Setthathirath II (died 1735), also called Ong Lo and Sai Ong Hue (also spelled Xai Ong Ve; lo, ໄຊອົງເວ້), grandson of the great ruler Suliyavongsa, was the king of the Lao Kingdom of Lān Xāng. In Vietnamese records, he was called Triều Phúc (朝福). He spent most of his early years as a prince of the royal house in exile at

Huế Huế () is the capital of Thừa Thiên Huế province in central Vietnam and was the capital of Đàng Trong from 1738 to 1775 and of Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty from 1802 to 1945. The city served as the old Imperial City and admi ...

(now in Vietnam). His father Prince Som Phou fled to

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

upon the placement by the nobles of his younger brother (Setthathirath II's uncle) Suliyavongsa was king of

Lan Xang existed as a unified kingdom from 1353 to 1707. For three and a half centuries, Lan Xang was one of the largest kingdoms in Southeast Asia. The meaning of the kingdom's name alludes to the power of the kingship and formidable war machine of the ea ...

. Upon the 1694 death of King Suliyavongsa, a noble named Tian Thala ascended to the throne. Within six months, Tian Thala was deposed. In 1698 Setthathirath II attacked

Vientiane Vientiane ( , ; lo, ວຽງຈັນ, ''Viangchan'', ) is the capital and largest city of Laos. Vientiane is divided administratively into 9 cities with a total area of only approx. 3,920 square kilometres and is located on the banks of ...

, the capital of Lan Xang. In 1699, Nan Tharat became ruler and with the aid of Vietnamese forces, Setthathirath II ousted King Nan Tharat and secured the city. In 1700 he declared himself king under the name Sethathirat II, and in 1705 he moved the Prabang Buddha, the sacred religious statue and symbol of royalty, from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. Setthathirath II then sent his brother to take the northern city of

Loung Prabang Loung Ung ( km, អ៊ឹង លួង; born 19 November 1970) is a Cambodian American human-rights activist, lecturer and national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World, between 1997 and 2003. She has served in the same capac ...

from his cousin Prince

Kitsarat Chao Kingkitsarat ( lo, ເຈົ້າກິງກິດສະຣາດ; died 1713), also known as Kitsarat or Kitsarath, was the king of Luang Phrabang (r. 1707–1713). Kingkitsarat was the only son of Prince Raxabut, who was the heir appa ...

(or Kitsarath), a grandson of King Suliyavongsa, who refused to recognize his authority. Kitsarat asks for assistance from the Siamese King and was granted independence from Lan Xang, creating the

Kingdom of Luang Phrabang The Kingdom of Luang Prabang was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. When the kingdom split, Muang Phuan became a tributary state of Luang Prabang. Over the years the monarchy weakened even more, and was force ...

and converting Lan Xang into the

Kingdom of Vientiane Kingdom of Vientiane was formed in 1707 as a result of the split of the Kingdom of Lan Xang. The kingdom was a Burmese vassal from 1765 to 1824. It then became a Siamese vassal until 1828 when it was annexed by Siam. History In 1779, under ...

. In 1713, another grandson of Suliyavongsa, Prince Nokasat Song or

Nokasad Nokasad (full name Somdetch Brhat Chao Jaya Sri Samudra Buddhangkura; alternate names Soi Si Samout Phouthong Koun; King of Champa Nagapurisiri or Nakhon Champa Nakhaburisi) (reckoned posthumously to have been born in 1693 as Prince ( Chao) Nakasatr ...

, saw the opportunity to break away from Lan Xang to the South, and was also granted independence from Siam to form the

Kingdom of Champasak The Kingdom of Champasak (Lao: ຈຳປາສັກ ɕàmpàːsák or Bassac, (1713–1904) was a Lao kingdom under Nokasad, a grandson of King Sourigna Vongsa, the last king of Lan Xang and son-in-law of the Cambodian King Chey Chet ...

, which further divided the Lao Kingdom.

Issue

King Sethathirat II had issue: three sons and one daughter. # Prince (''Sadet Chao Fa Anga'') Lankaya ng-Long who succeeded as H.M. ''Samdach Brhat Chao Dharma Adi Varman Maha Sri Ungalankaya Chandrapuri Sri Sadhana Kanayudha'', King of Lang-Xang Vientiane. # Prince (''Sadet Chao Fa Anga'') Bunya ng-Bun who succeeded as H.M. ''Samdach Brhat Chao Maha Sri Bunyasena Jaya Setha Adiraja Chandrapuri Sri Sadhana Kanayudha'' unsan King of Lang-Xang Vientiane. # Prince (''Sadet Chao Fa Jaya'') Guangnaya huang-Na Appointed as Viceroy with the title of ''Samdach Brhat Chao Maha Uparaja'' 1730. # A daughter. m. 1699, Phra Chao Sarasak, ''Upayuvaraja'' of Ayudhya, son of Phra Phetraja, King of Ayudhya 1684–1698.

References

* http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9064762/Sai-Ong-Hue

Issue

References

Further reading