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Southeast Asia · Konbaung, Chakri and the colonial century

Vientiane

Kingdom (Burmese vassal 1765–1779; Siamese vassal 1779–1828) · 1707–1828

The Kingdom of Vientiane emerged in 1707 from the division of Lan Xang: when Kitsarat seceded to found Luang Phrabang, King Setthathirath II retained the old capital Vientiane — established as Lan Xang's capital by Setthathirath I in 1563 — and his realm became the Kingdom of Vientiane. Champasak and Muang Phuan seceded in the following years.

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Type
Kingdom (Burmese vassal 1765–1779; Siamese vassal 1779–1828)
Existed
1707–1828
Shown on the map
1709–1827
Peak area
174k km² (dataset)
Region
Southeast Asia

Origins & foundation

The Kingdom of Vientiane emerged in 1707 from the division of Lan Xang: when Kitsarat seceded to found Luang Phrabang, King Setthathirath II retained the old capital Vientiane — established as Lan Xang's capital by Setthathirath I in 1563 — and his realm became the Kingdom of Vientiane. Champasak and Muang Phuan seceded in the following years.

Political history & notable rulers

Setthathirath II (1707–1730) and Ong Long (1730–1767) presided over a kingdom squeezed between Burma, Siam and Vietnam. In 1773 Luang Phrabang attacked Vientiane, and King Ong Bun turned to the Konbaung dynasty for help, becoming a Burmese vassal — a move that provoked Thonburi. After the Burmese–Siamese war of 1775–76, King Taksin sent Chao Phraya Chakri (the future Rama I) against Vientiane; in 1779 the city was sacked and the Emerald Buddha and other palladia were carried off to Thonburi. Ong Bun submitted, revolted again, and was executed by the Siamese in 1781. His son Nanthasen (1781–1795) briefly attacked Luang Phrabang with Siamese permission (1792) and weathered a Tây Sơn invasion before being deposed for alleged treason. His brother Inthavong followed, and in 1805 Inthavong's brother Anouvong took the throne.

Economy, culture & religion

Vientiane was the most populous Lao kingdom, a Theravada Buddhist centre whose Pha That Luang stupa (built 1566) remains the national symbol of Laos; the Haw Phra Kaew temple housed the Emerald Buddha until 1779. The kingdom's wealth rested on Mekong riverine trade and control of both banks including the Khorat Plateau.

Peak & territorial extent

The kingdom at its height controlled the middle Mekong and much of the Khorat Plateau (approx. 174,000 km² in the dataset).

Decline & end

In December 1826 King Anouvong launched his famous rebellion, sending 10,000 men toward the Khorat Plateau and briefly taking Nakhon Ratchasima. The Siamese counter-attack ravaged Vientiane in 1827: the city was burned, its treasures looted and its population deported wholesale to the Khorat Plateau. Anouvong was captured and died in an iron cage in Bangkok in 1828. The kingdom was abolished and its lands annexed or reorganised under Siamese administration.

Legacy & modern connections

Anouvong is today Laos's foremost national hero. The depopulation of the east bank — only about a fifth of the Lao population remained — shaped the demographic geography that let France claim Laos east of the Mekong in 1893; Vientiane became the capital of French Laos in 1899 and is the modern capital of the Lao PDR.

Common questions

What was Vientiane?
The Kingdom of Vientiane emerged in 1707 from the division of Lan Xang: when Kitsarat seceded to found Luang Phrabang, King Setthathirath II retained the old capital Vientiane — established as Lan Xang's capital by Setthathirath I in 1563 — and his realm became the Kingdom of Vientiane. Champasak and Muang Phuan seceded in the following years.
When did Vientiane exist?
Vientiane existed 1707–1828. On this map it is drawn 1709–1827.
How large was Vientiane at its height?
The kingdom at its height controlled the middle Mekong and much of the Khorat Plateau (approx. 174,000 km² in the dataset).
Who ruled Vientiane?
Setthathirath II (1707–1730) and Ong Long (1730–1767) presided over a kingdom squeezed between Burma, Siam and Vietnam. In 1773 Luang Phrabang attacked Vientiane, and King Ong Bun turned to the Konbaung dynasty for help, becoming a Burmese vassal — a move that provoked Thonburi.
How did Vientiane end?
In December 1826 King Anouvong launched his famous rebellion, sending 10,000 men toward the Khorat Plateau and briefly taking Nakhon Ratchasima. The Siamese counter-attack ravaged Vientiane in 1827: the city was burned, its treasures looted and its population deported wholesale to the Khorat Plateau.
What did the economy and culture of Vientiane rest on?
Vientiane was the most populous Lao kingdom, a Theravada Buddhist centre whose Pha That Luang stupa (built 1566) remains the national symbol of Laos; the Haw Phra Kaew temple housed the Emerald Buddha until 1779. The kingdom's wealth rested on Mekong riverine trade and control of both banks including the Khorat Plateau.
Why does Vientiane still matter?
Anouvong is today Laos's foremost national hero. The depopulation of the east bank — only about a fifth of the Lao population remained — shaped the demographic geography that let France claim Laos east of the Mekong in 1893; Vientiane became the capital of French Laos in 1899 and is the modern capital of the Lao PDR.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

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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