Southeast Asia · Konbaung, Chakri and the colonial century
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang
Kingdom · 1707–1947
When King Sourigna Vongsa of Lan Xang died without a clear heir, the ancient Lao kingdom fragmented. In 1707 Kitsarat, an heir of Sourigna Vongsa, seceded in the north and was crowned king of Luang Phrabang, converting the rump Lan Xang centred on Vientiane into a separate kingdom; the sub-kingdom of Muang Phuan became Luang Phrabang's tributary.
- Type
- Kingdom (absolute monarchy; Burmese vassal 1765–1768, Siamese vassal 1778–1893, French protectorate 1893–1947)
- Existed
- 1707–1947
- Shown on the map
- 1709–1894
- Peak area
- 162k km² (dataset)
- Region
- Southeast Asia
Origins & foundation
When King Sourigna Vongsa of Lan Xang died without a clear heir, the ancient Lao kingdom fragmented. In 1707 Kitsarat, an heir of Sourigna Vongsa, seceded in the north and was crowned king of Luang Phrabang, converting the rump Lan Xang centred on Vientiane into a separate kingdom; the sub-kingdom of Muang Phuan became Luang Phrabang's tributary.
Political history & notable rulers
Kitsarat (1707–1713) was followed by Ong Kham and Inthason. The kingdom's weakness made it a shuttlecock of its neighbours: it became a Burmese vassal in 1765–1768 under Sotika-Kuomane and Surinyavong II, who then submitted to Siam when King Taksin's armies overran Laos in 1778–79. Siam occupied Luang Phrabang directly in 1791–92 and again 1792–94 after King Nanthasen of Vientiane captured the city alleging rebellion. King Anurutha (r. to 1819) and Manthaturath (1819–1837) ruled as Bangkok's confirmed vassals; Manthaturath even spent time as a monk in Bangkok while Thai officials administered the kingdom. Later kings Sukha-Söm, Chantharath and Oun Kham (1868–1895) presided over the Haw war devastation; the sack of the capital by the Chinese Black Flag Army in 1887 pushed Oun Kham to request French protection (accepted 27 March 1889).
Economy, culture & religion
Theravada Buddhism was the state religion and the city was (and is) Laos's pre-eminent centre of monastic learning; the sacred Phra Bang image gave the city its name. The kingdom used lat, hoi and bullet money, and sent tribute missions as far as Qing China (a 1761 embassy to Beijing is recorded in the "Ten Thousand Nations Coming to Court" scroll).
Peak & territorial extent
The kingdom at its widest embraced the northern Lao Mekong valleys and suzerainty over Muang Phuan (approx. 162,000 km² in the dataset).
Decline & end
After the Franco-Siamese war of 1893 Siam ceded all lands east of the Mekong; Luang Phrabang became the principal kingdom of the French protectorate of Laos, its kings figureheads. On 11 May 1947 the kingdoms of Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak were merged into the Kingdom of Laos, with Sisavang Vong of Luang Phrabang as King of Laos.
Legacy & modern connections
The Luang Phrabang line became the royal house of independent Laos (until 1975), and the city is today a UNESCO World Heritage site and the country's cultural capital.
Common questions
- What was the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang?
- When King Sourigna Vongsa of Lan Xang died without a clear heir, the ancient Lao kingdom fragmented. In 1707 Kitsarat, an heir of Sourigna Vongsa, seceded in the north and was crowned king of Luang Phrabang, converting the rump Lan Xang centred on Vientiane into a separate kingdom; the sub-kingdom of Muang Phuan became Luang Phrabang's tributary.
- When did the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang exist?
- The Kingdom of Luang Phrabang existed 1707–1947. On this map it is drawn 1709–1894.
- How large was the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang at its height?
- The kingdom at its widest embraced the northern Lao Mekong valleys and suzerainty over Muang Phuan (approx. 162,000 km² in the dataset).
- Who ruled the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang?
- Kitsarat (1707–1713) was followed by Ong Kham and Inthason. The kingdom's weakness made it a shuttlecock of its neighbours: it became a Burmese vassal in 1765–1768 under Sotika-Kuomane and Surinyavong II, who then submitted to Siam when King Taksin's armies overran Laos in 1778–79.
- How did the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang end?
- After the Franco-Siamese war of 1893 Siam ceded all lands east of the Mekong; Luang Phrabang became the principal kingdom of the French protectorate of Laos, its kings figureheads. On 11 May 1947 the kingdoms of Luang Phrabang, Vientiane and Champasak were merged into the Kingdom of Laos, with Sisavang Vong of Luang Phrabang as King of Laos.
- What did the economy and culture of the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang rest on?
- Theravada Buddhism was the state religion and the city was (and is) Laos's pre-eminent centre of monastic learning; the sacred Phra Bang image gave the city its name. The kingdom used lat, hoi and bullet money, and sent tribute missions as far as Qing China (a 1761 embassy to Beijing is recorded in the "Ten Thousand Nations Coming to Court" scroll).
- Why does the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang still matter?
- The Luang Phrabang line became the royal house of independent Laos (until 1975), and the city is today a UNESCO World Heritage site and the country's cultural capital.
Sources
Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.
- Wikipedia: Kingdom of Luang Phrabang en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Luang_Phrabang
This entry was written from the sources above and last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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