Historedia
Asia PacificEvent

King Anouvong of Vientiane leads rebellion against Siam

When
1826–1827
Where
Korat; Kalasin; Khorat Plateau; Vientiane
Episodes
4

King Anouvong of Vientiane launched a rebellion against Siam in late 1826, aiming to end Siamese suzerainty. The conflict involved military preparations and diplomatic miscalculations regarding British intentions. Forces moved across the Khorat Plateau, reaching areas near Bangkok before Siamese counterattacks forced a retreat and the eventual fall of Vientiane.

Episodes

  1. 1826 · KoratAttack on Korat

    In 1826, Anouvong attacked Korat, perceiving Siam as weakened, beginning a rebellion that would rage on for two years.

  2. December 1826 · KalasinMarch to Kalasin

    Anouvong's army of 10,000 men moved toward Kalasin in December 1826, following Siamese officials.

  3. 1827 · VientianeSiamese Counterattack

    Siamese forces counterattacked, forcing Lao retreat and leading to the fall of Vientiane.

  4. January 1827 · Khorat PlateauMovement Across the Plateau

    Lao armies moved south and west across the Khorat Plateau in January 1827, reaching Saraburi.

Background and detail

Background. Anouvong, the last monarch of the Kingdom of Vientiane, sought to recreate the former kingdom of Lan Xang by ending Siam's suzerainty. By 1826, he was making military preparations for rebellion. The presence of the British fleet during the Burney Treaty negotiations may have led Anouvong to believe an invasion was imminent, influencing his decision to rebel.

Initial Operations. The rebellion began in December 1826 with an army of 10,000 men moving toward Kalasin. This force followed the path of Siamese tattooing officials. Uparat Tissa led forces to pursue these officials and take the town of Kalasin. The conflict was part of a broader struggle involving local opposition and vassal states.

Siamese Response. Siamese forces mounted a counterattack to the north and east, forcing the Lao forces to retreat. This ultimately resulted in the taking of the capital, Vientiane. The Siamese response was significant, as it involved the use of arms, some resold from the Napoleonic Wars, which provided firepower first used in 1827 against the Lao.

People involved

Sources

  1. Anouvong Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-23
  2. Lao rebellion (1826–1828) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-22
  3. Nakhon Ratchasima Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-26

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.