Setthathirath
Encyclopedia
Setthathirath is considered one of the great leaders in Lao
history. Throughout 1560s up until his death, he successfully defended his kingdom of Lan Xang
against military campaigns of Burmese conqueror Bayinnaung
, who had already subdued Xieng Mai (Chiang Mai
) in 1558 and Ayutthaya
in 1564. Setthathirath was a prolific builder and erected many Buddhist
monuments including Wat Xieng Thong
in Louang Phrabang and the That Luang in Vientiane
.
In 1551 the ruler of Chieng Mai was Chao Chaiyasetthathirat, the son of the ruler (Phra Chao Phothisan) of Luang Prabang. The previous ruler of Chieng Mai gave his daughter, Princess Nang Yotkham, in Marriage to Phra Chao Phothisan. She became his consort and bore him a son Chao Chaiyaset. When the latter was fifteen years of age, the ruler of Chieng Mai, his maternal grandfather, passed away. There was no other descendant to succeed him. High-ranking officials and Buddhist monks therefore agreed unanimously to offer the throne to Chao Chaiyaset, the eldest son of Phra Chao Phothisan and the grandson of the late ruler of Chieng Mai. His name was lengthened to Chao Chaiyasetthathirat.
King Potisararat accompanied Prince Settharatarat to Chiangmai with a large army with 9 Generals, commanding 2000 War elephants, and 300,000 soldiers. The route to Chiangmai via from the North through Chiengsen and Chiangrai, to ensure his son’s ascension to the thrown.
After Chaiyasetthathirat assumed rule of Chieng Mai, his father Phothisan passed away in Luang Prabang. Concerned that if he attended his father's funeral, he might be prevented from returning to Chieng Mai, Chaiyasetthathirat decided to take the Emerald Buddha with him to Luang Prabang. He also claimed that taking it to Luang would allow his relatives the opportunity to venerate the image and make merit
The Nobles of Lanna felt that Chaiyasetthathirat had stayed away too long, thus the Nobles of Lanna (Chieng Mai) were no longer willing to wait for Chaiyasetthathirat, and sought another descendant of Mangrai dynasty to take the throne. This Shan prince, known as Mae ku, was a distant relative of Chaiyasetthathirat.
Mekuti or Mae Ku may not have had an opportunity to do anything. Chaiyasetthathirat came under serious threat of attack after the Burmese took Chieng Saen, north-east of Chieng Mai, and Bayin-naung's forces gained the position to make an armed attack down the Mekong river. Thus, after twelve years in Luang Prabang, Chaiyasetthathirat decided to move his residence to Vientiane in the 1560's, taking the Emerald Buddha with him. The image stayed in Vientiane for two hundred and fifteen years until 1778.
Settatharatarat quickly subdued Prince Tarua in Loungprabang, and sent his general Phya Sisatthamatailoke to go fight Prince Lanchang in the town of Kengsah, Prince Lanchang was defeated and fled to Thakhek
, where the lord of Thakhek had him arrested and sent to Phya Sisatthama, the nobles that supported Prince Lanchang were exicuted, but Prince Setthatarat pardoned Prince Lanchang and appointed him as governor of Seanmuang. Phya Sisatthama was thus made Lord of Vientiane, and given the title Phya Chantaburi, who built Wat Chan and Pia Wat that can be found in Vientiane Today. After subduing his half brothers, King Setthartarat united Lanna and Lanxang under his rule.
Setthartarat hearing of the heroic Queen Suryothai of Ayudhya who fought against the Burmese and was killed, was moved and full of admiration for the Queen, requested the marriage of her daughter Princess Tepkasatri, the King of Ayudhya King Maha Chakkrapat eager to form an alliance with Lanxang agreed with the request. When the Princess Tepkasatri was being escorted to Lanxang Burmese soilders kidnapped her bringing her back to Hongsawadee. This act Made King Setthartarat very angry and solidified the union btw Lanxang and Ayudhya.
