Souvanna Banlang

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Souvanna Banlang
King of Lan Xang
  • Therevada Buddhism

Souvanna Banlang (1455-1486) was king of

Vietnam.[1]

Biography

Souvanna Banlang was born in 1455 as Prince Then Kham the second son of King Chakkaphat Phen Phaeo.[

Loei Province of Thailand, and became remembered in Lao history as the hero of the Đại Việt invasion.[1][3]

In 1478, Đại Việt forces invaded Lan Xang, destroying the army organized by Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo and led by Souvanna Banlang's older brother Prince Kone Keo.[1][2][3] The Lan Xang forces which included 200,000 men and 2,000 elephants were routed with the majority of Lao commanders being killed, including Prince Kone Keo who drowned while fleeing the Battle of the Plain of Jars.[3] The Đại Việt took the Lan Xang capital of Muang Sua.[1][2][3] King Chakkaphat Phen Phaeo with the royal family fled south toward Muang Dan Sai and Muang Nan, a dependency of Lan Na.[1]

After taking the capital, the Đại Việt forces split with one army proceeding north to Xiang Hung and the region of

pincer attack on the Kingdom of Lan Na. The Vietnamese troops continued their march to the Lanna kingdom, but were repelled when they tried to conquer Nan.[1]

Prince Theng Kham led his troops from Muang Dan Sai against the Vietnamese decimating them along the path of retreat. Of the 4,000 officers sent from the capital

Thăng Long, today's Hanoi, only 600 survived.[1][3] Prince Theng Kham retook Muang Sua assembled the surviving citizens and sent an embassy to his father inviting him to come back. Chakkaphat refused and abdicated the throne to Theng Kham, who ascended the throne in 1479 with the regnal name Souvanna Banlang (a name derived from Pali meaning 'golden throne').[3]

Chakkaphat Phaen Phaeo remained in Muang Xieng Khan where he died in 1481. Souvanna Banlang attended the cremation ceremony of the father and built a stupa to preserve the ashes in Xieng Khan.[3] Souvanna Banlang established peaceful relations with the Kingdom Lan Na, and devoted himself to the reconstruction of the capital, which was heavily damaged during the invasion.[3] Souvanna Banlang died without heir in 1486. The Sena or king's court appointed as king his younger brother, Prince Tieng Lakon, who ascended to the throne with the royal name La Sen Thai.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Stuart-Fox (1998), p. 66-67.
  2. ^ a b c d Simms (1999), p. 52–53.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Viravong (1964), p. 44-47.

Further reading

  • Simms, Peter and Sanda (1999). The Kingdoms of Laos: Six Hundred Years of History. Curzon Press.
    ISBN 0-7007-1531-2
    .
  • Stuart-Fox, Martin (1998). The Lao Kingdom of Lan Xang: Rise and Decline. White Lotus Press.
    ISBN 974-8434-33-8
    .
  • Viravong, Sila (1964). History of Laos (trans.). New York: Paragon Book.
    ISBN 0-685-41963-0
    .

External links

Preceded by
Monarch of Lan Xang

1479–1486 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Souvanna_Banlang&oldid=1189157707"