Kingdom of Vientiane was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the
Kingdom of Lan Xang. The kingdom was a
Burmese vassal from 1765 to 1824.
It then became a
Siamese vassal until 1828 when it was annexed by Siam.
History
![Emerald Buddha, August 2012, Bangkok](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Emerald_Buddha%2C_August_2012%2C_Bangkok.jpg)
In 1779, under the reign of King
Setthathirath II
Setthathirath II (died 1735), also called Ong Lo and Sai Ong Hue (also spelled Xai Ong Ve; lo, ໄຊອົງເວ້), grandson of the great ruler Suliyavongsa, was the king of the Lao Kingdom of Lān Xāng. In Vietnamese records, he was ca ...
of Lan Xang,
Kitsarat
Chao Kingkitsarat ( lo, ເຈົ້າກິງກິດສະຣາດ; died 1713), also known as Kitsarat or Kitsarath, was the king of Luang Phrabang (r. 1707–1713).
Kingkitsarat was the only son of Prince Raxabut, who was the heir appa ...
, an heir of
Sourigna Vongsa
Souligna Vongsa (ສຸຣິຍະວົງສາທັມມິກຣາດ ) was the king of Lan Xang whose reign is considered the golden age of Laos. He ascended to the throne in 1637.
King of Lan Xang
In 1637, Sourigna Vongsa ascended th ...
, declared separation of
Luang Prabang. He marched on Vientiane to attack Setthathirath. King Setthathirath II turned to Ayutthaya for help. The Siamese army helped defend Vientiane but cannot stop Kitsarat to form his own kingdom. Kitsarat crowned the king in 1707, creating the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang,converting Lan Xang into the Kingdom of Vientiane. The kingdoms of
Champasak and
Muang Phuan
Meuang Phuan ( Lao: ເມືອງພວນ; Country of Phuan) or Xieng Khouang (Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ), also known historically to the Vietnamese as Trấn Ninh ( Hán Việt: 鎮寧; lit. "securement of peace"), was a historical principal ...
also seceded during the following years.
In 1773, Vientiane was attacked by Luang Prabang forces. King
Ong Bun
Phrachao Siribounyasan ( lo, ພຣະເຈົ້າສິຣິບຸນຍະສາຣ; th, พระเจ้าสิริบุญสาร; died November 1781), also known as Ong Boun (), Bunsan or Xaiya Setthathirath III, was the 3rd king ...
contacted the
Konbaung dynasty
The Konbaung dynasty ( my, ကုန်းဘောင်ခေတ်, ), also known as Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်) and formerly known as the Alompra dynasty (အလောင်းဘ ...
for help, turning Vientiane into a Burmese vassal. This angered the Thonburi court. After the
Burmese-Siamese War of 1775-76, King
Taksin
King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; April 17, ...
sent General Phraya Chakri (the later King
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now T ...
) to attack Vientiane. In 1779, Siamese forces sacked Vientiane, the city was looted with several important Buddha images, including the
Emerald Buddha
The Emerald Buddha ( th, พระแก้วมรกต , or ) is an image of the meditating Gautama Buddha seated in a meditative posture, made of a semi-precious green stone (jasper rather than emerald or jade), clothed in gold. and about ...
were taken to Thonburi. King Ong Boun decided to submit to the Siamese and Vientiane became a Siamese dependency. Ong Boun again revolted against Siam. In 1781, he was captured by the Siamese and executed.
The Siamese installed
Nanthasen
Nanthasen (also spelled Nanthasan; lo, ພຣະເຈົ້ານັນທະເສນ, died 1795), also known as Chao Nan, was the 6th king of the Kingdom of Vientiane. He ruled from 1781 to 1795.
Nanthasen was the eldest son of his father Ong ...
, a son of Ong Bun, as ruler. In 1791, Nanthasen convinced King Rama I that Luang Prabang was secretly plotting a rebellion against Siam. He was permitted to attack Luang Prabang and captured the city in 1792.
In 1791, Vientiane was invaded by the Vietnamese
Tây Sơn dynasty
The Tây Sơn dynasty (, vi, Nhà Tây Sơn (Chữ Nôm: 茹西山); vi, Tây Sơn triều ( Hán tự: 西山朝) was a ruling dynasty of Vietnam, founded in the wake of a rebellion against both the Nguyễn lords and the Trịnh lords befo ...
to root out
Lê dynasty loyalists, Nanthasen had to flee to Siam. Finally, he reached an accommodation with Tây Sơn dynasty. In 1795, Nanthasen was accused of plotting a rebellion with the Lao governor of Nakhon Phanom. He was deposed and taken to Bangkok. His brother
Inthavong
Chao Inthavong ( lo, ເຈົ້າອິນທະວົງສ໌; th, เจ้าอินทวงศ์; died 7 February 1805), or known as his regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath III, was the 5th king of the Kingdom of Vientiane (r. 1795 to 1805 ...
succeeded.
Inthavong died in 1804, his brother
Anouvong
Chao Anouvong ( lo, ເຈົ້າອານຸວົງສ໌; th, เจ้าอนุวงศ์; ), or regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath V ( lo, ໄຊຍະເສດຖາທິຣາຊທີ່ຫ້າ; th, ไชยเชษฐาธ ...
succeeded him as the ruler of Vientiane. Anouvong was making military preparations for a
rebellion against the Siamese. In December 1826, Anouvong sent an army of 10,000 men toward the cities of the
Khorat plateau
The Khorat Plateau ( th, ที่ราบสูงโคราช) is a plateau in the northeastern Thai region of Isan. The plateau forms a natural region, named after the short form of Nakhon Ratchasima, a historical barrier controlling access ...
