Sisowath Monivong
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Sisowath Monivong ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស, ;Headly, Robert K.; Chhor, Kylin; Lim, Lam Kheng; Kheang, Lim Hak; Chun, Chen. 1977. ''Cambodian-English Dictionary''. Bureau of Special Research in Modern Languages. The Catholic University of America Press. Washington, D.C. 27 December 1875 – 24 April 1941) was the
King of Cambodia The monarchy of Cambodia is the head of state of the Cambodia, Kingdom of Cambodia. In the contemporary period, the King's power has been limited to that of a symbolic figurehead. The monarchy had been in existence since at least 68 AD exce ...
from 9 August 1927 until his death in 1941. During his reign, Cambodia was a French protectorate. Monivong was the grandson of the poet-king
Ang Duong Ang Duong ( km, អង្គឌួង ; 12 June 1796 – 19 October 1860) was the King of Cambodia from 1841 to 1844 and from 1845 to his death in 1860. Formally invested in 1848, his rule benefited a kingdom that suffered from several centuries ...
, grandfather of
Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
and the great-grandfather of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni. His full
regnal title A regnal title is the title held by a monarch while in office. Monarchs can have various titles, including king or queen, prince or princess (Sovereign Prince of Monaco), emperor or empress (Emperor of Japan, Emperor of India), or even duke or gran ...
and
style Style is a manner of doing or presenting things and may refer to: * Architectural style, the features that make a building or structure historically identifiable * Design, the process of creating something * Fashion, a prevailing mode of clothing ...
was ''Preah Bat Samdech Preah Serey Monivarman Krom Luang Chao Chakrabangsa Sisowath Monivong Ney Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea'' ( km, ព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះសិរីមុនីវរ្ម័នក្រុមហ្លួងចៅចក្របាងស្ស ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស នៃព្រះរាជាណចក្រកម្ពុជា) which can be literally translated from Khmerized Sanskrit as "His majesty, glorious lord scholar-protector; His highness, lord of land and sea, Sisowath Monivong of the Kingdom of Kampuchea". He is the most recent monarch from the
House of Sisowath The House of Sisowath ( km, រាជវង្សស៊ីសុវត្ថិ) is one of the two royal houses of Cambodia, alongside its counterpart, the House of Norodom. Both it and its sister house have a claim to the throne as descendants o ...
, as all his successors are members of the
House of Norodom The House of Norodom ( km, រាជវង្សនរោត្តម) is the ruling royal house of Cambodia. Its members are direct descendants of King Norodom (1860–1904), a son of the "Great-King", Ang Duong. The current head of the House o ...
.


Life

Born in
Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
in 1875, Sisowath Monivong was the sixth child and the second son of
King Sisowath Sisowath ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ, ; 7 September 1840 – 9 August 1927) was King of Cambodia from 27 April 1904 to his death in 1927. He was the son of King Ang Duong and half brother of Prince Si Votha and King Norodom. He is th ...
.Jeldres, Julio A., 2003, ''The Royal House of Cambodia'', Monument Books, Phnom Penh His mother was Neak Moneang Van, later titled ''Samdeach Preah Voreachini'', the fifth child-bearing wife of Sisowath. At that time his uncle
King Norodom Norodom ( km, នរោត្តម, ; born Ang Voddey ( km, អង្គវតី, ); 3 February 1834 – 24 April 1904) was Monarchy of Cambodia, King of Cambodia from 19 October 1860 to his death on 24 April 1904. He was the eldest son of ...
ruled from Oudong, the capital of Cambodia. Norodom was a
puppet king A puppet monarch is a majority figurehead who is installed or patronized by an imperial power to provide the appearance of local authority but to allow political and economic control to remain among the dominating nation. A figurehead monarch ...
for the French colonial protectorate. In 1884, after the French conquered
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and occupied
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
,
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
became a direct colonial possession. The royal family then moved from Odong to the new capital of
Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...
, where Sisowath Monivong resided. In 1904, both of his uncles and his elder brother Essaravong died, resulting in Sisowath Monivong becoming the Crown Prince of Cambodia. In 1906, he traveled with his father, King Sisowath, to France. There he was admitted to the Military School of
Saint-Maixent Saint-Maixent () is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Sarthe department The following is a list of the 354 communes of the Sarthe department of France. ...
. He graduated two years later with the rank sous lieutenant in the Foreign Legion. He was then posted to Brive and later to Paris. In 1909, he returned to Cambodia. In 1910, he was promoted to lieutenant, in 1916 to captain, and finally, in 1922, to chief of battalion. The same year he was released from military service. During the First World War, he actively recruited volunteer military personnel and workers. These services were recognized with the Cross of Commander of the Foreign Legion and the Cambodian title of ''Samdech Preah Keofea''. He was then appointed secretary-general of the council of ministers and president of the council of the Royal Family. Monivong had many consorts, at least six of whom were granted official recognition, having borne children to him. One of these was a woman named Meak, a member of the
Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
, who was given the title ''Khun Preah Moneang Bopha Norleak Meak''. Meak bore Monivong's son, Prince Sisowath Kusarak, in 1926. Around 1934–1935, two of her young cousins came to live with her, a common Cambodian custom. one of her cousins, named saloth Sâr, would later adopt the name
pol pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...
. Monivong died on 23 April 1941 at the age of 65 at Bokor Mountain which was renamed
Preah Monivong National Park Preah Monivong Bokor National Park ( km, ឧទ្យានជាតិព្រះមុនីវង្ស បូកគោ, ) is a national park in southern Cambodia's Kampot Province that was established in 1993 and covers . It is designated as ...
in his honour.


