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Setthathirath (1534–1572) is considered one of the great leaders in Lao history. In 1570, he successfully defended Laos against the military campaign of the Burmese conqueror Bayinnaung, who had already subdued Xieng Mai (Chiang Mai) in 1556 and Ayutthaya in 1569. Setthathirath was a prolific builder and erected many Buddhist monuments including Wat Xieng Thong in Louang Phrabang and the That Luang in Vientiane. In 1572, a conspiracy between a 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 38 years of age.