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Lan Xang Kingdom (1501–1510)
In the early 16th century, Laos's Lan Xang under King Visoun maintained territorial unity and Buddhist cultural flourishing, centered on Vientiane, w…
Timeline
- 1501–1505Royal City of Vientiane · LaosKing Visoun inherited the Lan Xang kingdom founded by Fa Ngum, consolidated control over Luang Prabang, Champasak, and other vassal territories, maintained a unified political order across the Mekong basin, and prevented the kingdom from falling into division.
- 1503–1508That Luang, Vientiane · LaosKing Visoun vigorously patronized Theravada Buddhism, repairing monasteries and transcribing palm-leaf manuscripts. Lao traditional histories link the flourishing of major Buddhist structures such as That Luang to this period, making Lan Xang one of the Buddhist cultural centers of Indochina.
- 1506–1510Lan Xang–Lan Na border · IndochinaLan Xang maintained relations with Lan Na to the north and Ayutthaya to the south that alternated between cooperation and tension, while defending the eastern border with Vietnam's Le dynasty. Under Visoun the kingdom's territory was relatively stable, laying distant groundwork for Lan Xang's later division in the late 16th century without it yet erupting.
Sources
- A History of Laos — Martin Stuart-Fox (1997)
- The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Volume 1 — Nicholas Tarling (ed.) (1992)