Ang Duong

Ang Duong was King of Cambodia from 1841 to 1844 and from 1845 to his death. Formally invested in 1848, his rule benefited a kingdom that 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 ninety-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 Samdach Preah Harireak Reamea Issarathipadei Ang Duong.