Monthon (Thai:มณฑล), also known asMonthon Thesaphiban (Maṇḍala Dēśābhipāla; Mṇṯhl Theṣ̄āp̣hibāl;Thai:มณฑลเทศาภิบาล,lit. 'circle of local government'), wereadministrative subdivisions of Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The Thai wordmonthon is a translation of the wordmandala (maṇḍala, literally "circle"), in its sense of atype of political formation. The monthon were created as a part of theThesaphiban (เทศาภิบาล, literally "local government")bureaucratic administrative system, introduced by PrinceDamrong Rajanubhab which, together with the monthon, established step-by-step today's presentprovinces (changwat), districts (amphoe), and communes (tambon) throughoutThailand. Each monthon was led by a royal commissioner calledThesaphiban (เทศาภิบาล), later renamed toSamuhathesaphiban (สมุหเทศาภิบาล). The system was officially adopted by the 1897 Local Administration Act, after some monthon had been established and administrative details were sorted out.

Before theThesaphiban reforms, the country consisted of partially independent cities calledmueang, some directly subordinate to the capital, some subordinate to largermueang, or to one or more of thetributary kingdoms. Before the reforms,governors inherited their posts from their family lineage, and lived on taxes they collected in their area, a practice formally calledtax farming. These were converted from hereditary governors to appointed governmental posts, as had been done by ChineseYuan,Ming, andQing-era rulers in first recognizingTusi (tribal leaders) as imperial officials, then replacing them with imperial appointees. The arrangement resulted in governors being appointed and paid by the central government, andmueang developed intoprovinces. An essential step in the ending of tax farming was the creation on 3 September 1885 of theRoyal Survey Department. Though its first fruits were not obtained until 1901, the department'scadastral surveys, i.e., surveys of specific land parcels, made possible the defining of ownership forland registration and equitabletaxation. The termchangwat (จังหวัด) for the provinces was first used in 1907 for the provinces in Monthon Pattani, and by 1916 had come into general use.

It took till around 1910 to implement the system throughout the country. The main reason for the slow implementation was the lack of suitably educated officials,^[1] but also the resistance of the traditional local leaders, which recalled the 1768–1770 resistance of the monk Chao Phra Faang toThonburi reestablishment of Siamese authority. In 1902 along both banks of theMekong, local revolts (Prakottakan Phi Bunปรากฏการณ์ผีบุญ) led by charismatic religious leaders calledholy man orphi bun (ผีบุญ) broke out. The most serious of these was led by east-bank rebelOng Keo against French authority in the former Thai tributarykingdom of Champasak. On the west bank in the area ofUbon Ratchathani, a less-well known former monk andphi bun headed amillenarian sect inspired by hisapocalyptic prophecies, which spreadfear, uncertainty and doubt among almost all the peoples along both banks of the river. The Bangkok government put down west bank resistance with little use of force, and cooperated withFrench Indochina officials insofar as limiting Thai authority to the west bank, later calledIsan. East bank resistance however had no definitive end and became subsumed into theSecond Indochina War.^[2][3] Far from the Mekong, resistance to reform continued into the 21st century in theSouthern Thailand insurgency.

In 1915 there were 19 monthons containing 72 provinces. Due to economic problems, several monthon were merged in 1925. Monthon Phetchabun had been dissolved in 1915. Only 14 monthon remained: Ayutthaya, Bangkok (Krung Thep), Chanthaburi, Nakhon Chaisi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Pattani, Phayap, Phitsanulok, Phuket, Prachinburi, Ratchaburi, and Udon Thani. In 1932 another four were abolished: Chanthaburi, Nakhon Chaisi, Nakhon Sawan, and Pattani.^[4] Finally in 1933 the whole monthon system was abolished by theProvincial Administration Act 2476 B.E./A.D. 1933, part of the changes made after thecoup d'état, which changed from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy, and the 70 provinces to second-level administrative divisions.

• Monthon Lao Chiang is the same as Monthon Phayap, to ease understanding in this table but in all cases, they are the same.
• Monthon Lao Kao which became Monthon Isan, and Monthon Lao Phuan which became Monthon Udon.
• The use of the name is up to interpretation and use on case by case basis, but name changes occurs due to Rama V integration policy of minorities and achieving assimilation.
• Province merger not shown, only monthon partition and merger are

The larger monthon Phayap, Udon Thani, and Isan had an additional administrative level between monthon and provincial administration. Three to fiveboriwen (บริเวณ), each administered by a commissioner (khaluang boriwen, ข้าหลวงบริเวณ).

• Administrative divisions of Thailand
• Mandala (Southeast Asian political model)
• Mueang
• Native Chieftain System
• Past provinces of Thailand
• Royal Thai Survey Department

• Damrong Rajanubhab (2002).เทศาภิบาล [Thesaphiban](PDF) (in Thai). Bangkok: Matichon.ISBN 9743227814.
• Tej Bunnag (1977).The Provincial Administration of Siam, 1892-1915: the Ministry of the Interior under Prince Damrong Rajanubhab. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-580343-4.
• Tej Bunnag (2005).การปกครองระบบเทศาภิบาลของประเทศสยาม พ.ศ. 2435–2458 [The Provincial Administration of Siam, 1892–1915: the Ministry of the Interior under Prince Damrong Rajanubhab](PDF) (in Thai) (2nd ed.). Bangkok: Thammasat University Press.ISBN 9745719374.

• History of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council

• Monthon
• Subdivisions of Thailand
• Types of administrative division
• History of Thailand

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