King Mangrai was born in 1239, the grandson of the ruler of Chiang Hung (Yunnan) and 25th in the line of Lao kings. He ascended the throne in 1259.

He was a charismatic and powerful leader, establishing dominance over neighbouring principalities. He moved to Chiang Rai in 1262 and then to Fang in 1268. In 1274, he founded an alliance with King Ngam Muang the ruler of Phayao. In 1281, King Mangrai captured Lamphun by using a powerful merchant in the city to curry favour with the king and then use his influence to bring about his downfall.

King Mangrai's partner in the alliance had been tutored with King Ramkamhaeng of Sukothai and in 1287 King Mangrai formed a further alliance which protected his southern borders. This alliance gave the king a free had to deal with the threats from the north by the Mongols. At about this time, during two visits to Burma, he gained both the hand of the daughter of the Mon kingdom and from the Ava-Pagan region, he gained 500 families of craftsmen.

King Mangrai's capital was at Wiang Kun Kam, which was prone to flooding so he founded Chiang Mai in 1296 and established many temples within the city. The city was founded allegedly as a result of three good omens - three sambar deer, three barking deer and a white mouse.

Despite holding off the Mongol forces in the north, in 1311, he sent a tribute to them which removed the threat from the north. He is reputed to have died as a result of a lightning strike at the corner of Prapokklao and Rajdamnern roads in 1317.

Mangrai's second of three sons, Chai Songkhran, was the first of a succession of 20 kings that ruled the dynasty until it fell in 1564.

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