Vientiane was conquered in 1779 by Siam. When King Anouvong attempted an unsuccessful rebellion in 1827, the city was looted and burned to the ground by Siamese armies. Abandoned for many years, Vientiane was depopulated, overgrown and in great disrepair when a French expedition arrived in the 1860s. It was passed into French rule in 1893 and became the capital of the French protectorate of Laos in 1899. The French rebuilt the city including many Buddhist temples such as Pha That Luang and Wat Phra Kaew.