Kingdom of Champasak

The Kingdom of Champasak, also called Bassac, was a Lao kingdom that emerged in 1713 when the southern part of Lan Xang seceded. Its founder was King Nokasad, a grandson of Sourigna Vongsa, the last king of Lan Xang; the remainder of Lan Xang had already split into the kingdoms of Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The kingdom lay on the left bank of the Mekong, south of Khong Chiam, and its capital was the town of Champasak. In 1778, after Taksin of Siam invaded Vientiane and Champasak, it became a Siamese dependency; its king was taken to Bangkok but allowed to return in 1780 as a vassal who paid tribute and was chosen by Siam. The region later became a contested ground between Siamese and French power. After the Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893 the left bank passed under French administration, and in 1904, before the Franco-Siamese treaty, the kingdom's capital was transferred to French rule and placed under French Cambodia. The House of Champassak retained its title, and Chao Boun Oum later became a prominent royal figure in Laos.