French protectorate of Laos

Kingdom of Luang Prabang ພຣະຣາຊອານາຈັກຫລວງພະບາງ Phrà Ràaj Aanaachak Luang Pràabàng Royaume de Luang Prabang (1893–1945; 1946–1947) Kingdom of Laos ພຣະຣາຊອານາຈັກລາວ Phra Raja A-na-chak Lao Royaume du Laos (1945–1946; 1947–1953)
1893–1945 1946–1953
Flag (1893–1952) Coat of arms (1949–1953)
Status	Protectorate of France (1893–1899); constituent territory of French Indochina (1899–1953)
Capital	Vientiane (official) Luang Prabang (royal)
Common languages	French (official), Lao
Religion	Theravada Buddhism Roman Catholicism
Government	Unitary absolute monarchy under a colonial administration (1893–1947) Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy within the French Union (1947–1953)
King of Luang Prabang
• 1868–1895	Oun Kham
• 1895–1904	Zakarine
• 1904–1953	Sisavang Vong
Resident-Superior
• 1894–1895 (first)	Auguste Pavie[a]
• 1954–1955 (last)	Michel Breal[b]
Prime Minister
• 1941–1945 (first)	Phetsarath
• 1951–1953 (last)	Souvanna Phouma
Legislature	None (rule by decree) (until 1947) Parliament (from 1947)
• Upper house	Royal Council (from 1947)
• Lower house	National Assembly (from 1947)
Historical era	New Imperialism
• Protectorate established	3 October 1893
• Part of French Indochina	19 April 1899
• Champasak annexed	22 November 1904
• Japanese puppet state	8 April 1945
• Lao Issara government	12 October 1945
• French restoration	24 April 1946
• Kingdom of Laos	11 May 1947
• Independence	22 October 1953
• Geneva Conference	21 July 1954
Currency	Piastre
Preceded by Succeeded by 1893: Kingdom of Luang Prabang Principality of Phuan 1904: Kingdom of Champasak 1907: Kingdom of Siam 1946: Kingdom of Laos (Lao Issara) 1945: Kingdom of Laos (Japanese puppet) 1947: Kingdom of Laos

The French protectorate of Laos (French: Protectorat français du Laos) was a French protectorate in Southeast Asia of what is today Laos between 1893 and 1953—with a brief interregnum as a Japanese puppet state in 1945—which constituted part of French Indochina. It was established over the Siamese vassal, the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, following the Franco-Siamese crisis of 1893. It was integrated into French Indochina and in the following years further Siamese vassals, the Principality of Phuan and Kingdom of Champasak, were annexed into it in 1899 and 1904, respectively.

The protectorate of Luang Prabang was nominally under the rule of its King, but actual power lay with a local French Governor-General, who in turn reported to the Governor-General of French Indochina. The later annexed regions of Laos were, however, purely under French rule. During World War II, the protectorate briefly proclaimed independence under Japanese occupation in 1945. After the surrender of Japan shortly thereafter, the restoration of French control over the country was opposed by the newly established Lao Issara government, who ultimately failed by April 1946. The protectorate was reestablished, but not too long after the kingdom was expanded to encompass all Laotian regions and given self-rule within the French Union as the Kingdom of Laos. It achieved full independence after the Franco-Lao Treaty in 1953, during the final stages of the First Indochina War.^[1] The final dissolution of French Indochina came with the 1954 Geneva Conference.

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