Origins of the Front Palace
Whilst visitors to Luang Prabang may enjoy looking around the old royal palace and seeing artefacts that once belonged to the king, they tend to get confused when told about the "second king" or "viceroy", in Lao known as the Upahat. Because until the revolution in 1975 there were not one but two royal family lines, known as the Main Palace or Vang Luang for the Chao Siwit or king, and the Front palace or Vang Na for the Upahat or viceroy. In Luang Prabang the importance in understanding the role of the Front Palace lies in the dominance the family of the Vang Na had over Lao politics throughout the turbulent years of war in the twentieth century.
The dual institutions of Main and Front Palaces is not unique to Luang Prabang. The word Upahat coming from India where the title Uparaja was given to the viceroy of the Magadha Empire, the birth place of Buddhism. Similar dual institutions arose in Burma, Cambodia and Thailand. Traditionally the Front Palace was physically a palace given by the king to his expected successor and their retainers. Often this would be his eldest son or sometimes a younger brother as a way to prevent succession disputes after the king's death.
In Luang Prabang circumstances resulted in the Front Palace becoming a parallel institution with responsibility for internal affairs and the defence of the kingdom. Whilst there was often competition and rivalry between the Main and Front Palace families they were also tightly coupled together by a complex web of marriages through every generation.
In Luang Prabang circumstances resulted in the Front Palace becoming a parallel institution with responsibility for internal affairs and the defence of the kingdom. Whilst there was often competition and rivalry between the Main and Front Palace families they were also tightly coupled together by a complex web of marriages through every generation.
Main and Front Palace Together. King Oun Kham on the throne flanked by his son the future King Sakkalin seated to the left and the Upahat Tiao Boun Khoung seated to the right, 1889. The child at the front is the future King Sisavang Vong.
Tiao Oun Keo
The current Front Palace family line of Luang Prabang dates back to the early nineteenth century when the kingdom was a vassal state of Siam. After King Manthaturath died in 1836 Siam exerted it suzerain rights to choose his successor. There were two contenders for the throne, Tiao Sukkhasoem, Manthaturath's eldest son and the Upahat Tiao Rajaphai who was Manthaturath's younger brother. Both spent two years in Bangkok lobbying for their respective cases before King Rama III finally appointed Chao Sukkhasoem as ruler. Tiao Rajaphai was appointed to an honorary position but held in Bangkok where he died the following year. But his elder brother Tiao Oun Keo was appointed as Uparat of Luang Prabang,
The lines of the two royal houses in Luang Prabang. Not shown is the complex web of marriages between descendants of the two houses.
In 1848 Tiao Oun Keo led a successful military expedition to Chiang Hung (Now Jinghong in Yunnan province of China) which had rebelled against Luang Prabang's suzerainty. The following year he led the tribute mission to Bangkok, carrying the traditional gold and silver trees to confirm the kingdom's allegiance to King Rama III.
In principle if King Sukkhasoem had died then as Upahat Tiao Oun Keo may have been appointed as king. But in fact Tiao Oun Keo died in1850 whilst still in Bangkok, just a few months ahead of the death of King Sukkhasoem. This circumstance perpetuated the split between the Main Palace and the Front Palace family lines.
In principle if King Sukkhasoem had died then as Upahat Tiao Oun Keo may have been appointed as king. But in fact Tiao Oun Keo died in1850 whilst still in Bangkok, just a few months ahead of the death of King Sukkhasoem. This circumstance perpetuated the split between the Main Palace and the Front Palace family lines.
Tiao Souvanna Phoum
Tiao Oun Keo's eldest son Souvanna Phoum followed his father in the role of Upahat. In 1865 Souvanna Phoum was entrusted by King Chantharath to take gifts to King Rama IV in Bangkok. There the title of Chao Rachasambandavon was bestowed upon him with responsibility for assisting in the affairs of Luang Prabang. Six years later on the death of King Chantharath Tiao Souvanna Phoum was entrusted to act as regent whilst Tiao Oun Kham took gifts to Bangkok prior to King Rama IV formally appointing him as the next king of Luang Prabang.
