Page 94 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SIAM
92
this time, and a new Governor was appointed to Chieng-
The Siamese invaded
jfin. suddenly Chiengmai territory,
captured Chiengjun, and killed the Governor, At
the same time, Sawank'alok was taken. Maharaja Tilok
succeeded in but Sawank'alok
recapturing Chiengjiin,
remained in the hands of the Siamese.
off and for
The result of a war which had lasted, on,
was that both found themselves
twenty-three years, parties
in the same as were in when
exactly position they
hostilities first started. In 1474 the old Maharaja, tired
of the made overtures for
purposeless struggle, peace.
Nothing definite appears to have been settled, but open
hostilities ceased for several
years.
In 1484 King Trailok's youngest son, Prince Jett'a,
with the eldest son of Prince
together Boromoraja,
became Buddhist left the in
priests. They priesthood
the and Prince was then
following years Jett'a appointed
Maha Uparat.
This is the first time that the office of Maha Uparat is
mentioned in Siamese there
specifically history, though
is reason to that it had been customary
every suppose
to confer the title upon one of the sons or brothers of
the reigning monarch. 1 The title, meaning literally
" " "
Second King or Vice King," originated in India,
and became common among all the Indo-Chinese
the Burmese. The held a
nations, including Uparat
position higher than any other Prince, and was invested
with some of the appurtenances of kingship. Among
the Siamese and Burmese, the Uparat was usually the
eldest son of the King and Queen, but many Kings
appointed their brothers or other relations to the post,
more in cases where their own sons were
especially
1
In the Sakdi Na Law (1454) the office of Maha Uparat is referred to. The
Maha Uparat held 40,000 acres of landten times as much as the highest officials.