Lanna is a name that tourists in the north of Thailand come across, accept and do not bother to discover its origin. It means "a million rice fields," and was the name given to the kingdom founded by King Mangrai toward the end of the 13th century.
Having conquered northern Thailand, parts of Burma and Laos, and, most importantly, Haripunchai, a great cultural center, now Lamphun, Mangrai needed a capital. In 1296 work began on the right bank of the River Ping, and the walled and moated city known as Chiang Mai (New City) came into being; the Lanna Kingdom prospered; the dynasty, founded by Mangrai, lasted 200 years.
In his clear, concise, pleasing style, William Warren relates the history of Lanna, including that of Haripunchai, the wars with Burma, the decline of Chiang Mai, the sacking of Ayutthaya by the Burmese and the eventual absorption of Chiang Mai into the Thai Kingdom.