Principality Of Champāsak
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The Kingdom of Champasak (Lao: ຈຳປາສັກ ɕàmpàːsák or Bassac, (1713–1904) was a Lao kingdom that emerged under King Nokasad, a grandson of King
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, Souligna Vongsa ascended the ...
, the last king of
Lan Xang Lan Xang () or Lancang was a Lao people, Lao kingdom that held the area of present-day Laos from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The kingdom is the basis for Laos's nat ...
. Bassac and the neighboring principalities of
Attapeu Attapeu (, ), also written as Attopu or Attapu, is a town in southern Laos, serving as the capital of Attapeu province. Its official name is Muang Samakhi Xay. It is the southernmost of provincial capitals in Laos. Most of the inhabitants are La ...
and Stung Treng emerged as power centers as a ''mandala''. The kingdom was sited on the eastern or Left Bank of the
Mekong The Mekong or Mekong River ( , ) is a transboundary river in East Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the world's twelfth-longest river and the third-longest in Asia with an estimated length of and a drainage area of , discharging of wat ...
, south of the Right Bank principality of Khong Chiam where the
Mun River The Mun River (, , ; , ), sometimes spelled ''Moon River'', is a tributary of the Mekong River. It carries approximately of water per year. Geography The river begins in the Khao Yai National Park area of the Sankamphaeng Range, near Nakhon R ...
joins; and east of where the Mekong makes a sharp bend to the west to return abruptly and flow southeasterly down to what is now
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
.


