Laos - Collapse of the Lan Xang Kingdom Leads to Conquest by Siam

Jun 2, 2010
Dawn Denmar

Independent Kingdom of Vientiane in Laos - wikimedia commons

The collapse of the Lan Xang Kingdom soon led to the division of Laos into three kingdoms - Vientiane, Luang Prabang & Champassak, & final conquest by Siam.

Laos is a landlocked country surrounded by Thailand (formerly Siam), Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Myanmar (Burma). This article provides a brief glimpse of some of the history of Laos from its decline under the Lao Kings, when the area was known as Lan Xang or One Million Elephants, through to its final conquest by Siam (Thailand) in 1779.

Laos Following the Collapse of the Lan Xang Kingdom

Laos experienced immense instablility following the heyday of the Lan Xang Kingdom under the rulership of King Suryavongsa, who left no male successor when he died in the late 17th Century. From this date onwards the country was divided by internal warfare, external influences and successive invasions or incursions from Vietnam, Burma and Siam.

The weakness of the three newly independent kingdoms of Laos led to inevitable treaties between the stronger countries of Siam and Burma and eventually culminated in the conquest of most of Laos by Siam.

The following brief timeline details some of the major developments in Laos following the collapse of the Lan Xang Kingdom:

Brief Timeline of History of Laos Following the Collapse of the Lan Xang Kingdom

Death of King Souriyavongsa in 1690 or 1695 (dates are in dispute, see references) leads to internal divisions in the Lan Xang Kingdom and external incursions, treaties and invasions from both Siam and, to a lesser degree, Vietnam. For Siam the major threat was its enemy Burma and any friendly negotiations with Laos were marred by Laotian treaties with Burma
From 1707 onwards the Lan Xang Kingdom was split by internal warfare and finally divided into three separate kingdoms - Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Champassak
Champassak existed as an independent kingdom from 1713 to 1778 when it was conquered by Siam. The first king of Champassak, Chao Nokasad - son of Princess Nang Sumanghkhala of Vientiane, was invited to rule by the Chief Monk of Champassak
Vientiane was conquered by Siam in late 1779 following a four month battle for the capital city where the Siamese were bolstered by an army of 3,000 which was led by King Surya-Vongsa of Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang became a separate kingdom in 1707 which existed until 1779. After 72 years of rulership by five independent Kings Luang Prabang was conquered by Siam, despite helping the Siamese take the kingdom of Ventiane
Although Siam ruled all three kingdoms of Laos from 1779, the kingdoms were administered by rulers of royal Lao descent
Eventually much of Laos was incorporated into the French Indochina colonies following treaties with Siam.

Lao historian Maha Sila Viravong wrote a detailed History of Laos which has been translated into English and provides a great deal of further detail regarding this interesting period in time. Viravong's work is available for free download and is a recommended read for any scholars of Lao history.