Editing Setthathirath (section)

==Death and aftermath==
In 1571, a conspiracy between Lord Phya Nakhon and the former abbot of Wat Maximavat, who held personal grudges against Setthathirath, led to the king's murder in the southern frontier of the country. He was 37 years of age.

Because Setthathirath left only a toddler as his heir, prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane, the child's maternal grandfather, a military commander of common birth named [[Sen Soulintha]], declared himself king. This began a period of turbulence, with different kings ruling unsteadily for short periods, which saw the country finally conquered by King Bayinnaung in 1574, and the toddler son of Setthathirath taken to Burma. with a fratricide by a crown prince; with a rebellion led by someone claiming to be Setthathirath-resurrected; and with a nine-year period in which the country had no king. (The Burmese would rule Laos for eighteen years.) Quarrels and conflicts among the feudal nobility and their followings led to disruptions and unrest within the population.

With the country in chaos, Prince Noi Hno Muang Keo Koumane was always recognised as the rightful king by the people of Laos who campaigned for his return for many years. They finally succeeded when they sent a delegation to Burma after the prince had come of age in 1590. Released from captivity in [[Burma]] by King [[Nanda Bayin]], he returned to Vientiane where he was crowned in 1591. He declared independence from the Burmese in 1593, but suffered several attacks from them throughout his reign.

There was little peace in Laos until King [[Sourigna Vongsa]] ascended the throne in 1637 (possibly in 1638).