History

The Kingdom of Champassak was founded in 1713 when the southern part of the
Lan Xang Lan Xang () or Lancang was a Lao people, Lao kingdom that held the area of present-day Laos from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The kingdom is the basis for Laos's nat ...
seceded. The remainder of Lan Xang in the north had already split into the
Kingdom of Luang Prabang The Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, also called Kingdom of Luang Prabang was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. When the kingdom split, Muang Phuan became a tributary state of Luang Prabang. Over the years the mon ...
and the
Kingdom of Vientiane The Kingdom of Vientiane was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Lan Xang, Kingdom of Lan Xang. The kingdom was a Konbaung Dynasty, Burmese vassal from 1765 to 1779. It then became a Rattanakosin Kingdom, Siamese vassal until 1828 whe ...
, in response to the throne being taken over by a nephew of Souligna Vonsa after his death with the help of the Vietnamese army. Due to a scarcity of information from the periods known as the
Post-Angkor Period The post-Angkor period of Cambodia (), also called the Middle period, refers to the historical era from the early 15th century to 1863, the beginning of the French protectorate of Cambodia. As reliable sources (for the 15th and 16th centuries, ...
, the
Khorat Plateau The Khorat Plateau (; ) 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 to and from the area. Geography The avera ...
seems to have been largely depopulated, and Left Bank principalities began to repopulate the Right. In 1718, a Lao emigration in the company of an official in the service of King Nokasad founded
Muang Mueang ( Ahom: 𑜉𑜢𑜤𑜂𑜫; ''mɯ̄ang'', ), Muang ( ''mɯ́ang'', ), Möng ( Tai Nuea: ᥛᥫᥒᥰ ''möeng''; ''móeng'', ), Meng ( zh, c=猛 or 勐) or Mường (Vietnamese) were pre-modern semi-independent city-states or princip ...
Suwannaphum (; Pali: ') is a toponym, that appears in many ancient Indian literary sources and Buddhist texts such as the '' Mahavamsa'', some of the Jataka tales, the '' Milinda Panha'' and the ''Ramayana''. Though its exact location is unknown and remain ...
as the first recorded population of Lao in the
Chi River The Chi River (, , ; , ) is the longest river flowing wholly within Thailand. It is long but carries less water than the second longest river, the Mun. The name of the river is "Mae Si" () in the Isan and Lao languages of the region, being tra ...
valley—indeed anywhere in the interior of the plateau. Around 1766, Vorarad-Vongsa, a dignitary in the Kingdom of Vientiane, started a rebellion. His plan failed, but he submitted to the King of Champasak, which led to the conflict between Champasak and Vientiane. In 1777, King
Taksin King Taksin the Great (, , ) or the King of Thonburi (, ; ; Teochew: Dên Chao; 17 April 1734 – 7 April 1782) was the only king of the Thonburi Kingdom that ruled Thailand from 1767 to 1782. He had been an aristocrat in the Ayutthaya Kingdom ...
of Siam sent an invading army to the Kingdom of Vientiane and Champasak, and the kingdom was occupied without major resistance; Champasak were made a dependency of Siam in 1778, joining Luang Prabang and Vientiane. King Pothi ( Sayakumane) was taken prisoner to Krung Thep (
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
). In 1780, King Sayakumane was allowed to return to Champasak as vassal to the Siamese king. The kings of Champassak were allowed to rule their kingdoms but had to pay tribute, which kings ruled were also chosen by Siam. At the beginning of the 19th century, and ignoring the worldwide agricultural disaster accompanying the 1816
Year Without a Summer The year 1816 is known as the Year Without a Summer because of severe climate abnormalities that caused average global temperatures to decrease by . Summer temperatures in Europe were the coldest of any on record between 1766 and 2000, resultin ...
, Bassac was said to be on a prosperous trade route for the outlet for
cardamon Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are re ...
, rubber, wax, resin, skins, horns, and slaves from the east bank to Ubon, Khorat, and Bangkok. The region then fell victim to Siamese and French struggles to extend their
suzerainty A suzerain (, from Old French "above" + "supreme, chief") is a person, state (polity)">state or polity who has supremacy and dominant influence over the foreign policy">polity.html" ;"title="state (polity)">state or polity">state (polity)">st ...
. After the
Laotian Rebellion __NOTOC__ Lao may refer to: Laos * Something of, from, or related to Laos, a country in Southeast Asia * Lao people (people from Laos, or of Lao descent) * The Lao language * Lao Rongzhi (born 1974), Chinese female serial killer * Lao script, th ...
of 1826–1829, Suwannaphum lost its status and Champasak was reduced to
vassalage A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerai ...
. The Siamese-Cambodian War of 1831–1834 reduced the entire region to vassalage under the
Nguyen dynasty Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as ''Nguyen''. By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese peopl ...
, a situation soon further complicated by the French striving in the same region to establish what was to become
French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...
. Following the
Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893 The Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893, known in Thailand as the Incident of Rattanakosin Era 112 (, , ) was a conflict between the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Siam. Auguste Pavie, French vice-consul in Luang Prabang in 1886, was the c ...
, the Left Bank fell under French rule as an administrative block, with its royalty stripped of many of their privileges; the management of the French colonial administration impoverished the region. The 1893 treaty called for a wide demilitarized zone along the Right Bank, which made Siamese control impossible. It soon became a haven for lawless characters from both banks of the river. Lack of clear chains of authority resulted in turmoil in the whole region, and in what was known to the Siamese side as the "
Holy Man's Rebellion The Holy Man's Rebellion (), took place between March 1901 and January 1936. It started when supporters of the Phu Mi Bun religious movement initiated an armed rebellion against French Indochina and Siam, aiming at installing their leader, sorc ...
".
Ong Keo Ong Keo () was a leader of the Holy Man's Rebellion, a rebellion of Austroasiatic-speaking minorities (formerly called Mon-Khmer) in Thailand against French and Lao forces, where it was a widespread but short-lived cause. He surrendered to t ...
and Ong Kommandam of the
Bolaven Plateau The Bolaven Plateau is an elevated region in southern Laos. Most of the plateau is located within Champasak Province of Laos, though the edges of the plateau are also located in Salavan, Sekong and Attapeu Provinces. It is located between ...
Alak people, led the initial resistance against French control, which evolved into the
Holy Man's Rebellion The Holy Man's Rebellion (), took place between March 1901 and January 1936. It started when supporters of the Phu Mi Bun religious movement initiated an armed rebellion against French Indochina and Siam, aiming at installing their leader, sorc ...
. The concomitant right-bank Holy Man's Rebellion of 1901–1902 was a short-lived phenomenon. Following legal action against captured local leaders of the movement, the Thai government considered the rebellion had by then ended. The right-bank dependencies were absorbed into the Siamese Northeast Monthon,
Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...
(), and the House of Na Champassak continued to rule autonomously. In 1904, prior to the Franco-Siamese Treaty, the kingdom's capital was transferred to French rule and was placed under the control of French Cambodia. Despite historical claims by Cambodia, Champassak lost jurisdiction over the province of Stung Treng and in return regained the city of Champasak. In addition, the provinces of
Kontum Kon Tum is the capital city of Kon Tum province, Kon Tum Province in Vietnam. It is located inland in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands region of Vietnam, near the borders of Laos and Cambodia. Historically, this area has been in ...
and
Pleiku Pleiku is a city in central Vietnam, located in the Central Highlands region. It is the capital of the Gia Lai Province. Many years ago, it was inhabited primarily by the Bahnar and Jarai ethnic groups, sometimes known as the Montagnards or De ...
were ceded to the French administration in Annam. In 1946, when Chao Nhouy or Chao Ratsadanay died, his son Chao
Boun Oum Prince Boun Oum (also Prince Boun Oum Na Champassak; ; ; ; 2 December 1911 – 17 March 1980) was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassak and also Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from March 1949 to Febr ...
Na Champassak became the head of the House of Champassak. He was also appointed as Inspector General for Life in Laos, in lieu of him agreeing not to make a claim on the Lao throne.
Boun Oum Prince Boun Oum (also Prince Boun Oum Na Champassak; ; ; ; 2 December 1911 – 17 March 1980) was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassak and also Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from March 1949 to Febr ...
was forced to leave Laos and become a political refugee in France in 1975. He died there on March 17, 1980 leaving nine children.


