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Marshal Desfarges, also spelled Des Farges (died 1690), was a French general of the 17th century who took an important role in French efforts at establishing a presence in
Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
(modern
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
). Desfarges led two battalions (636 soldiers) on board five warships, in the second French embassy to Siam. The embassy to King
Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the P ...
, under the special envoys Simon de la Loubère and Claude Céberet du Boullay, left France for Siam in March 1687. Desfarges had instructions to establish French troops in
Mergui Myeik (, or ; mnw, ဗိက်, ; th, มะริด, , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimat ...
and
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
, if necessary by force. The disembarkment of Desfarges troops in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
and the troops of his officer du Bruant in
Mergui Myeik (, or ; mnw, ဗိက်, ; th, มะริด, , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimat ...
led to strong nationalistic movements in Siam directed by
Phra Petratcha Phetracha (alternative spellings: ''Bedraja'', ''P'etraja'', ''Petraja'', ''Petratcha''; also called ''Phra Phetracha''; th, เพทราชา, ; 1632– 5 February 1703) was a king of the Ayutthaya kingdom in Thailand, usurping the throne fr ...
and ultimately resulted in the 1688 Siamese revolution in which King Narai died,
Constantine Phaulkon Constantine Phaulkon (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Γεράκης, ''Konstantinos Gerakis''; γεράκι is the Greek word for "falcon"; 1647 – 5 June 1688, also known as Costantin Gerachi, ''Capitão Falcão'' in Portuguese and simply as ' ...
was executed, and Phra Petratcha became king. Desfarges, when he learned of the crisis, started to move his troops to the capital
Lopburi Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
at the request of Phaulkon, but then retreated back to
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
when he learned of the king's death on July 11, 1688. Phaulkon was arrested, tortured and executed by the insurgents. In June, the French troops in Mergui had to be evacuated, and in September, Desfarges, besieged in Bangkok, negotiated for his troops to be evacuated to
Pondicherry Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
after the four month
Siege of Bangkok The siege of Bangkok was a key event of the Siamese revolution of 1688, in which the Kingdom of Siam ousted the French from Siam. Following a coup d'état, in which the pro-Western king Narai was replaced by Phetracha, Siamese troops besieged the ...
. He had, however, to leave his two sons and the Roman Catholic Bishops of the country as hostages. In the latter part of 1689, Desfarges captured the island of
Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands o ...
in an attempt to restore French control. Desfarges finally returned to Pondicherry with his men in February 1690. Part of his troops remained in Pondicherry to strengthen the French presence there. Desfarges left in March 1690, but died of illness on his way back to France on board the ''Oriflamme''. He was widely attacked for his role in the Siamese debacle. His own version of the events was published anonymously in 1691.Lach, p.426
/ref> The French commander
Abraham Duquesne-Guiton Captain, later Admiral, Abraham de Bellebat (Belébat?) de Duquesne-Guitton, also spelled Duquesne-Guiton (1648-d. 1724), was a French naval commander. In 1687 he sailed from the Cape of Good Hope in ''L'Oiseau'', with a French Ambassador, Claud ...
would be involved with Siam in 1691.


See also

* France-Thailand relations


Notes


References

* Lach, Donald F. (1998) ''Asia in the Making of Europe'' University of Chicago Press * Smithies, Michael (2002), ''Mission Made Impossible: The Second French Embassy to Siam, 1687'' Silkworm Books, Thailand * Smithies, Michael (2002), Three Military Accounts of the 1688 "Revolution" in Siam, Itineria Asiatica, Orchid Press, Bangkok, * Smithies, Michael (1999), ''A Siamese embassy lost in Africa 1686'', Silkworm Books, Bangkok, * Tate, D. J. M. (1979) ''The Making of Modern South-East Asia'', Oxford University Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Desfarges, Marshal French generals 1690 deaths Expatriates in the Ayutthaya Kingdom Year of birth unknown