Ang Duong

Ang Duong (Khmer: អង្គឌួង [ʔɑŋ ɗuəŋ]; 12 June 1796 – 19 October 1860) was the King of Cambodia from 1841 or 1848 to his death in 1860. Formally invested in 1848, his rule benefited a kingdom that had suffered from several centuries of royal dissent and decline. His politics focused on sustained national unity and identity and the minimization of foreign interference. He issued the first substantial revision of the legal codex in centuries, and he encouraged and supervised religious and cultural reforms. Confronted with increasing Siamese and Vietnamese encroachment, he attempted to establish an alliance with colonial France on a sovereign basis. Although this alliance ultimately culminated in the 90-year period of the French protectorate of Cambodia, King Ang Duong's actions were the foundation for the modern united state of Cambodia. Ang Duong ascended the throne with the title Preah Karuna Preah Bat Samdech Preah Harireak Reamea Issathipadei Ang Duong (Khmer: ព្រះករុណា ព្រះបាទសម្ដេចព្រះហរិរក្សរាមាឥស្សាធិបតី អង្គឌួង). He was the progenitor of the two main royal houses of Cambodia, the Houses of Norodom and Sisowath.