# Anouvong
**Anouvong** (Lao: ເຈົ້າອານຸວົງສ໌; also Chao Anou, regnal name Xaiya Setthathirath V) was the king of [Vientiane](https://www.edgepedia.org/vientiane), a Lao vassal state of Siam, who reigned from 1805 to 1828 and led the 1827 rebellion against Siamese suzerainty (overlord's control over a subordinate state's affairs) that ended in the destruction of his kingdom.[1](https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/) He is remembered in Lao historiography as a brave and patriotic leader of the [Lao people](https://www.edgepedia.org/lao-people), and a statue of him was erected on the bank of the Mekong in Vientiane in November 2010.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) • [3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2)
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full dates | 1767–1829; died in Bangkok[1](https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/) |
| Vice-king (oupahat) | 1795–1805 under his brother Inthavong[4](http://www.muanglao.1colony.com/about.html) |
| Reign as king | 1805–1828 in Vientiane[1](https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/) |
| Predecessor | His brother Chao Inthavong[5](http://michaelvickery.org/vickery2003two-rev.pdf) |
| Successor | The kingdom was annexed by Siam[3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2) |
| Principal war | Rebellion against Siam, 1827, ending in defeat[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039) • [7](https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm) |
| Estimated deaths | About 24,000 Laotians and some 7,000 Siamese[8](https://onwar.com/data/laos1826.html) |
## Accession and family
Anouvong was a son of Ong Bun, also known as Phrachao Siribounyasan, the king of Vientiane during whose reign Laos came to be dominated by Siam.[9](https://www.britannica.com/place/kingdom-of-Vientiane) In 1795 the Siamese installed Anouvong's brother Inthavong as king, with Anouvong assuming the traditional post of oupahat, or vice-king.[4](http://www.muanglao.1colony.com/about.html)
When Inthavong died, Anou succeeded him as ruler of the vassal kingdom.[4](http://www.muanglao.1colony.com/about.html) Sources date this succession differently: several place it in 1804,[4](http://www.muanglao.1colony.com/about.html) • [5](http://michaelvickery.org/vickery2003two-rev.pdf) while others give 1805, when Anouvong formally took the throne.[1](https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/)
## Reign: policies, administration, and war
Anouvong raised Vientiane to the position of the most powerful vassal of Bangkok during his reign.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) • [1](https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/)
In 1827, according to a Lao chronicle, Anouvong heard rumors that England had attacked Bangkok and judged that a chance to regain freedom had come; he led his troops against Bangkok while his son led Kha troops of the southern region.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) In January 1827 his armies marched rapidly and unopposed across the [Khorat Plateau](https://www.edgepedia.org/khorat-plateau) of northeast Siam in a sudden attack on his suzerain, the third king of the Chakri Dynasty.[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039)
The Siamese counterattack scattered and expelled the Lao forces. Several battles were fought during the retreat, and Xieng Khouang rallied to help Chao Anou; Anouvong had earlier contacted Louang Prabang in 1820 and 1821 seeking support, but the ruler of Louangphrabang, Manta Thourath (r. 1817–36), sought to preserve neutrality in the conflict.[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039) • [10](https://www.luangprabangculture.com/uploads/1/8/3/0/18306261/case_study_of_the_war_between_bangkok_and_the_lao_in_1827.pdf) • [7](https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm) The sack and complete destruction of Vientiane followed, together with a massive resettlement of Lao people on what is now the Thai side of the Mekong, and in the following years Siam brought all the former Vientiane territories under direct administration.[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039) • [7](https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm) An estimated 24,000 Laotians and some 7,000 Siamese perished before the rebellion was quelled in 1828.[8](https://onwar.com/data/laos1826.html)
## Political influence
The rebellion's failure ended the Vientiane kingdom. With the collapse of Anu's rebellion the independence of Vientiane came to an end, and the kingdom was annexed by Siam.[8](https://onwar.com/data/laos1826.html) • [3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2) The disappearance of the Vientiane kingdom led to a period of direct Siamese presence on the left bank of the Mekong and to the virtual annexation of Xiangkhouang and part of Bolikhamxai by the Vietnamese.[7](https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm) Before the retributive campaigns of 1827–28, relations between Vientiane and Annam had been good; when Chao Anou sought refuge in Hue, this became a pretext involving Vietnam in the conflict.[11](http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-7750.html)