The Upahat's role to manage the defence of the kingdom came tragically to the fore in 1887. During the preceding decade the Upper Mekong region around Luang Prabang as well as northern Siam had been subject to devastating raids by bands of Chinese rebels. They were collectively known to the Siamese as the "Haw" but also denoted by the colours of the banners that different groups carried; Black Flags, Red Flags, Yellow Flags. Since 1875 the Siamese had been conducting military operations in the region with the dual purpose of suppressing the Haw and to force local leaders to pledge their allegiance to Bangkok. But on May 5th 1887 the Siamese commander Phra Vai Voronat, over confident in the success of his military operations, departed Luang Prabang with his army back to Bangkok. Just a few weeks later a group of armed rebels from Muang Lai together with Haw Chinese, 570 men in total, descended the Nam Ou river headed for Luang Prabang. Souvanna Phoum led a mission up the Mekong river to meet with the rebels and negotiate with them before they reached the town. Their initial demand was to buy the freedom of the Muang Lai ruler's son who had been taken prisoner by the Siamese. With the prisoners already on their way to Bangkok Souvanna Phoum was in no position to meet their demand nor could he stop the rebels by force having only thirty-seven men remaining under his command.
Siamese troops enter Luang Prabang in March 1887. Unfortunately they left in May just before the Haw attack. (Photo: A. Pavie)
On June 7th the rebels entered the town and presented themselves at the King's palace, now demanding a large payment for tribute owing to the Emperor in Beijing. For three days there was a tense stand-off but little violence. This changed abruptly on the morning of the 10th when shooting broke out in the palace. The king was whisked away to safety by the Cambodian assistant of Auguste Pavie, the future French Consul. .
Over the next few days much of the town was plundered and burnt to the ground. Many died either in the immediate fighting or in attempting to escape down through the rapids of the Mekong River. It was a disaster which took many years for Luang Prabang to recover from.
Whilst Souvanna Phoum had initially escaped from the palace that morning he was later killed whilst trying to lead the defence of Luang Prabang
Over the next few days much of the town was plundered and burnt to the ground. Many died either in the immediate fighting or in attempting to escape down through the rapids of the Mekong River. It was a disaster which took many years for Luang Prabang to recover from.
Whilst Souvanna Phoum had initially escaped from the palace that morning he was later killed whilst trying to lead the defence of Luang Prabang
Tiao Maha Boun Khong
In the aftermath of the sacking of Luang Prabang Souvanna Phoum's eldest son Boun Khong was evacuated to Bangkok with the king. He returned a few months later and camped at Muang Noi with troops to prevent a feared return of the Haw. In 1890 the Siamese appointed him as the next Upahat.
Tiao Boun Khong, seated in white by a Siamese flag in front of his house in Muang Ngoi 1888. He was there to block a possible second attack by Haw on Luang Prabang. Siamese officers are seated to the left. (Photo: A.Pavie)
In 1893, after the Paknam Crisis in Bangkok, the French forced the Siamese to relinquish their claims of suzerainty over Luang Prabang and established a French Protectorate over the territory. Boun Khong was initially viewed with great suspicion by the French because of the close links that he had built with Siam and was even placed under house arrest at one point. But in 1900 he accompanied the king's two teenage sons, Sisavangvong and Sisaleumsak, to Paris to begin their education at the École Coloniale. He appears to have made a favourable impression upon his French hosts and this trip to Europe also made a big a big impression on him subsequently encouraging his sons and daughters to be educated in the European manner.
Tiao Maha Upahat Boun Khong
|
On his return home Boun Khong became involved in the negotiations between France and Siam that settled the final border lines between Siam and Laos. He later represented the king at the Indochina Government Council in Hanoi, working closely with the French administration.
In his later life Boun Khong devoted more of his time to traditional religious activities. He sponsored the carving of three wooden How Tien screens which are now housed at Vat That Luang, Vat Visoun and Vat Ong Teu. He passed away aged 63 in 1920.
|
During his life Tiao Maha Boun Khong played a key role in the indigenous Lao response to the establishment of French power over their territory. Naturally he was in many ways a traditional Lao leader, not least in his marriages to eleven wives resulting in an enormous family of descendants. But his embrace of modernisation and his encouragement of education for both sons and daughters meant that many of his children would continue the tradition of the Vang Na being heavily involved in the affairs of state. Between 1945 and 1975 four sons and one grandson of his would hold the post of Prime Minister whilst two of his sons were also appointed as President. In the next three chapters we take a look at three of his sons that especially stand out as having shaped not just Luang Prabang but the modern nation of Laos.
Note: Much of the following content is taken from my other website, being originally published as siamrat.blog/2023/06/24/modern-lao-history-through-three-luang-prabang-hotels/