Siamese revolution of 1688
Siamese Revolution | |
---|---|
Siam | |
Result |
Victory for Phetracha's forces and his Dutch allies.
|
Phetracha and various Siamese lords
Dutch Republic[1]
Luang Sorasak
Krommaluang Yothathep
Johan Keyts
Daniel Brochebourde
Chevalier de Beauregard (POW)
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular
Foreign policy focus of King Narai
King Narai's reign saw a major expansion of diplomatic missions to and from Western powers, most notably
King Narai especially sought to expand relations with the French, as a counterweight to
Nationalistic upheaval
France sought to convert King Narai to Roman Catholicism, and also to establish troops in the area. With Narai's permission, fortresses with French troops and under French control were established at
Matters were brought to a head when King Narai fell gravely ill in March 1688, and conspirators maneuvered to take power. In April, Phaulkon requested military help from the French in order to neutralize the plot. The French officer Desfarges responded by leading 80 troops and 10 officers out of Bangkok to the Palace in Lopburi.[6] However, he stopped on the way in Ayutthaya and finally abandoned his plan and retreated to Bangkok, fearing that he could be attacked by Siamese rebels, and troubled by false rumors, some spread by Véret, the Director of the French East India Company, including one that the king had already died.[7]
Succession crisis
On May 10, the dying King Narai, aware of the coming succession dispute, called together his closest councilors – the Greek councilor Phaulkon; the king's foster brother and Commander of the Royal Elephant Corps, Phra Phetracha; and the King's adopted son Mom Pi. Narai nominated his daughter, Krommaluang Yothathep, to succeed him. His three councilors were to act as regents until the princess took on a partner of her choice from one of the two Siamese councilors, Mom Pi or Phetracha.[8]
Far from calming the situation, Narai's decision spurred Phetracha to act. With Narai essentially incapacitated by his illness, Phetracha staged a long-planned
Princess Krommaluang Yothathep ultimately had to marry Phetracha and become his queen.
Ousting of French forces (1688)
Large-scale attacks were launched on the two French fortresses in Siam, and on June 24, 1688, the French under du Bruant and the Chevalier de Beauregard had to abandon their garrison at Mergui.[11] Du Bruant managed to escape under fire and with many casualties by seizing a Siamese warship, the Mergui.[14] He and his troops were stranded on a deserted island for four months before being captured by a British warship. They ultimately returned to Pondicherry by way of Madras.
In the Siege of Bangkok, Phetracha besieged the French fortress in Bangkok with 40,000 men and over a hundred cannon, for a period of four months. The Siamese troops also apparently received Dutch support in their fight against the French.[15] On September 9, the French warship Oriflamme, carrying 200 troops and commanded by de l'Estrilles, arrived at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, but was unable to dock at the Bangkok fortress as the entrance to the river was being blocked by the Siamese.[16]
Phaulkon's Catholic Japanese-Portuguese wife,
Some of the French troops remained in Pondicherry to bolster the French presence there, but most left for France on February 16, 1689 aboard the
On April 10, 1689, the French officer Desfarges—who had remained in Pondicherry—led an expedition to capture the island of
A Siamese-formed rebellion led by
A contemporary who participated in the events, the French engineer Jean Vollant des Verquains, wrote in 1691 about its historical significance: "The revolution which occurred in the Kingdom of Siam in the year 1688 is one of the most famous events of our times, whether it is considered from the point of view of politics or religion."[27]
Aftermath
France was unable to stage a comeback or organize a retaliation due to its involvement in major European conflicts: the
In Siam, Phetracha had managed to expel most of the French from the country, but after an initial confinement, missionaries were allowed to continue their work in Ayutthaya, albeit with some restrictions. The Bishop of Ayutthaya Monseigneur Louis Laneau was only released from jail in April 1691. A few French employees of the king, such as René Charbonneau, former governor of Phuket, were also allowed to remain.[23]
Not all contacts with the West were severed however. On November 14, immediately after the French retreat, the 1644 Treaty and Alliance of Peace between Siam and the
Western contacts aside, trade relations with Asian countries remained buoyant, with Siam remaining especially involved in the
The official resumption of contacts with the West started with the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the
Notes
- ^ De la Touche, in Smithies 2002, pp. 66–71
- ^ Wills, p. 87
- ^ Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archived 2002-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 974-7551-61-6, p. 182
- ^ Wills, p. 89
- ^ Vollant des Verquains, in Smithies 2002, p. 110
- ^ Desfarges, in Smithies 2002, p. 18
- ^ Cruysse, Dirk van der. Siam and the West. p. 444.[ISBN missing]
- ^ Wills, p. 92
- ^ Desfarges, in Smithies 2002, p. 46
- ^ a b c Smithies 2002, p. 184
- ^ Desfarges, in Smithies 2002, p. 35
- ^ Smithies 2002, p. 80
- ^ De la Touche, in Smithies 2002, p. 76
- ^ De la Touche, in Smithies 2002, pp. 66–71
- ^ Desfarges, in Smithies 2002, p. 49
- ^ Vollant des Verquains, in Smithies 2002, p. 100
- ^ Smithies 2002, pp. 11, 184
- ^ Smithies 2002, p. 51, note 101
- ^ De la Touche, in Smithies 2002, p. 73
- ^ Smithies 2002, p. 19
- ^ A History of South-east Asia p. 350, by Daniel George Edward Hall (1964) St. Martin's Press
- ^ a b c Dhivarat na Pombejra in Reid, p. 267
- ^ Smithies 2002, p. 185
- ^ Smithies 2002, p. 179
- ^ Smithies 2002, pp. 16, 185
- ^ Jean Vollant des Verquains, History of the revolution in Siam in the year 1688, in Smithies 2002, p. 98
- ^ Dhivarat na Pombejra in Reid, p. 265
- ^ Dhiravat na Pombejra, in Reid pp. 265–266
- ^ Background Note: Thailand, US Department of State: Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, March 2008
- ^ Dhivarat na Pombejra in Reid, p. 266
- ^ US Department of State
- ^ Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs Archived 2002-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
References
- Hall, Daniel George Edward (1964) A History of South-east Asia St. Martin's Press
- Reid, Anthony (Editor), Southeast Asia in the Early Modern Era, Cornell University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-8014-8093-0
- Smithies, Michael (1999), A Siamese embassy lost in Africa 1686, Silkworm Books, Bangkok, ISBN 974-7100-95-9
- Smithies, Michael (2002), Three military accounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam, Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, ISBN 974-524-005-2
- Stearn, Duncan. Chronology of South-East Asian History: 1400–1996. Dee Why: Mitraphab Centre, 1997. p. 49.
- John E. Wills, Jr. (2002). 1688: A Global History. ISBN 978-0-393-32278-1.
See also
- 1893 Franco-Siamese crisis
- Paknam Incident
- 1940-41 Franco-Thai war
- French Indochina
- Battle of Dien Bien Phu