SAM SAEN THAI

born 1356 died 1417 also spelled Sam Sene Thai, original name Un Heuan great sovereign of the Lan Xang kingdom of Laos, whose reign brought peace, prosperity, and stability to the kingdom. The eldest son of Fa Ngum, founder of Lan Xang, Un Heuan was installed as king in 1373. While his father had been a conqueror, Un Heuan excelled in administration. He is remembered chiefly for his compilation of population registers in 1376, which inscribed the names of 300,000 able-bodied men available for military conscription. From the census comes his posthumous honorific, for Sam Saen denotes the number 300,000. Sam Saen Thai enjoyed a peaceful reign. He undertook extensive public works and created a central administration. He assigned his sons to rule over various cities within the kingdom, and he cemented his relations with smaller surrounding vassal states by accepting daughters from their rulers as his concubines.