Oblique Intervention: The Role of US Missionaries in Siam's Incorporation of Lanna—1867–1878

Abstract

American missionaries have been an influential group of scholars-teachers in Thailand. Protestant missionaries built strong ties with the Siamese monarchy through teaching and tutoring them. This study examines the influence of United States Protestant (Presbyterian) missionaries on Siamese and US policies toward the Kingdom of Lanna (present-day northern Thailand) from 1866 until 1885. Specifically, it argues that, although Siam would have incorporated Lanna under centralized control in the long run, US missionaries (as well as US government pressure on Siam to intervene on the missionaries’ behalf) clearly accelerated this process. In terms of methodology, the study relies on primary and secondary resources. That is, government documents, Presbyterian church materials, letters, journals, as well as books. Ultimately, this study seeks to document the role of Protestant missionaries in Lanna from 1866 to 1885. It attempts to understand the relationship among these missionaries, the United States, and Siam—as well as these actors’ intentions in bringing Lanna to heel. Finally, it tries to gauge the evolution of Lanna from tributary kingdom to incorporated territory as a function of proximate Protestant missionary influence (in light of permissive causes) on Siam and (to a lesser extent) the United States.