Because Setthathirath left only a toddler as his heir prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane, the child's maternal grandfather, a military commander of common birth named Saensurin (or Sene Soulintha), declared himself king. This began a period of turbulence, with different men ruling unsteadily for short periods, which saw the country finally conquered by Bayinnaung
in 1574, and the toddler son of Setthathirat was taken to Burma. with a fratricide by a crown prince; with a rebellion led by someone claiming to be Setthathirath-resurrected; and with a nine-year period in which the country had no king. (The Burmese would rule Laos for eighteen years.) Quarrels and conflicts among the feudal nobility and their followings led to disruptions and unrest within the population. With the country in chaos, Prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane Always recognised as the rightful King by the people of Laos who campaigned for his return for many years until they finally succeeded when they sent a delegation to Burma after he had come of age in 1590. Crowned at Vientiane, 1591. Released from captivity in Burma and returned to Vientiane
by King Nanda Bayin. Crowned there, 1591. Declared his independence from the Burmese in 1593, but suffered several attacks from them throughout his reign.
There was little peace in Laos until King Sourigna Vongsa
ascended the throne in 1633 (possibly 1637).
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
history. Throughout 1560s up until his death, he successfully defended his kingdom of Lan Xang
Lan Xang
The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country...
against military campaigns of Burmese conqueror Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
, who had already subdued Xieng Mai (Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
) in 1558 and Ayutthaya
Ayutthaya kingdom
Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...
in 1564. Setthathirath was a prolific builder and erected many Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
monuments including Wat Xieng Thong
Wat Xieng Thong
Wat Xieng Thong is a Buddhist temple , located on the northern tip of the peninsula of Luang Phrabang, Laos.-History:It was built in 1560 by King Setthathirath and was under royal patronage during the Kingdom of Laos. Like the royal palace, the wat was placed near the mekong. In 1880, the Tripitaka...
in Louang Phrabang and the That Luang in Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
.
King of Chaingmai
also known as Chaiyachettha or Jayajestha, 1546-1547, Was first the King of Chiangmai, after the death of the King of Chiangmai King Ketklao, who died without a male heir to the thrown, his daughter Princess Yotkamtip is Chao Settathiraths Mother. Which through succession made Prince Settathirath the Heir to the thrown of Chiangmai, where he was crowned King of Chiangmai.In 1551 the ruler of Chieng Mai was Chao Chaiyasetthathirat, the son of the ruler (Phra Chao Phothisan) of Luang Prabang. The previous ruler of Chieng Mai gave his daughter, Princess Nang Yotkham, in Marriage to Phra Chao Phothisan. She became his consort and bore him a son Chao Chaiyaset. When the latter was fifteen years of age, the ruler of Chieng Mai, his maternal grandfather, passed away. There was no other descendant to succeed him. High-ranking officials and Buddhist monks therefore agreed unanimously to offer the throne to Chao Chaiyaset, the eldest son of Phra Chao Phothisan and the grandson of the late ruler of Chieng Mai. His name was lengthened to Chao Chaiyasetthathirat.
King Potisararat accompanied Prince Settharatarat to Chiangmai with a large army with 9 Generals, commanding 2000 War elephants, and 300,000 soldiers. The route to Chiangmai via from the North through Chiengsen and Chiangrai, to ensure his son’s ascension to the thrown.
After Chaiyasetthathirat assumed rule of Chieng Mai, his father Phothisan passed away in Luang Prabang. Concerned that if he attended his father's funeral, he might be prevented from returning to Chieng Mai, Chaiyasetthathirat decided to take the Emerald Buddha with him to Luang Prabang. He also claimed that taking it to Luang would allow his relatives the opportunity to venerate the image and make merit
The Nobles of Lanna felt that Chaiyasetthathirat had stayed away too long, thus the Nobles of Lanna (Chieng Mai) were no longer willing to wait for Chaiyasetthathirat, and sought another descendant of Mangrai dynasty to take the throne. This Shan prince, known as Mae ku, was a distant relative of Chaiyasetthathirat.
