NANTHASEN, CHAO

died 1795?, Bangkok also called Chao Nan ruler (178195?) of the Lao principality of Vientiane who conquered the rival Lao state of Luang Prabang in 1791. In 1781 the Siamese, who had captured Vientiane in 1778, chose Nanthasen to succeed his father, King Siribunyasan. Like the rulers of Luang Prabang and Champassak, he then reigned as a vassal of the kings of Siam. In 1791 Nanthasen accused Luang Prabang of conspiring with the Burmese against Vientiane and gained Siamese permission to attack the city. The Siamese did not allow the reunification of Vientiane and Luang Prabang, which had been separated for a century, but Nanthasen was able to annex territory in northern Laos. Several years later, Nanthasen was accused of conspiring with the ruler of Nakhon Phanom against Siam and was recalled to Bangkok where he died while awaiting trial.