List of monarchs of Laos

King of Laos
Former Monarchy
Coat of arms of the Kingdom of Laos
First monarch King Fa Ngum
Last monarch King Savang Vatthana
Style His Royal Majesty
Official residence Luang Prabang, Laos
Monarchy started 1353 (Kingdom of Lan Xang)
Monarchy ended December 2, 1975
Current pretender Soulivong Savang

Lan Xang was the name of Laos Kingdom during its early years and was ruled by the first king, Fa Ngum. Until the reign of King Sai Setthathirat, the Lan Xang kingdom's royal seat was based in Luang Phrabang, after which the royal seat moved to Vientiane. With the rule of Sourigna Vongsa for more than 57 years, Laos entered its golden age. In 1707 Lan Xang split into the separate kingdoms of Vientiane, Luang Phrabang and Champasak.

Contents

Kingdom of Lan Xang

Kings

The following is a list of kings of the Lao empire of Lan Xang, founded in 1353 by Fa Ngum.[1] The reign of the last king of Lan Xang, Setthartarat II in 1706 when the Kingdom was split with the intervention of Ayutthya.

Kingdom of Champasak (1700-1946)

Champasak broke away from Lan Xang and this established the Kingdom of Champasak. The Kingdom was transformed into a principality in 1904, and continued to exist until 1946, when the Kingdom of Laos was formed.

Kings

Princes

Kingdom of Vientiane (1707-1828)

Kingdom of Vientiane was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. The Kingdom lasted until 1828 when it was annexed by Thailand.

Kings

Kingdom of Luang Phrabang (1707-1946)

When the kingdom split, the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang was so weak that it was forced to pay tribute to various times to the Siamese, Burmese and Vietnamese. After a particularly destructive attack by the Black Flag wing of the Chinese Haw in 1887, the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang chose to accept French protection.

Kings

Portrait Name King From King Until
Oun Kham 1 October 1868 December 15, 1895
Zakarine 15 December 1895 March 25, 1904
Sisavang Vong March 26, 1904 August 27, 1946

Zakarine was regent for Oun Kham from April 1888 until 15 December 1895
Sisavang Vong was officially King of Laos from 12 October 1945

Kingdom of Laos (1946-1975)

The Kingdom of Laos was formed in 1946. This was the first time that a Lao monarch has ruled over Laos as a whole state until the overthrow of the monarchy in 1975, ending a 600 year old monarchy.

King (Rath)

Portrait Name King From King Until
Sisavang Vong September 15, 1945 October 20, 1945

Head of State

Kings (Rath)

Portrait Name King From King Until
Sisavang Vong April 23, 1946 October 29, 1959
Savang Vatthana October 30, 1959 December 2, 1975

See also

References