Editing Lao language (section)

=== Lao Three Kingdoms period (1713–1893) ===
[[File:Wat Photaram mural detail - Vedsuvan has brought Koumphan back to life, but Koumphan still yearns for Soumountha.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Temple mural of [[Wat Photharam, Maha Sarakham|Wat Photaram]] in [[Maha Sarakham Province]]. Dating to the reign of Siamese Ruler Rama III (1788–1851), the writing is in the Tai Noi script, an old form of the Lao alphabet.]]

Despite the long presence of Lan Xang and Lao settlements along the riverbanks, the [[Khorat Plateau]] remained depopulated since the [[Post-Angkor Period]] and a long series of droughts during the 13th–15th centuries. The Lao settlements were found only along the banks of the Mekong River and in the wetter northern areas such as [[Nong Bua Lamphu Province|Nong Bua Lamphu]], [[Loei Province|Loei]], [[Nong Khai Province|Nong Khai]], with most of the population inhabiting the wetter left banks. This began to change when the golden age of Lao prosperity and cultural achievements under King [[Sourigna Vongsa|Sourignavôngsa]] ({{lang|lo|ສຸຣິຍະວົງສາ}} {{IPA|/súʔ.līʔ.ɲāʔ wóŋ.sǎː/}}) (1637–1694) ended with a successional dispute, with his grandsons, with Siamese intervention, carving out their separate kingdoms in 1707. From its ashes arose the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Luang Phrabang|Louang Phrabang]], [[Kingdom of Vientiane|Vientiane]] and later in 1713, the [[Kingdom of Champasak|Champasak]]. The arid hinterlands, deforested and depopulated after a series of droughts, likely led to the collapse of the Khmer Empire, was only occupied by small groups of Austroasiatic peoples and scattered outposts of Lao ''mueang'' in the far north. In 1718, Mueang Suwannaphum ({{lang|lo|ສຸວັນນະພູມ}} ''Muang Souvannaphoum'', {{IPA|/súʔ.wán.nāʔ.pʰúːm/}}) in 1718 in what is now [[Roi Et Province]], was founded as an outpost of Champasak, establishing the first major Lao presence and the beginning of the expansion of Lao settlement along the [[Chi River|Si]] ({{lang|lo|ຊີ}} {{IPA|/síː/}}) and [[Mun River|Mun]] ({{lang|lo|ມູນ}}) rivers.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}

The bulk of the Lao, however, settled after 1778 when King [[Taksin]], Siamese king during the [[Thonburi Kingdom|Thonburi Period]] (1767–1782) conquered Champasak and Vientiane and raided [[Muang Phuan|Phuan areas]] for slaves, seizing the [[Emerald Buddha]] and [[Phra Bang]] (although the latter was eventually returned) and forcing some of the Lao across the river to settle in Isan. Louang Phrabang was spared most of the destruction by submitting to Siamese overlordship.<ref>Burusphat, S., Deepadung, S., & Suraratdecha, S. ''et al''. (2011). [https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i2-Nov2011-somsonge.pdf "Language vitality and the ethnic tourism development of the Lao ethnic groups in the western region of Thailand"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202222318/https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i2-Nov2011-somsonge.pdf |date=2013-12-02 }}. ''Journal of Lao Studies'', 2(2), 23–46.</ref> Although the kingdoms remained nominally autonomous, the Siamese demanded tribute and taxes, kept members of the respective royal houses as hostages to ensure loyalty and required the three Lao kings to come to the capital several times a year to hold an audience with the Siamese king. When the kingdoms revolted, the Siamese armies retaliated by rounding up entire villages, tattooing them to mark them as slaves and forced to settle what is now Isan, forced to serve as soldiers or manpower in [[corvée]] projects to build roads, to grow food, build canals, or serve as domestics. The greatest population transfer occurred after the [[Laotian Rebellion]] by Chao [[Anouvong|Anouvông]] ({{lang|lo|ອານຸວົງ/ອານຸວົງສ໌}}, {{IPA|/ʔàː.nùʔ.wóŋ/}}) in 1828 which led to the death of Anouvông and most of his family. The Siamese abducted nearly the entire population of Vientiane and its surrounding area and forced them to the right bank. Continued raids of people continued until the end of the nineteenth century.<ref>Stuart-Fox, M. (1997). ''A History of Laos''. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. (pp. 1–20).</ref>

In addition to forced transfers, many Lao were encouraged to settle in Isan, with some disillusioned princes granted lofty titles in exchange for loyalty and taxation, robbing the Lao kings of taxation and wealth as well as what little nominal authority they had left. This greatly expanded the Lao population of Isan and caused assimilation of the local peoples into the mix, a process that is occurring on a smaller scale even now. Siamese intervention paradoxically strengthened the Lao character of the region as the Siamese left the Lao areas alone as long as they continued to produce rice and continued to pay tribute. Direct Siamese rule did not extend past [[Nakhon Ratchasima]], and the Lao ''mueang'', whether paying their tribute directly to Bangkok or the remaining Lao kings and princes, were still nominally part of the separate kingdoms. Temples built in what is now Isan still featured the Tai Noi script on its murals and although Siam would intervene in some matters, daily administration was still left to the remaining kings and various Lao princes that served as governors of the larger ''mueang''. The result of the population movements re-centered the Lao world to the right bank, as today, if Isan and Lao speakers are counted together, Isan speakers form 80 percent of the Lao-speaking population.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}