The areas currently known, as Laos was first occupied by the hill tribes Hmong and Mien along with migrating Thais. The first ever Lao princedom was formed during the 13th century, some of which about a century later was combined to form the Kingdom of Lan Xang by a warlord named Fa Ngu. After a small period of prosperity and peace, the kingdom was split into three martial kingdoms by the 1600s. With a careful eye from Vietnam on the territory, the control of Laos was taken over by Thailand (then Siam) about a century later in the 1700s. The final result of the fight between Laotians and Siamese was that ultimately both Laos and Vietnam came under Siamese rule. The French took control of the country with their arrival by the end of 19th century and occupied it, which lasted in 1953. However, even after independence, Laos witnessed tensions between royalist, communist and neutral forces and thus keeping the nation in a state of constant turmoil. Eventually, in 1975, communists were able to pull off a victory and take control. It began as a hard leftist stance but soon softened over the years to witness a distinct relaxation of the rules.