History timeline
Laos
15 periods and events, 500 BCE – today.
Periods and events
| When | Period or event | Kind | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 BCE – 500 | Plain of Jars石缸平原 Thousands of stone jars on the Xieng Khouang plateau, linked to Iron Age burial practices. | Other | Source |
| 1353 – 1707 | Lan Xang澜沧王国 Fa Ngum founds the 'Kingdom of a Million Elephants' and makes Theravada Buddhism the state religion. | Dynasty or era | Source |
| 1560 | Capital moves to Vientiane迁都万象 King Setthathirath moves the court from Luang Prabang and builds Pha That Luang. | Politics | Source |
| 1637 – 1694 | Golden age of Sourigna Vongsa苏里亚旺萨黄金时代 Lan Xang's longest reign, a period of peace and Buddhist learning. | Dynasty or era | Source |
| 1707 – 1893 | Split into Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Champasak分裂为琅勃拉邦、万象、占巴塞三国 Rival successor kingdoms fall under Siamese suzerainty from 1779. | Dynasty or era | Source |
| 1826 – 1828 | Anouvong's rebellion昭阿努起义 Vientiane's king revolts against Siam; the city is razed in reprisal. | War | Source |
| 1893 – 1953 | French protectorate法国保护国 After the Franco-Siamese crisis, Siam cedes the lands east of the Mekong; Laos joins French Indochina. | Colonial | Source |
| 1945 – 1949 | Lao Issara自由老挝运动 Nationalist movement declares independence after Japan's surrender; France returns in 1946. | Movement | Source |
| 1953 | Independence独立 The Franco-Lao treaty grants full sovereignty to the Kingdom of Laos. | Politics | Source |
| 1959 – 1975 | Laotian Civil War老挝内战 The royal government fights the communist Pathet Lao, a proxy front of the Vietnam War. | War | Source |
| 1962 | Geneva neutrality agreement日内瓦老挝中立协议 Fourteen nations guarantee Laos's neutrality; foreign forces largely ignore it. | Politics | Source |
| 1964 – 1973 | US 'Secret War' and bombing美国“秘密战争”与轰炸 Over two million tonnes of bombs make Laos the most heavily bombed country per capita; unexploded ordnance still kills. | War | Source |
| 1975 – today | Lao People's Democratic Republic老挝人民民主共和国 The Pathet Lao abolish the monarchy; one-party rule under the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. | Politics | Source |
| 1986 | New Economic Mechanism新经济机制 Market reforms open the planned economy, much like Vietnam's Đổi Mới. | Economy | Source |
| 1994 | First Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge opens第一座泰老友谊大桥通车 First bridge across the lower Mekong, linking Vientiane with Nong Khai. | Technology | Source |