The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang has …

Years: 1694 - 1694

The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang has for centuries maintained its independence through a complex network of vassal relations with lesser princes.

Suliyavongsa, the king of Lan Xang during its golden age of prosperity, had welcomed the first European visitors to Laos.

Having ascended the throne in 1637 at a time of dynastic conflict and instability, Suliyavongsa had authoritatively restored peace and delimited Lan Xang's frontiers with its neighbors.

Dutch visitors to his capital, Vientiane, in the 1640s, and Italian Jesuits in the 1660s, described a vigorous, powerful, and prosperous kingdom.

Suliyavongsa's execution of his crown prince for a romantic indiscretion leaves the kingdom without an immediate heir to the throne, and on the king’s death in 1694, Lan Xang falls prey to a series of rival pretenders to its throne.

As a result of the ensuing struggles, the kingdom informally ends and splits into three rival polities—Vientiane, ...

Related Events

Filter results