Sisowath of Cambodia
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2009) |
Sisowath ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ | |
---|---|
Burial | |
Spouse | 20 consorts and concubines |
Issue | 16 sons and 13 daughters, including: Sisowath Monivong |
House | Sisowath |
Father | Ang Duong |
Mother | Neang Pou |
Religion | Buddhism |
Sisowath (
Life
Sisowath was given the birth name of "Ang Sar" (អង្គសោ).
He hastily returned to Oudong, the royal capital of Cambodia, to prevent his half-brother, Prince Si Votha from seizing the throne. He succeeded, and his other half-brother, Norodom, became king. Although Norodom was more compliant, rebellion broke out in Cambodia, and soon the French, seeking control of Southeast Asia, forced Norodom to comply with a French protectorate over Cambodia. The French thus drove out the Thai and the Vietnamese officials, and Cambodia became a French protectorate. However, Norodom never truly complied with the French, and signed a secret treaty with siam, still acknowledging their suzerainty over Cambodia, and allowed them to keep Battambang and siem reap, which the Thais conquered in 1795.[citation needed]
Sisowath was enraged, and he exiled himself to
In 1867, after news of the treaty with siam broke out to the public, Cambodia was in open rebellion against French rule, King Norodom pleaded Sisowath to return to Cambodia to quell the uprising. Sisowath returned from Vietnam to Oudong and helped quell the uprising, restoring peace and order, and punishing the rebels, and with cooperation with the french, he forced siam to sign another treaty with the cambodian proctaterate, canceling out their secret treaty with norodom and forcing siam to finally give up control over cambodia (though, they still kept battambang and siem reap, which sisowath would eventually get back, along with other major provinces from siam, during his reign in 1907) this greatly boosted his popularity amongst the people and in 1884, when the French took full control over
Reign
In 1904, when Norodom died, Sisowath was crowned as king of Cambodia, a crown that would have gone to one of Norodom's sons, Prince Yukanthor, were it not for the latter having a falling-out with the French. During his reign, Sisowath continued Norodom's role in government, where he was well rewarded by the French for his cooperation: they built him a new palace, gave him a steam-powered yacht, and supplied him with a complementary ration of 250 lbs of high-grade opium per year.[2] In 1927, he died in Phnom Penh and was given the posthumous title of Preah Karuna Preah Sisowath Preah Reacheanukot (Khmer: ព្រះករុណា ព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ ព្រះរាជានុកូត). He was succeeded by his son and crown prince, Prince Sisowath Monivong. At the time of his death, he was the world's oldest monarch.[3]
Under his reign, Sisowath, with French help pressured the siamese to return to the khmers, the provinces of Siem reap (Along with the temples of Angkor wat, and Bayon), battambang and Sereisophon in 1907, these provinces were under siamese control since 1795 until then. It is acknowledged as the greatest achievement of his reign, and reawakened khmer pride and remembrance of their great past.[citation needed]
Not only that, sisowath also was a patron of khmer culture, promoting his classical dance troupes all over europe to show them that the khmers, not the siamese were the first custodians of indianised culture in mainland south east asia.[citation needed]
Sisowath also helped modernise cambodia, cooperating with french officials to build railways from phnom penh to battambang, overseeing the construction of a modern throne hall in the royal palace, replacing the previous wooden structures in 1919, as well as building schools such as Preah sisowath highschool, many wats and pagodas, an advanced pali-sanskrit institution, and the creation of the National Muesuem of cambodia to store and preserve priceless treasures from the khmer's great angkorian past.[citation needed]
He is regarded and revered as one of cambodia's illustrious kings, able to manuerver through the current political climate, and not only restoring national territorial integerty, reclaiming the great temples of angkor, from siam but also modernising the once fuedal khmer kingdom.[citation needed]
Crowning
On April 24, 1904, the day King Norodom died, the Royal Crown Council met, gathering senior ministers and personalities of the kingdom, in order to elect the new sovereign. The Crown Council elected Samdach Oppareach Preah Sisowath (the Viceroy) as successor to his elder step-brother. He was crowned as Preah Bat Samdech Preah Sisowath Chamchakrapong Hariréach Barminthor Phouvanay Kraykéofa Soulalay Preah Chau Krong Kampuchea Thippadey (Khmer: ព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ ចមចក្រពង្ស ហរិរាជបរមិន្ធ្រភូវណៃ ក្រៃកែវហ្វាសុឡាឡៃ ព្រះចៅក្រុងកម្ពុជាធិបតី).
Honours
- Sweden: Commander Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa, 1912[4]
Gallery
References
- ^ Jeldres (2003), p. 16
- ^ Norman G. Owen, The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia, p. 363
- ^ "World 's oldest living monarch . Sisowath , King of Cambodia , the world 's oldest living monarch , who this week celebrates his 84th birthday . 31 July 1923 Stock Photo - Alamy".
- ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 776, retrieved 8 November 2020 – via runeberg.org
Bibliography
- Jeldres, Julio A (2003). The Royal House of Cambodia. Phnom Penh Cambodia: Monument Books. OCLC 54003889.
External links
- Media related to Sisowath of Cambodia at Wikimedia Commons