he Lao kingdom of Lan Xang or Lan Ch'ang (Pali: Sisattanakhanahut, Lao: ລ້ານຊ້າງ lâansâang, from Sinitic 萬象 “vast number of elephants”) was established in 1354 by Somdetch Brhat-Anya Fa Ladhuraniya Sri Sadhana Kanayudha Maharaja Brhat Rajadharana Sri Chudhana Negara (otherwise known as Fa Ngum) (pronounced Fah Ngoom). It is also known as the "Land of A Million Elephants".

Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, the Lao prince from Xieng Dong Xieng Thong (formally Muang Sua after the Lao claimed it from the Khmer Empire) eventually married one of the Khmer king's daughters and in 1349 set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army. Fa Ngum organized the conquered principalities into provinces (muang), and reclaimed Xieng Dong Xieng Thong from his father and elder brother. Fa Ngum was crowned king of Lan Xang at Vientiane, the site of one of his victories (Victory of Phay Nam), in June 1354. Lan Xang, which literally means "million elephants," was an allusion to his formidable war machine. Lan Xang extended from the border of China to Sambor below the Mekong rapids at Khong Island and from the Vietnamese border to the western escarpment of the Khorat Plateau. It was one of the largest Kingdoms in Southeast Asia. Muang Sua was the first kingdom established and conquered by the Tai (Lao/Thai) ethnic groups into the khmer territories.

The first few years of Fa Ngum's rule from his capital Xieng Dong Xieng Thong were uneventful. The next six years (1362-68), however, were troubled by religious conflict between Fa Ngum's lamaistic Buddhism and the region's traditional Theravada Buddhism. He severely repressed popular agitation that had anti-Mongol overtones and had many pagodas torn down. In 1368 Fa Ngum's Khmer wife died. He subsequently married the daughter of the king of Ayutthaya, who seems to have had a pacifying influence. For example, she was instrumental in welcoming a religious and artistic mission that brought with it a statue of the Buddha, the Phra Bang from which the city was renamed, which became the palladium of the kingdom. Popular resentment continued to build, however, and in 1373 Fa Ngum withdrew to Muang Nan. His son, Oun Heuan, who had been in exile in southern Yunnan, returned to assume the regency of the empire his father had created. Oun Heuan ascended to the throne as King Samsenethai (which means 300,000 Thai) in 1393 when his father died, ending Mongol overlordship of the middle Mekong Valley. Thai history records Samsenthai and all following rulers of Lan Xiang (Laos) as vassal states paying tribute to Ayuttaya.

The kingdom, made up of Lao, Thai, and various ethnic hill tribes, lasted in its approximate borders for another 300 years and briefly reached an even greater extent in the northwest. Fa Ngum's descendants remained on the throne at Muang Sua, renamed Louang Phrabang, for almost 600 years after his death, maintaining the independence of Lan Xang to the end of the 17th century through a complex network of vassal relations with lesser princes. At the same time, these rulers fought off invasions from Vietnam (1478-79), Siam (1536), and Burma (1571-1621).

In 1694, however, Lan Xang fell prey to a series of rival pretenders to its throne, and, as a result of the ensuing struggles, formally ended and split into three kingdoms -- Luang Phrabang, Vientiane, and Champassack, 1707. Muang Phuan enjoyed a semi-independent status as a result of having been annexed by a Vietnamese army in the 15th century, an action that set a precedent for a tributary relationship with the court of Annam at Hué.

It was king Oun Heuan (Samsenthai TraiPhouvanath) who married with king of Ayuthaya's daughter, Nang Keo Yotfah.

Lan Xang mean million elephants.

I have a crazy theory, when king Fah Ngoum was in power he had 1 million men in his army. So I would say the meaning of Lan Xang is Strength of 1 Million elephants.

What you think Ek?

Cool. My aunt and uncle used to have a asian foods grocery store named Lan Xang Market!

Good theory big brother. I say this is a good topic . We should leave the Thai section alone before some people start dropping tears lolz.... Lets have a good time here in lao section. Anything could be possible . You know I was watching Discovery Show one day and something got me laughing my @$$ off. It was the Ahom( tai) people violated animal rights lolz. I was like my people are hunting and eating elephant in northeastern India lolzzz. The international community were trying to find out who were killing many of these endanger species. What they did was video tape their whole Journey from India to southeast asia. On their way to southeast Asia , they saw the Ahom people making poison dots for hunting. The animal rights group were video tapping the Ahom village and asking alot of question. What I saw in video was people eating sticky rice that look chinese. The women were wearing Pa Sin. The animal rights group ask the ahom to name all the animals that they hunt with the poison dot. The animal rights group then ask the Ahom if they use the dots to hunt elephant too. The Ahom man that was getting interview just smile. I was cracking up saying " my people got caught for eating elephant lolz.." The international animal rights groups said " do you know that hunting endanger species is a violation of the law." The man did not repley to that question.
Anyways the Animal rights group did a research and said that there is a trail that the elephant use to migrate every year from India to southeast Asia. According to the research 1500 years ago there were elephant in the 100 thousands and more that migrate every year to southeast Asaia from India. This can mean there was really many elephants in northern Laos during Fa ngums time. I don't think its million but maybe a few hundred thousand.

Your theory could be true though. Another theory was that Lanxang after uniting many citys into a kingdom became rich and had many train elephants. My theory is that Lanxang might have derive from the word Nan xang ( meaning southern city of elephants) . I believe sinces many words and tone has change alot since our ancestor migration the word Lanxang could have been Nan Xang. The word Lanna could have been from Nan Na . The kingdom to the north would be Nanchao in earlier period. How about this theory : Nanchao = Lan chao , Nan Na = Lanna , Nan xang( our ancestor would pronounce it Nan jang) = Lan xang. Only my theory because these are all southern kingdoms.

i wish they wouldnt inject the word "thai" in every lao history.