Mekuti or Mae Ku may not have had an opportunity to do anything. Chaiyasetthathirat came under serious threat of attack after the Burmese took Chieng Saen, north-east of Chieng Mai, and Bayin-naung's forces gained the position to make an armed attack down the Mekong river. Thus, after twelve years in Luang Prabang, Chaiyasetthathirat decided to move his residence to Vientiane in the 1560's, taking the Emerald Buddha with him. The image stayed in Vientiane for two hundred and fifteen years until 1778.
King of Lanxang
after the death of King Potisararat, the nobles of lanxang were divided, a group supported Prince Tarua, another group of nobles led by Phya Vieng, Saen Marong, and Kwan Darmpa supported Prince Lanchang who was born from an Ayudhya princess. Prince Tarua and Prince Lanchang began to split the Kingdom up btw them, When Prince Settathartarat was still in Chiangmai. Hearing of the news of his half brothers, King Settathartarat quickly returned to Lanxang leaving the affairs of Chaingmai under Princess Chiraprabha's leadership, taking with him the PraKeo, the Saekkam, and the Sihing buddha images.Settatharatarat quickly subdued Prince Tarua in Loungprabang, and sent his general Phya Sisatthamatailoke to go fight Prince Lanchang in the town of Kengsah, Prince Lanchang was defeated and fled to Thakhek
Thakhek
Thakhek is a town in south-central Laos on the Mekong River and facing Nakhon Phanom across the river in northeastern Thailand. It is the capital of Khammouane province....
, where the lord of Thakhek had him arrested and sent to Phya Sisatthama, the nobles that supported Prince Lanchang were exicuted, but Prince Setthatarat pardoned Prince Lanchang and appointed him as governor of Seanmuang. Phya Sisatthama was thus made Lord of Vientiane, and given the title Phya Chantaburi, who built Wat Chan and Pia Wat that can be found in Vientiane Today. After subduing his half brothers, King Setthartarat united Lanna and Lanxang under his rule.
Setthartarat hearing of the heroic Queen Suryothai of Ayudhya who fought against the Burmese and was killed, was moved and full of admiration for the Queen, requested the marriage of her daughter Princess Tepkasatri, the King of Ayudhya King Maha Chakkrapat eager to form an alliance with Lanxang agreed with the request. When the Princess Tepkasatri was being escorted to Lanxang Burmese soilders kidnapped her bringing her back to Hongsawadee. This act Made King Setthartarat very angry and solidified the union btw Lanxang and Ayudhya.
Death and aftermath
In 1572, a conspiracy between a Lord Phya Nakhon and the former abbot of Wat Maximavat, who held personal grudges against Setthathirath, led to the king's murder in the southern frontier of the country. He was 38 years of age.Because Setthathirath left only a toddler as his heir prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane, the child's maternal grandfather, a military commander of common birth named Saensurin (or Sene Soulintha), declared himself king. This began a period of turbulence, with different men ruling unsteadily for short periods, which saw the country finally conquered by Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was the third king of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma . During his 30-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern day...
in 1574, and the toddler son of Setthathirat was taken to Burma. with a fratricide by a crown prince; with a rebellion led by someone claiming to be Setthathirath-resurrected; and with a nine-year period in which the country had no king. (The Burmese would rule Laos for eighteen years.) Quarrels and conflicts among the feudal nobility and their followings led to disruptions and unrest within the population. With the country in chaos, Prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane Always recognised as the rightful King by the people of Laos who campaigned for his return for many years until they finally succeeded when they sent a delegation to Burma after he had come of age in 1590. Crowned at Vientiane, 1591. Released from captivity in Burma and returned to Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
by King Nanda Bayin. Crowned there, 1591. Declared his independence from the Burmese in 1593, but suffered several attacks from them throughout his reign.
There was little peace in Laos until King Sourigna Vongsa
Sourigna Vongsa
Sourigna Vongsa was the last king of Lan Xang and during his period, it considered the golden age of Laos. He ascended to the throne in 1637.-King of Lan Xang:...
ascended the throne in 1633 (possibly 1637).