Blackwell Reference Online

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Traditionally, Laos had been dominated by neighboring Siam (modern-day Thailand). From the late eighteenth century the Siamese conquered large parts of the kingdom of Wieng Chan (Laos), installing Chao Anou, a Lao prince who had been educated in Bangkok, as the “King of Wieng Chan,” and a vassal of the king of Siam. However the Vietnamese were also emerging as a powerful military state, and Emperor Gia Long managed to get Chao Anou to pay him tribute as well. In the 1820s Chao Anou led a revolt against the Siamese, expecting Vietnamese support. However, this did not materialize and the Siamese armies invaded, sacking Wieng Chan, and also the nearby kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Champasak (Champassac), which had maintained a degree of independence. The prisoners taken by the Siamese were sold off as slaves, and it became clear to most Laotians that domination by the Siamese was inevitable. For that reason, with the emergence of France as a major power in the region in the late nineteenth century, the Laotians decided that it would be better to invite a European power and save the country. A similar situation had occurred in Cambodia in 1863, and King Oun Kham started negotiating with the French. In a series of treaties between the French and the Siamese, gradually the Siamese had to cede all their territory on the east bank of the Mekong River. The Laotian kingdoms were then merged ... log in or subscribe to read full text