Norodom (Khmer: ព្រះបាទនរោត្តម) (1834-1904) ruled as king of Cambodia from 1860 to 1904. He was the eldest son of King Ang Duong and half-brother of Prince Si Votha as well as the half-brother of King Sisowath. Norodom is cognate with Narottam in Sanskrit which means Best (Uttam) of men (Nar). Norodom was considered to be the first modern Khmer king. He was credited with saving Cambodia from disappearing altogether. In 1863,to prevent the two pow...
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Norodom (Khmer: ព្រះបាទនរោត្តម) (1834-1904) ruled as king of Cambodia from 1860 to 1904. He was the eldest son of King Ang Duong and half-brother of Prince Si Votha as well as the half-brother of King Sisowath. Norodom is cognate with Narottam in Sanskrit which means Best (Uttam) of men (Nar). Norodom was considered to be the first modern Khmer king. He was credited with saving Cambodia from disappearing altogether. In 1863,to prevent the two powerful neighbours, Vietnam and Siam, from swallowing Cambodia altogether he invited France to make Cambodia its protectorate. Many Cambodians believed that this brilliant act and his shrewdness did actually save Cambodia from disappearing.
When he was born, Cambodia was under Vietnamese and Siamese rule. The two powers had partitioned the country between them, but the royal family remained in the Siamese zone, as the Vietnamese were more authoritarian than the Siamese. Nonetheless, Vietnam and Siam frequently fought wars over Cambodian...
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