French Laos

French Laos was a colony in Thailand and Laos (Southeast Asia) that lasted from 1893 to 1953 CE, about 60 years. Its people spoke Latin and Romance languages (Latin, Italic, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian).

France took the lands east of the Mekong from Siam in 1893 and ran Laos as a thinly administered part of French Indochina. It gained full independence in 1953.

See French Laos on the interactive timeline

Facts

Dates

1893 to 1953 CE

Duration

60 years

Type

Colony

Region

Thailand and Laos, Southeast Asia

Language family

Latin and Romance

Capital

Vientiane

Came from

• Kingdom of Luang Phrabang 1707 to 1893 CE
• Kingdom of Champasak 1713 to 1904 CE

Became

• Kingdom of Laos 1953 to 1975 CE

Events in Southeast Asia during its time

• 1896 Philippine Revolution
• 1942 Fall of Singapore
• 1945 Indonesia declares independence

Neighbours in Southeast Asia

• Dutch East Indies 1800 to 1949 CE
• Indonesia 1945 CE to the present
• Sultanate of Sulu c. 1405 to 1915 CE
• Aceh Sultanate 1496 to 1903 CE
• Spanish Philippines 1565 to 1898 CE
• Rattanakosin Kingdom (Siam) 1782 to 1932 CE
• Nguyen dynasty 1802 to 1945 CE
• British Burma 1826 to 1948 CE
• Thailand 1932 CE to the present
• Philippines 1946 CE to the present

Elsewhere in the world at the same time

• Ethiopian Empire (Solomonic dynasty) 1270 to 1974 CE, North and West Africa
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Europe
• Ottoman Empire 1299 to 1922 CE, Middle East
• Portuguese Empire 1415 to 1999 CE, Europe
• Kingdom of Kongo c. 1390 to 1914 CE, Central and Southern Africa
• Qing dynasty 1636 to 1912 CE, East Asia
• United States 1776 CE to the present, North America
• United Kingdom 1801 CE to the present, Europe
• Haiti 1804 CE to the present, Mesoamerica and Caribbean
• Russian Empire 1721 to 1917 CE, Europe

Questions