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Anouvong or Chao Anou or Saya-Sethathirath III (1767-1835) was the last king of Wieng Chang (Vientiane
Vientiane

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated in the Mekong Valley. It is also Laos's largest city. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area is believed to be over 730,000....
), ruling from 1805 to 1828 after ascending to the throne upon his brother's death. He had long been an ally of the Thais in their wars against the Burmese. However, during the period between 1826 and 1828 he rebelled against Siam
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
 in an attempt to regain complete independence. He successfully captured Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima....
 and came within a day's march of Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
, but then his army was forced to retreat.






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Anouvong or Chao Anou or Saya-Sethathirath III (1767-1835) was the last king of Wieng Chang (Vientiane
Vientiane

Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, situated in the Mekong Valley. It is also Laos's largest city. The estimated population of the city is 200,000 while the number of people living in the Vientiane metropolitan area is believed to be over 730,000....
), ruling from 1805 to 1828 after ascending to the throne upon his brother's death. He had long been an ally of the Thais in their wars against the Burmese. However, during the period between 1826 and 1828 he rebelled against Siam
Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Laos and Myanmar, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Myanmar....
 in an attempt to regain complete independence. He successfully captured Nakhon Ratchasima
Nakhon Ratchasima

Nakhon Ratchasima is a city in the north-east of Thailand and gateway to Isan. It is the capital of the Nakhon Ratchasima Province and Amphoe Mueang Nakhon Ratchasima....
 and came within a day's march of Bangkok
Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the Capital , largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. Known in Thai language as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or Krung Thep for short, it was a small trading post at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya Kingdom and came to the forefront of Thailand when it was given the status as the...
, but then his army was forced to retreat. It was defeated near Vientiane in three days of fighting. In retaliation the Thai King Rama III ordered his troops to sack Vientiane. Anouvong escaped and returned with Vietnamese help, but was defeated again and this time captured. The angry Thai monarch ordered Vientiane destroyed and Anouvong died a prisoner in Bangkok, where he was kept in an iron cage.

Modern Lao nationalist movements have turned Anouvong into a hero, even though his strategic and tactical mistakes and his hot temper led to the destruction of Vientiane and a permanent division of the Lao nation.

It was Anouvong who ordered the building of Wat Sisakhet in Vientiane. His elephant howdah
Howdah

A howdah, or houdah, is a carriage which is positioned on the back of an elephant, or occasionally some other animal, used most often in the past to carry wealthy people or for use in hunting or warfare....
 is displayed in the Laotian National Museum.