Patani, or the Sultanate of Patani (Jawi: ) was a Malay sultanate in the historical Patani Region. It covered approximately the area of the modern Thai provinces of Patani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of the Malaysian state of Kelantan. The 2nd–15th century state of Langkasuka and the 6th–7th century state of Pan Pan may have been related.

The golden age of Patani started during the reign of the first of its four successive queens, Raja Hijau (The Green Queen), who came to the throne in 1584 and was followed by Raja Biru (The Blue Queen), Raja Ungu (The Purple Queen) and Raja Kuning (The Yellow Queen). During this period the kingdom's economic and military strength was greatly increased to the point that it was able to fight off four major Siamese invasions. It had declined by the late 17th century and it was invaded by Siam in 1786, which eventually absorbed the state after its last raja was deposed in 1902.

Predecessors

thumb|[[Mao Kun map, believed to date from the voyages of Zheng He in the 1420s, showing Langkasuka (狼西加) next to Songkla. The name Patani has yet to appear.]]

An early kingdom in the Patani area was the Hindu-Buddhist Langkasuka, founded in the region as early as the 2nd century. It appeared in many accounts by Chinese travellers, among them was the Buddhist pilgrim Yijing. The kingdom drew trade from Chinese, Indian, and local traders as a stopping place for ships bound for, or arriving from, the Gulf of Thailand. Langkasuka reached its greatest economic success in the 6th and 7th centuries and afterward declined as a major trade center. Political circumstances suggest that by the 11th century, Langkasuka was no longer a major port visited by merchants. However, much of the decline may be due to the silting up of the waterway linking it to the sea.

The most substantial ruins believed to be ancient Langkasuka have been found in Yarang located approximately 15 kilometres from the sea and the current city of Patani. How or when Langkasuka was replaced by Patani is unknown. Patani is not mentioned in the Javanese text Nagarakretagama written in 1365, but places such as Langkasuka, Sai and Kelantan are, which may indicate Patani had yet to be founded in this period. Hikayat Patani indicates that the immediate predecessor of Patani was Kota Mahligai ("the citadel town") whose ruler founded Patani, perhaps some time between 1350 and 1450. This Patani was located in Keresik (name in Malay) or Kru Se (in Thai), a few kilometers to the east of the current city. The first ruler of Patani (some sources say his son) later converted to Islam and took the name Sultan Ismail Shah or Mahmud Shah.thumb|The [[Hikayat Patani]]The Hikayat Patani also mentions that the ruler met an old fisherman there, who replied "Encik Tani" ("Mister Tani") when asked his name. Portuguese sources mentioned their attack on Patani in 1524 and Chinese living in the city. Raja Mahmud ruled in the mid-16th century and was seen as 'ruling justly' which caused considerable developments to the region. Taking advantage of the instability in Ayutthaya, the sultan of Patani Mudhaffar Shah attacked Ayutthaya in 1563 due to his unwelcome reception in the Thai court in the years prior. King Chakkraphat fled the city for two months but Mudhaffar failed to take the throne. He died suddenly in 1564 on his way back to Patani. His brother Sultan Manzur Shah (1564–1572) who was left in charge in Patani while he was away then became the ruler of Patani. A 1603 Dutch report by Jacob van Neck estimated that there may be as many Chinese in Patani as there were native Malays, and that they were responsible for most of the commercial activity of Patani. In 1619, John Jourdain, the East India Company's chief factor at Bantam was killed off the coast of Patani by the Dutch. Ships were also lost, which eventually led to the withdrawal of the English from Patani. The power of the queen had declined by this period, and she did not appear to wield any significant political power. In 1646, Patani joined other tributary states to rebel against Ayutthaya, but was later subdued by Ayutthaya. Following the invasion, political disorder continued for five decades, during which the local rulers were helpless to end the lawlessness of the region, and most foreign merchants abandoned trade with Patani. Towards the end of the 17th century, Patani was described in Chinese sources as sparsely populated and barbaric.

Reassertion of Siamese power

thumb|The [[Phaya Tani, a cannon of Patani taken to Bangkok after the defeat of Patani in 1786|left]]In the 18th century, Ayutthaya under King Ekkathat faced another Burmese invasion. This culminated in the capture and destruction of the city of Ayutthaya in 1767, as well as the death of the king. Siam was shattered, and as rivals fought for the vacant throne, Patani declared its complete independence.

King Taksin defeated the Burmese and reunified the country, opening the way for the establishment of the Chakri dynasty by his successor, King Rama I. In 1786 Siam sent an army led by Prince Surasi (Viceroy Boworn Maha Surasinghanat), younger brother of King Rama I, to seek the submission of Patani.

Patani in the Bangkok period

thumb|Patani in 1837

The siege of Patani by Siam occurred in 1786, this is followed by the destruction of the town, massacres as well as deportations of the inhabitants. Further, Siam invaded Patani several times in 1789–1791, 1808, 1831–1832 and 1838. This served to completely end the centuries-old mandala system, effectively ending Patani's status of an independent state. Bangkok divided Patani into seven small principalities (hua muang). Britain recognised the Siamese ownership of Patani in the Burney Treaty in 1826. The throne stayed vacant for a few decades until 1842, when a member of Kelantanese royalty returned to reclaim the throne. While the raja ruled over Patani independently of Siam, Patani also recognised the authority of Siam and regularly sent the bunga mas tribute.

In 1902, in a bid to assert full control of Patani, Siam arrested and deposed the last raja of Patani after he refused Siam's demand for administrative reform, thus ending Patani as an independent state.

Chronology of rulers

Inland dynasty (Sri Wangsa)

  1. Chau Sri Wangsa (c. 1488–1511), the Siamese prince said in some sources to have conquered Kota Mahligai and founded the settlement of Patani, converted to Islam, took on the title of Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah.
  2. Raja Intera/Phaya Tu Nakpa/Sultan Ismail Shah/Mahmud Shah (d. 1530?), founder of the kingdom according to one account, and the first ruler to convert to Islam. In fact, other rulers must have preceded him. It is also likely that during his reign the Portuguese first visited the port to trade, arriving in 1516.
  3. Sultan Mudhaffar Shah Sultan who once held the throne of Ayutthaya (1530–1564), son of Sultan Ismail Shah, who died during an attack on Ayudhya (Siam)
  4. Sultan Manzur Shah (1564–1572), brother of Sultan Mudhaffar Shah
  5. Sultan Patik Siam (1572–1573), son of Sultan Mudhaffar Shah, who was murdered by his half-brother, Raja Bambang
  6. Sultan Bahdur (1573–1584), son of Sultan Manzur Shah, who was considered a tyrant in most accounts
  7. Ratu Hijau (the Green Queen) (1584–1616), sister of Sultan Bahdur, during whose reign Patani attained its greatest economic success as a middle-sized port, frequented by Chinese, Dutch, English, Japanese, Malays, Portuguese, Siamese, and other merchants.
  8. Ratu Biru (the Blue Queen) (1616–1624), sister of Ratu Hijau
  9. Ratu Ungu (the Purple Queen) (1624–1635), sister of Ratu Biru, who was particularly opposed to Siamese interference in local affairs
  10. Ratu Kuning (the Yellow Queen) (1635–1651),