Laos: Back to a Land of Three Kingdoms?

Following the end of the reign of King Souligna Vongsa (1633-90), an era com monly referred to as the Golden Era of a united Lao kingdom, the ensuing internal succession struggles, combined with growing external encroachment by its power ful neighbours, led to the division of the land into three distinct protectorates, with centres in Luangphrabang in the North, Vientiane in the Central region, and Champasak in the South. At varying times during the eighteenth century, these distinct areas were at risk of being absorbed by Laos' neighbours because of the competing interests of the more powerful states of Burma, Siam, and Vietnam. By the early nineteenth century, Siam had exerted its hegemony in the struggle over much of what is now contemporary Laos. Political configurations shifted once again as French colonialism extended into the rest of Indochina from Vietnam by the late nineteenth century. Laos was preserved through its role as a buffer state. Since this territorial consolidation, its existence has been