In 1564 King Chaichettha could not resist the Burmese army of King Burannaung; thus he moved his capital down to Vientiane and the Emerald Buddha remained there for 214 years.
In 1778, during the Thonburi period, when King Rama I of Bangkok was still a general, he captured Vientiane and brought the Emerald Buddha back to Thailand. With the establishment 0 Bangkok as the capital, the Emerald Buddha became the palladium of Thailand and has been ever since. The image was moved from Thonburi to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok on 22 March 1784.