Lan Xang

Lan Sang and Lane Xang redirect here; for the beer LaneXang see Beer Lao; Lan Sang National Park is unrelated.

Kingdom of Lan Xang ລ້ານຊ້າງ
1354–1707 →   →   →
1400 CE Teal: Lan Xang Purple: Lanna Orange: Sukhothai Kingdom Blue Violet: Ayutthaya Kingdom Red: Khmer Empire Yellow: Champa Blue: Dai Viet
Capital	Luang Phrabang, Later Vientiane (Viang Chan)
Language(s)	Lao
Religion	Buddhism
Government	Monarchy
King
- 1354-1385	Fa Ngum
- 1373–1416	Samsenethai
- 1548–1571	Setthathirath
- 1637-1694	Sourigna Vongsa
Historical era	Middle Ages and Renaissance
- Founded by Fa Gnum	1354
- Kingdom split	1707

History of Laos
This article is part of a series
Early history of Laos
Lan Xang (1353–1707)
Dark ages of Laos (1707–1893)
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang (1707–1949)
Kingdom of Vientiane (1707–1828)
Principality of Phuan (1707–1949)
Kingdom of Champasak (1713–1946)
Colonial era (1893–1953)
French rule and colonial administration (1893–1953)
Lao Issara (1945–49)
Modern era (1953–present)
Post-independence Laos (1953–75)
Pathet Lao
North Vietnamese Invasion
Laotian Civil War (1953–75)
Communist Laos (1975–present)
Insurgency in Laos (since 1975)
Laos Portal

The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao (Lao: ລ້ານຊ້າງ lâansâang - ລ້ານ "million" + ຊ້າງ "elephant"+ "Under the White Parasol"; Pali: शिसत्तनखनहुत्, Sisattanakhanahut; Burmese: လင်းဇင်း, IPA: [lɪ́ɴzɪ́ɴ]; Vietnamese: Vạn Tượng) was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.

Fa Ngum

Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country. Fa Ngum organized conquered principalities into provinces (muang), claimed the crown of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong from his Uncle, in June 1354 now with an army of more than 50,000 soldiers was crowned ruler of Lan Xang at Vientiane, the site of one of his victory of Phay Nam. The "million elephants under the white parasol" of the kingdom's name alluded to his formidable war machine. The Kingdom of Lan Xang extended from the borders of China south to Sambor below the Mekong rapids at Khong Island, and from the Vietnamese border to the western escarpment of the Khorat Plateau. It was thus one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

The early years of Fa Ngum's rule were uneventful. However, the next six years (1362 to 1368) were troubled by conflict between Fa Ngum's Mahayana Buddhism and the region's traditional Theravada Buddhism. He severely repressed popular agitation and had many temples torn down. In 1368 Fa Ngum's Khmer wife died. He then married a daughter of the king of Ayutthaya, who seems to have had a pacifying influence on her husband. She was instrumental in welcoming a religious and artistic mission that brought a carved figure of the Buddha, the Phra Bang, for which the capital was renamed Luang Prabang. Popular resentment continued to build, however, and in 1373 Fa Ngum withdrew to Muang Nan. His son, Oun Heuan, who had been in exile in southern Yunnan, returned and assumed the regency of the kingdom his father had created. Oun Heuan a peaceful ruler unlike his father succeeded Fa Ngum on his death in 1393, calling himself King Samsenethai (300,000 Thai), ending Mongol overlordship of the middle Mekong Valley.

The kingdom of Lan Xang, made up of Lao, Tai, and various ethnic hill tribes, lasted for another 600 years and briefly reached an even greater extent in the northwest. Fa Ngum's descendants remained on the throne for almost 600 years after his death. They maintained the independence of Lan Xang to the end of the 17th century by a complex network of vassal relations with lesser princes. At the same time, the rulers fought off invasions from Vietnam (1478–79), Siam (1536), and Burma (1571–1621).

In 1694, a series of rival princes fought for the throne, and in 1707 the country split into three kingdoms: Luang Prabang, Vientiane, and Champasak, several attempts by Vientiane to unite the Lao Kingdoms were prevented by Siamese intervention, as a result of being three splintered Kingdoms, all three ended up paying tribute to Siam. Muang Phuan enjoyed a semi-independent status as a result of having been annexed by a Vietnamese army in the 15th century, an action that set a precedent for a tributary relationship with the court of Viet Nam at Hué.

McCarthy's account

James McCarthy, F.R.G.S., Director-General of the Siamese Government Surveys prior to establishment of the Royal Thai Survey Department, was appointed to the command of an expedition to this region, Reports had reached Bangkok of bandits called Haw plundering and destroying villages on the north-east frontier, the whereabouts of which were unknown, the greater part unvisited by Europeans, and on maps of the country, a blank. Hora (โหร Hon) determined the journey should start at noon on January 16, 1884. McCarthy reached Luang Prabang in June, and recorded the following traditional account of the founding of Lan Sang.

