Souvanna Banlang (1455-1486) was king of

Lan Xang existed as a unified kingdom from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The meaning of the kingdom's name alludes to the power of the kingship and formidable war machine of the ea ...

from 1479-1486 taking the

regnal name A regnal name, or regnant name or reign name, is the name used by monarchs and popes during their reigns and, subsequently, historically. Since ancient times, some monarchs have chosen to use a different name from their original name when they ac ...

''Samdach Brhat-Anya Chao Suvarna Panya Lankara Raja Sri Sadhana Kanayudha''. His reign was marked as a period of peace and reconstruction, following a massive invasion by the

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...

forces of Emperor

Lê Thánh Tông Lê Thánh Tông (黎聖宗; 25 August 1442 – 3 March 1497), personal name Lê Hạo, temple name Thánh Tông, courtesy name Tư Thành, was an emperor of Đại Việt, reigning from 1460 to 1497, the fifth and the longest-reigning empe ...

. He became king in 1479 after the abdication of his father

Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo (also Sai Tia Kaphut or Xainyachakkaphat) (1415–1481) reigned as King of Lan Xang from 1442 to 1480, succeeding the '' Maha Devi'' after an interregnum of several years. He was born in 1415 as Prince Vong Buri, the youngest ...

, who had fled the capital of

Muang Sua Muang Sua ( ) was the name of Luang Phrabang following its conquest in 698 CE by a Tai/Lao prince, Khun Lo, who seized his opportunity when the king of Nanzhao was engaged elsewhere. Khun Lo had been awarded the town by his father, Khun Borom, wh ...

ahead of the Đại Việt armies. Prior to his accession he served as Governor of Muang Dansai, according to the Lao chronicles he commanded Lao forces at the Battle of Pakphun where the invading forces were halted and forced to retreat to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

Biography

Souvanna Banlang was born in 1455 as Prince Then Kham the second son of King Chakkaphat Phen Phaeo. He was appointed as governor or Muang Dan Sai, in the present day Loei Province of

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

, and became remembered in Lao history as the hero of the Đại Việt invasion. In 1478, Đại Việt forces invaded Lan Xang, destroying the army organized by Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo and led by Souvanna Banlang’s older brother Prince Kone Keo. The Lan Xang forces which included 200,000 men and 2,000 elephants were routed with the majority of Lao commanders being killed, including Prince Kone Keo who drowned while fleeing the Battle of the Plain of Jars. The Đại Việt took the Lan Xang capital of

. King Chakkaphat Phen Phaeo with the royal family fled south toward Muang Dan Sai and Muang

Nan Nan or NAN may refer to: Places China * Nan County, Yiyang, Hunan, China * Nan Commandery, historical commandery in Hubei, China Thailand * Nan Province ** Nan, Thailand, the administrative capital of Nan Province * Nan River People Given name ...

, a dependency of

Lan Na The Lan Na Kingdom ( nod, , , "Kingdom of a Million Rice Fields"; th, อาณาจักรล้านนา, , ), also known as Lannathai, and most commonly called Lanna or Lanna Kingdom, was an Indianized state centered in present-day ...

. After taking the capital, the Đại Việt forces split with one army proceeding north to Xiang Hung and the region of

Sipsongpanna Xishuangbanna, Sibsongbanna or Sipsong Panna ( Tham: , New Tai Lü script: ; ; th, สิบสองปันนา; lo, ສິບສອງພັນນາ; shn, သိပ်းသွင်ပၼ်းၼႃး; my, စစ်ဆောင်� ...

. A second force moved south in pursuit of the remnants of the Lan Xang forces toward Muang Nan in a

pincer attack The pincer movement, or double envelopment, is a military maneuver in which forces simultaneously attack both flanks (sides) of an enemy formation. This classic maneuver holds an important foothold throughout the history of warfare. The pin ...

on the Kingdom of Lan Na. The

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

troops continued their march to the Lanna kingdom, but were repelled when they tried to conquer Nan. Prince Theng Kham led his troops from Muang Dan Sai against the Vietnamese decimating them along the path of retreat. Of the 4,000 officers sent from the capital

Thăng Long Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

, today's

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

, only 600 survived. Prince Theng Kham retook Muang Sua assembled the surviving citizens and sent an embassy to his father inviting him to come back. Chakkaphat refused and abdicated the throne to Theng Kham, who ascended the throne in 1479 with the regnal name Souvanna Banlang (a name derived from

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...

meaning 'golden throne'). Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo remained in Muang Xieng Khan where he died in 1481. Souvanna Banlang attended the cremation ceremony of the father and built a

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

to preserve the ashes in Xieng Khan. Souvanna Banlang established peaceful relations with the Kingdom Lan Na, and devoted himself to the reconstruction of the capital, which was heavily damaged during the invasion. Souvanna Banlang died without heir in 1486. The ''Sena'' or king's court appointed as king his younger brother, Prince Tieng Lakon, who ascended to the throne with the royal name

La Sen Thai La Sen Thai or La Sen Thai Puvanart was the king of Lan Xang from 1485 until 1495. He succeeded his older brother King Souvanna Banlang. Laasaenthai was the sixth son of King Sai Tia Kaphut, Governor of Nongkai before his accession. Succeeded on ...

References

External links

{{authority control 1455 births 1486 deaths Kings of Lan Xang 15th-century Laotian people

Biography

References

Further reading

External links