstract

This article examines the economic exploitation by local rulers and officials in the northern provinces during the late Siamese traditional state period, approximately the 24th to early 25th Buddhist centuries. Economic expansion during this period transformed the northern provinces from "border areas" to "trading hubs," leading to more complex economic and social relationships. This was due to the influx of diverse groups engaged in economic activities, including local Siamese merchants, Chinese merchants, tax collectors, foreign merchants, and those under foreign jurisdiction. However, in this context, local rulers and officials in the northern provinces, entrenched in the traditional local governance system through kinship networks and patronage, abused their power and influence to pursue economic gain by unethical means. These rulers and officials thus became obstacles to the smooth economic and social lives of other groups. Such behavior undermined the legitimacy of the traditional provincial governance system, both for the people of the northern provinces and the Siamese court, thus opening the door for more economically and socially conducive forms of governance to take over through administrative reforms that began in the mid-25th Buddhist century.