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Ang Duong

Ang Duong
'Preah Raja Samdach Preah Hariraksha Rama Suriya Maha Isvara Adipati'
King of Cambodia
Reign 1840 to 19 October 1860
Coronation 7 March 1848
Predecessor Ang Mey
Successor Norodom
Born 12 June 1796
Oudong, Cambodia
Died 19 October 1860(1860-10-19) (aged 64)
Oudong, Cambodia
Spouse 38 wives
Issue Norodom
Sisowath
Si Votha
Full name
Preah Hirak Rama Thipadei Ang Duong
Father Ang Eng
Mother Queen Vara
Religion Buddhism
Full name
Preah Hirak Rama Thipadei Ang Duong

Ang Duong (Khmer: ព្រះបាទ អង្គ ឌួង, Khmer pronunciation: [ʔɑŋ duəŋ]) (12 June 1796 – 19 October 1860) was king of Cambodia, who reigned from 1841 to 1844 and 1845 to his death in 1860. Formally invested in 1848, his rule proved to be most beneficial for the kingdom, that was suffering 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 rendez-vous culminated in the ninety year period of the French Protectorate of Cambodia, King Ang Duong was the decisive force behind the existence of the modern united Cambodian state. His official title is Preah Raja Samdach Preah Hariraksha Rama Suriya Maha Isvara Adipati.

Ang Duong was the son of King Ang Eng, who ruled Cambodia from 1779 to 1797 and resided at the then capital Oudong. His mother was Ros, a royal consort since 1793 and later Queen Vara. who was of Thai origin (died around 1869). Ang Duong was the father of his successor King Norodom (1834–1904), King Sisowath (1840–1927) and was the great-great-grandfather of King Norodom Sihanouk (1941-2004). Dedicated to extend the royal family line Ang Duong had numerous wives and produced 18 legitimate children - 11 sons and 7 daughters.

King Ang Duong is acclaimed as a promoter of national unity after centuries of regress and venerated among modern Cambodians for his efforts to revitalize the nation and protect the kingdom from foreign invasion. However, limited power, poverty and internal dissension prevented lasting success. He spent 27 years in Bangkok from the age of 16 until aged 43. During his residence in Thailand Ang Duong composed poetry, authored and published classical Cambodian literature and historical works and later promoted the enactment of a comprehensive reformed legal codex and participated in the artistic development of Khmer classical dance. He translated the Cambodian folktale Vorvong & Sorvong into the Thai language as a birthday present for Thai Crown prince Mongkut. He was appointed governor of the then Thai Mongkol Borey District in 1834. In 1843 Ang Duong was crowned King of Cambodia in Bangkok and returned to Oudong.


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