. He took
Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...
in January but the Siamese quickly organized a massive counterattack. In 1827, Vientiane was ravaged for a second time by the Siamese armies. The city was burned to the ground and was looted of nearly all treasures, its population completely relocated. King Anouvong was captured and put into an iron cage until his death.
The Kingdom of Vientiane was obliterated. Khorat Plateau was formally annexed by Siam. The Siamese divided the Lao lands into three administrative regions. In the north, the king of Luang Prabang and a small Siamese garrison controlled Luang Prabang,
Sipsong Panna
Xishuangbanna, Sibsongbanna or Sipsong Panna ( Tham: , New Tai Lü script: ; ; th, สิบสองปันนา; lo, ສິບສອງພັນນາ; shn, သိပ်းသွင်ပၼ်းၼႃး; my, စစ်ဆောင် ...
, and
Sip Song Chau Tai. The central region was administered from
Nong Khai
Nong Khai ( th, เทศบาลเมืองหนองคาย, ) is a city in northeast Thailand. It is the capital of Nong Khai province. Nong Khai city is located in Mueang Nong Khai district.
Nong Khai lies on the Mekong River, near ...
. The southern regions were controlled from Champassak. Fearing Siam influence, Vietnam under the Nguyễn dynasty annexed
Muang Phuan
Meuang Phuan ( Lao: ເມືອງພວນ; Country of Phuan) or Xieng Khouang (Lao: ຊຽງຂວາງ), also known historically to the Vietnamese as Trấn Ninh ( Hán Việt: 鎮寧; lit. "securement of peace"), was a historical principal ...
and the provinces of Khammoune and Savannakhet, where they fought with Siam during the
Siamese–Vietnamese War (1831–1834)
}, vi, Chiến tranh Việt–Xiêm (1831–1834)), also known as the Siamese-Cambodian War of 1831–1834, was sparked by a Siamese invasion force under General Bodindecha that was attempting to conquer Cambodia and southern Vietnam. After init ...
.
The Siamese forced population transfers of Lao people to the Khorat plateau which left only a fifth of the original population on the east bank of the Mekong. Through the 1830s to the 1890s, the region were devastated by rebellions, bandits, slave raids and the
Haw wars
The Haw Wars ( th, สงครามปราบฮ่อ) were fought against Chinese quasi-military refugee gangs invading parts of Tonkin and the Siam from 1865–1890. Forces invading Lao domains were ill-disciplined and freely demolished B ...
. The vacuum of power allowed the French, now already controlled Cambodia and Cochinchina, to push north to the Mekong River, with hope of establishing a waterway to China. Vientiane eventually passed to French rule in 1893. It became the capital of the French protectorate of Laos in 1899.
Kings
*
Setthathirath II
Setthathirath II (died 1735), also called Ong Lo and Sai Ong Hue (also spelled Xai Ong Ve; lo, ໄຊອົງເວ້), grandson of the great ruler Suliyavongsa, was the king of the Lao Kingdom of Lān Xāng. In Vietnamese records, he was ca ...
(1707–1730)
*
Ong Long (1730–1767) (Burmese vassal, 1765–1768)
*
Ong Bun
Phrachao Siribounyasan ( lo, ພຣະເຈົ້າສິຣິບຸນຍະສາຣ; th, พระเจ้าสิริบุญสาร; died November 1781), also known as Ong Boun (), Bunsan or Xaiya Setthathirath III, was the 3rd king ...
(1st reign, 1767–1778) (Burmese vassal)
[
*]Ong Bun
Phrachao Siribounyasan ( lo, ພຣະເຈົ້າສິຣິບຸນຍະສາຣ; th, พระเจ้าสิริบุญสาร; died November 1781), also known as Ong Boun (), Bunsan or Xaiya Setthathirath III, was the 3rd king ...
(2nd reign, 1780 – 21 November 1781)
*Nanthasen
Nanthasen (also spelled Nanthasan; lo, ພຣະເຈົ້ານັນທະເສນ, died 1795), also known as Chao Nan, was the 6th king of the Kingdom of Vientiane. He ruled from 1781 to 1795.
Nanthasen was the eldest son of his father Ong ...
(21 November 1781 – 2 February 1795)
*Inthavong
Chao Inthavong ( lo, ເຈົ້າອິນທະວົງສ໌; th, เจ้าอินทวงศ์; died 7 February 1805), or known as his regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath III, was the 5th king of the Kingdom of Vientiane (r. 1795 to 1805 ...
(Setthathirath III) (2 February 1795 – 7 February 1805, crowned on 23 July 1795)
*Anouvong
Chao Anouvong ( lo, ເຈົ້າອານຸວົງສ໌; th, เจ้าอนุวงศ์; ), or regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath V ( lo, ໄຊຍະເສດຖາທິຣາຊທີ່ຫ້າ; th, ไชยเชษฐาธ ...
(7 February 1805 – 12 November 1828)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kingdom Of Vientiane
Vientiane
Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...
Former countries in Southeast Asia
Former countries in Thai history
Geographic history of Thailand
Former monarchies of Asia
History of Laos
History of Myanmar
18th century in Vientiane
19th century in Vientiane
18th century in Laos
18th century in Burma
19th century in Laos
19th century in Siam
States and territories established in 1707
States and territories disestablished in 1828
1707 establishments in Asia
1820s disestablishments in Asia
Former monarchies of Southeast Asia