Kings of Champassak (1713–1904)

* Nokasad (Soysisamout Phoutthangkoun) (1713–1737, grandson 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, Souligna Vongsa ascended the ...
) * Sayakumane (1737–1791, son of Nokasat) * Fay Na (1791–1811, son of Phra Vorarat, not of royal descent appointed by Siam) *
No Muong No Muong (also known as Chao Numuong, and sometimes conflated with Chao Nou) was king of the southern Laotian Kingdom of Champasak in 1811. His reign is sometimes confused or combined with that of his son Chao Nou. In 1811, Fay Na died, and what ...
(1811–1813, son of Fay Na, not of royal descent) * Manoi (1813–1819, nephew of Sayakoummane) * Nho (Chao Yo house of Vientiane) (1819–1827, son of King
Anouvong Chao Anouvong (; ; ), or regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath V (; ; ), (1767 – 1829), led the Lao rebellion (1826–28) against Siam as the last monarch of the Kingdom of Vientiane. Anouvong succeeded the throne in 1805 upon the death of his ...
, Kingdom of Vientiane) *''1829–1893 Siam annexes Champassak'' following the Chao Anouvong Rebellion and confirms subsequent kings *
Huy Huy ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the '' sillon industriel'', the former industrial backbone of Wall ...
(1828–1840, great-grandson of Nokasat) * Nark (1841–1851, brother of Huy) * Boua (1851–1853 regent, 1853 king, son of Huy) *''Interregnum (1853–1856)'' * Kham Nai (1856–1858, son of Huy) *''Interregnum (Chao Chou) (1858–1863)'' * Kham Souk (1863–1899) son of Huy, French divide kingdom in 1893. * Ratsadanay (Nhouy) (1900–1904) son of Khamsouk, his Kingdom was dissolved but he retained his royal title during French colonization; 1905–1934 given title as regional governor. **Chao
Boun Oum Prince Boun Oum (also Prince Boun Oum Na Champassak; ; ; ; 2 December 1911 – 17 March 1980) was the son of King Ratsadanay, and was the hereditary prince of Champassak and also Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Laos from March 1949 to Febr ...
(1912-1980), son of Chao Ratsadanay, hereditary prince of Champassak.


See also

*
Champa Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...
* House of Champassak


References


External links


champassak
* {{Laos topics 1945 establishments in Asia 1945 disestablishments in Asia Former kingdoms States and territories disestablished in 1904