## Military style
Anouvong commanded troops in the field in person. His 1827 campaign relied on speed and surprise: a rapid, unopposed march across the Khorat Plateau against his suzerain.[6](https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039) The force was divided, with the king leading the march on Bangkok and his son leading Kha troops of the southern region.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) In 1828, staging a comeback to Vientiane, he made a preemptive strike against the Thai garrison there, an act that infuriated King Rama III and the military leader Chao Phraya Bodindecha.[12](https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/Lim.pdf)
## End of the reign and succession
Anouvong fled to Vietnam after the destruction of his capital.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) He was captured and brought to Bangkok, where he died.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) • [3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2) The kingdom was annexed by Siam.[3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2)
The manner of his death is reported differently. A Lao chronicle text states that he passed away in Bangkok broken hearted,[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) while another scholarly account states that Chao Phraya Bodindecha captured Chao Anouvong and his family after the 1828 destruction of Vientiane and that they were tortured to death.[12](https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/Lim.pdf)
## Historians' assessment
Lao and Thai historiographies give different interpretations of Anouvong's war, especially concerning its cause and purpose, the question of Khunying Mo's role, and the cause of Anouvong's defeat.[3](https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2) Thai readings have conventionally treated the revolt as an imprudent act of retaliation against perceived Siamese injustices toward the Lao.[7](https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm) Lao historiography instead frames the campaign as an attempt to re-establish the independence not only of Vientiane but of all Lao muang, and stresses Anouvong's image as a fearless and battle-hardened warrior; the Lao state cult of national heroes honors him with a statue prioritized over that of Sulinyavongsa.[2](https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf) The study *Paths to Conflagration*, by two Lao historians, evaluates Chao Anou and his failed revolt against Siam and challenges conventional Thai interpretations of the event.[13](https://books.google.com/books/about/Paths_to_Conflagration.html?id=9GRD_GV0kuMC)
## References
1. Chao Anouvong, Last King of Lane Xang – https://jclao.com/chao-anouvong-laos-last-king/
2. Grabowsky & Tappe, "'Important Kings of Laos': Translation and Analysis of a Lao Text", Journal of Lao Studies (2011) – https://laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/JLS-v2-i1-Jan2011-grabowsky-tappe.pdf
3. "Debates on Chao Anouvong's Liberation War: A Comparative Analysis of Lao and Thai Historiographies", Journal of Global and Area Studies – https://doi.org/10.31720/jga.2.2.2
4. The Fabric of History (muanglao) – http://www.muanglao.1colony.com/about.html
5. Michael Vickery, "Two Historical Records of the Kingdom of Vientiane" (review) – http://michaelvickery.org/vickery2003two-rev.pdf
6. "Siam and Laos, 1767–1827", Journal of Southeast Asian History – https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-southeast-asian-history/article/abs/siam-and-laos-17671827/5E7FC0DE01826F3BFCEA08E737EC7039
7. Laos: Lan Xang, Library of Congress Country Studies – https://countrystudies.us/laos/6.htm
8. Anu's Rebellion in Laos 1826–1828 – https://onwar.com/data/laos1826.html
9. Kingdom of Vientiane, Britannica – https://www.britannica.com/place/kingdom-of-Vientiane
10. "Lao Historiography and Historians: Case Study of the War between Bangkok and the Lao in 1827" – https://www.luangprabangculture.com/uploads/1/8/3/0/18306261/case_study_of_the_war_between_bangkok_and_the_lao_in_1827.pdf
11. Laos: The Hold of Siam – http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-7750.html
12. "Chao Anouvong's Rebellion" (Lim) – https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/Lim.pdf
13. *Paths to Conflagration: Fifty Years of Diplomacy and Warfare in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, 1778–1828* – https://books.google.com/books/about/Paths_to_Conflagration.html?id=9GRD_GV0kuMC
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Asian history › Southeast Asia › Lan Xang and the Lao kingdoms (1353 to 1893)*
*Initially written Sep 24, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Sep 30, 2026*
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