Luang Prabang, one of the oldest towns of Indo-China, has, very probably, the most interesting history. I was able, at odd intervals, to gather the following traditional scraps from the eldest son of the chief —

The first king was K'un Borom, who lived at Teng (identified by Major Gerini as the Dasana or Doana of Ptolemy), where a tree grew that reached to heaven, and shaded the whole district of Luang Prabang. The king used to amuse himself by going up and down between earth and heaven until the evil spirits, wishing to keep him on earth, cut down the tree. The wood of the tree is found even nowadays, and, under the name of " Kua Kao Kat," is, of course, used as a charm against every evil. The king planted pumpkins, and one day, to see whether a pumpkin was ripe, pierced it with an iron spear, whereupon, to his surprise, blood flowed from it. He waited a few days and then pierced another, when a black man issued forth, who became the progenitor of all the Ka Che, or Kamu. A few days later he pierced another pumpkin, when a white man came out, who became the progenitor of the Lao. In accordance with the tale the Lao look upon the Ka Che as their elder brethren.

As time went on both the Lao and Ka Che grew very numerous, so that it became necessary to find a new country, and rivalry sprang up between the families, though the younger brother's family, or the Lao, were admitted to be the cleverer. On the occasion of the exodus from Muang Teng. the Lao, with their usual skill, used wooden boats and rafts, whereas the Ka Che made boats of buffalo hide. Both went down the Nam Nua, but at a rapid called Men Kwai (" Smell of Buffalo "), the Ka Che boats were broken and had to be abandoned. Thus the Ka Che were obliged to seek a helping hand from the Lao, who took them to the spot where the town of Luang Prabang now stands. There they founded a city called Sawa, which grew to be very powerful, and held sway over the whole Me Kawng valley. The city was named after a large stone over which the pagoda Wat Chieng T'awng has been built.

History omits the story of the pumpkins, and says those who came first to Muang Sawa were the descendants of K'un Law, the eldest son of K'un Borom, by his wife Nang Pola. The second son was Chet Chieng, who founded Chieng Kwang, or Puan ; the third son was Ti-Palan, who founded Laksa Kuha, or Yunan.

The second wife had four sons : Chu-Song, who founded Pa-Kung, or Anara ; Lak-Kong, who founded Hongsawadi (Pegu) ; Lai Pong, who founded Chieng Dao, or Aleve (Chieng Hung, Siamese " Rung," the Lao having no R) ; Kun In, the youngest, who founded Si Ayiw t'ia. Thus Muang Teng is regarded as the distributing centre of all the population of Indo-China.

To settle the long-standing dispute concerning supremacy between the Ka Che and the Lao, it was agreed that the mastery should be given to those who should make the highest chaleo, or small matting placed conspicuously to frighten spirits and tigers from the camp. The Ka Che set to work, but could not raise their chaleo to any considerable elevation. The Lao, tying theirs to the end of a bamboo, which when let go sprang up to a great height, easily became the masters, and, until quite recently, the Ka Che consequently supplied them with all that they required. In the old days a rupee purchased more rice than four men could lift.

For fifteen generations the chiefs had the title K'un, and for six generations the title of Tao. The name of the city was changed to Lan Sang (Siamese " Chang," the Lao having no ch) the meaning of the name, according to P'ia Riddhirong, the Siamese commissioner, being, " the plain among the elephants " as the surrounding hills are called Sang (Siamese " Chang "), or elephants. Then the name was changed to Luang Prabang, from the Prabang, a golden image of Gautama which, first set up in Ceylon, was carried successively to Cambodia, Luang Prabang, Wieng Chan, Bangkok, and finally back to Luang Prabang.

In the beginning of this century Luang Prabang was destroyed by Wieng Chan, from which it had long been separated. Its chief, Anurata, and his son, being taken prisoners, were sent to Bangkok, where they remained for twelve years. Dying twenty years later, this chief was succeeded by Mongta, who ruled for twelve years, and was followed by Chao Luang Serm, who, in turn, after nineteen years of government, was succeeded in 1870 by the late chief, Chao Luang Un Kham.

Notes

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

See also

• Emerald Buddha
• Fa Ngum
• Muang Sua
• Monarchs of Laos

External links

• "The life of Fa Ngoum The youth period". promoting our beloved country - Laos. MUONGLAO.COM. January 20, 2005. http://www.muonglao.com/fangoum.html. Retrieved February 19, 2012. "Prince Fa Ngoum was born in 1316 at the Palace of Xieng Thong in the Kingdom of Muong Sua or Xieng Dong Xieng Thong."