French Protectorate of Laos
The French protectorate of Laos (French: Protectorat français du Laos) was a French protectorate in Southeast Asia of what is today Laos between 1893 and 1953—with a brief interregnum as a Japanese puppet state in 1945—which constituted part of French Indochina.[1] It was integrated into French Indochina and in the following years further Siamese vassals, the Principality of Phuan and Kingdom of Champasak, were annexed into it in 1899 and 1904, respectively. It was officially recognized as independent in 1954 after the Geneva Conference.[2][3]
Kingdom of Luang Prabang ພຣະຣາຊອານາຈັກຫລວງພະບາງ Phrà Ràaj Aanaachak Luang Pràabàng Royaume de Luang Prabang (1893–1945; 1946–1947) Kingdom of Laos ພຣະຣາຊອານາຈັກລາວ Phra Raja A-na-chak Lao Royaume du Laos (1945–1946; 1947–1953) | |
|---|---|
| 1893–1945 1946–1953 | |
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| Status | Protectorate of France (1893–1899); constituent territory of French Indochina (1899–1953) |
| Capital | Vientiane (official) Luang Prabang (royal) |
| Common languages | French (official), Lao |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism Roman Catholicism |
| Government | Unitary absolute monarchy under a colonial administration (1893–1947) Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy within the French Union (1947–1953) |
| King | |
• 1868–1895 | Oun Kham |
• 1895–1904 | Zakarine |
• 1904–1953 | Sisavang Vong |
| Resident-Superior | |
• 1894–1895 (first) | Auguste Pavie[a] |
• 1954–1955 (last) | Michel Breal[b] |
| Prime Minister | |
• 1941–1945 (first) | Phetsarath |
• 1951–1953 (last) | Souvanna Phouma |
| Legislature | None (rule by decree) (until 1947) Parliament (from 1947) |
| Royal Council (from 1947) | |
| National Assembly (from 1947) | |
| Historical era | New Imperialism |
| 3 October 1893 | |
• Part of French Indochina | 19 April 1899 |
• Champasak annexed | 22 November 1904 |
| 8 April 1945 | |
• Lao Issara government | 12 October 1945 |
• French restoration | 24 April 1946 |
| 11 May 1947 | |
• Independence | 22 October 1953 |
| 21 July 1954 | |
| Currency | Piastre |
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- ↑ Fall, Bernard B (2018). The French Debacle in Indochina. Stackpole Books.
- ↑ "American foreign policy. 1950-1955; basic documents". avalon.law.yale.edu. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
- ↑ Young, Marilyn (1991). The Vietnam Wars: 1945–1990. New York. HarperPerennial. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-06-092107-1.