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The King of Vientiane Kingdom
Nanthasen, was dethroned by the Siam (currently known as the Thai) and replaced by Inthavong, he fought in the Burmese war and worked with Siam, and was chosen by the Siam King. -
War with Siam
After two generation of Kings in Siam and Vientiane, the king of Vientiane’s relationship with the king of Siam wasn’t as strong as the previous two. In fact he really didn’t like them thus starting a war between the two countries and failed when attacking. He then fled to Vietnam to build another army to attack once again and failed once again but this time was captured in a cage and was showcased as a trophy for the Siam. He died in that cage. -
French Invade Indochina (1858-1874)
In 1858, the French invaded a couple of cities in Indochina with their military, and set up camps and garrisons in multiple cities. Their intentions of taking over Laos was to win Vietnnam by the end. -
Haw Head for Invasion
In 1859, the Haw soldiers left the conflict in China, and headed south, destroying everything that stood in their path. Vietnamese armies in Xiang Kuang and Vientiane before meeting the Siamese. The Siamese soldiers tried three times to destroy them, as well as to try to expand their territory. -
Start of French Colonization in Laos
As soon as the French arrived with their military and began to invade Indochina, they met the Haw since the Haw kept moving south, and they bumped.The French sent over more troops to Indochina when the Haw started war with France. This made the French the protectorate of Vientiane. That marked the start of the French’s colonization in Laos. However the French weren’t as much interested in Laos as they were in Vietnam, which had great economical value. Laos was just a bridge in order to do so. -
Road To Being a Leading Colony
The French colony kept expanding further towards the Siamese territory as the French wished to stay as one of the leading colonies since the British colony already took over India, Burma and Malaya. However the Siamese didn’t like that and demanded borders. The French made an offer to the Siamese that was if the Siamese didn’t hand over their claims, they would provoke war. The Siamese felt confident that if the French provoked war, the British would back them up because Siam was a buffer zone. -
The French Begin to Influence
As soon as the French recieved their new territories, they began to put it under the French influence. They appointed new administrative posts in the colonies, whilst they began to develop it economically. Whilst at it, they also introduced the locals to French culture & language. -
Franco-Siamese Treaty
The conflict began with a Frenchman sent as a consul to Bangkok, to bring Laos under the French rule. The Siamese rejected this deal, and reinforced their city. Leading to multiple killings of French officers & multiple attacks to both sides. The French were outraged by these attacks and with the fact that the Siamese woud not accept their terms, and headed to Bangkok with warships. They offered one last chance to give up their lands and pay for killings. The Siamese had no choice but to accept -
Siam & Briths Empire Sign An Accord
The Siam & the British empired signed an accord, which meant that they both recognized each others sphere of influence over Indochina. This accord gave Siam back everything East of the Mekong river. -
Beheading of Ong Kaeo (1895-1910)
April 1910 A spiritual man name Ong Kaeo believed he had supernatural powers and was chosen by the spirits to rebel against the French, thus creating large groups of rebels who constantly fought against the French army. The French attempted to capture him multiple times making rebels grow furious. The French eventually beheaded him and revealed his head to all the rebels in Laos as a warning. Small rebellions still occurred after but none were as serious as the ones of Ong Kaeo. -
Threats from the Haw & Tai Lue
The Haw and the Tai Lue threaten the French with full on attacks, because of their jealousy of the great rich opium trade with multiple countries. -
Northern Vietnamese Rebellions
1918 a Vietnamese leader named Pachai attempted to re-unify Indochina (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) by ambushing certain groups who controlled their opium trade. -
The Protection of the French-Laos
In 1922 In one of Pachai’s several ambushes he was killed eliminating the attacks from Vietnam. Soldiers from France came to die down attacks from the Tai Lue. Finally the Lao Thueng, who were controlled by the French, attacked the Haw to back them back to China. This displayed the fragility of Frances control over Laos and the power of the French colony. -
French Leaving Laos
The French slowly started heading back to France since the fight for Vietnam wasn’t worth it anymore. Although Laos was still apart of their colony, there were only about 600 French citizens living there. -
Communism & Democracy in Laos.
Kaysone Phomvihane was a new communist government for Indochina. He created re-education camps, which were used to punish and to teach everyone about communism. However after the collapse of the soviets communist party, where the countries surrounding Russia declared independence, the communist party in Laos was influenced by the event and turned into a democracy.
