Tian Thala

Tian Thala (died 1696) was the thirtieth king of Lan Xang (whose capital was Vientiane, in present-day central Laos) who ruled for a brief period in the 1690s. Most sources place his reign between 1690 and 1695, though some traditions claim he reigned for only six months in 1694 or 1695.

He usurped the throne after the death of his predecessor Sourigna Vongsa, of whom he had been prime minister.

Some of the information relating to his reign comes from the missions of the Jesuit Italian missionaries present in the country, who had been admitted to Lan Xang for the first time by Surigna Vongsa. The missionaries' accounts, however, were mainly limited to describing the religious aspects of life in the country.

The Indochinese chronicles that mention him come from the ancient chronicles of Lan Xang, of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya and of Burma, which differ from one another. The annals of Lan Xang were translated into other languages and interpreted in different ways, giving rise to controversies over the reliability of the historical references. The principal criticism that led to changes in the original text stemmed from the belief that many historical events had been omitted or distorted in the original edition to glorify the kingdom.