Reign

In 1927, Sisowath Monivong's father died, so at age 52 Sisowath Monivong ascended to the throne. Like his father and his uncle, Monivong was simply a
figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...
for the French administration and, in the words of one author, Monivong "caused the French no trouble". The real power was in the hands of the French Resident-General. The King was surrounded by his Royal Council composed of his cousins: Sisowath Rathary (father of
Sisowath Sirik Matak Sisowath Sirik Matak ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ សិរិមតៈ; 22 January 191421 April 1975) was a Cambodian politician and member of the Cambodian royal family, under the House of Sisowath. Sirik Matak was mainly notable for h ...
), Sisowath Watchayavong, Norodom Phanouvong,
Norodom Suramarit Norodom Suramarit ( km, នរោត្តម សុរាម្រិត, ; 6 March 1896 – 3 April 1960) was King of Cambodia from 3 March 1955 until his death in 1960. He was the father of King Norodom Sihanouk and the grandfather of C ...
and Norodom Singhara. It was during Monivong's rule that Cambodia became open to outside communist influences. In 1930, the Vietnamese leader
Ho Chi Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as ('Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), (' Old father of the people') and by other aliases, was a Vietnamese revolutionary and statesman. He served as Prime ...
founded the Indochina Communist Party which subsequently obtained popularity in Cambodia. The Cambodian communists' primary objective was to overthrow the French. In 1940, when the
French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...
fell to
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
, the "
Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
" regime took power in the unoccupied parts of France and in its overseas colonies, including Cambodia. In the late 1930s, a powerless Monivong noticed that
Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...
was making inroads in Vietnam. Japan then invaded and occupied Cambodia in early 1941. The Japanese allowed Cambodian Vichy French officials to administer, but only under Japanese protection. The Cambodian king was beholden to the Vichy French, who were in turn beholden to the Japanese. In western Cambodia,
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 bo ...
, now an ally of the Japanese, occupied territory. As the Japanese and Thai oppression of Cambodians became evident, Sisowath Monivong retired to
Kampot Kampot may refer to: *Kampot (city), a city in southern Cambodia *Kampot, an alternative spelling of the Slavic drink Kompot *Kampot Province, province of Cambodia * Kampot Municipality, a municipality in Cambodia * Kampot Airport, an airport in Ca ...
in late 1941 and died at
Bokor A bokor (male) ht, bòkò) or caplata (female) is a Vodou witch for hire who is said to serve the loa "with both hands", practicing for both good and evil. Their practice includes the creation of zombies and of 'ouangas', talismans that house ...
the same year. He died taking the posthumous title of ''Preah Karuna Preah Sisowath Monivong Preah Khatiyakot'' ( km, ព្រះករុណា​ព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស​ ព្រះខត្តិយកោដ្ឋ). His son
Sisowath Monireth Sisowath Monireth ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុន្នីរ៉េត; 25 November 1909 – September 1975) was a Cambodian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia, during the French protectorate period, fr ...
was the heir to the throne, but the French authorities chose
Sisowath Kossamak Sisowath Kossamak ( km, ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ កុសមៈ; 9 April 1904 – 27 April 1975) was the queen consort of King Norodom Suramarit of Cambodia, who reigned from 1955 to 1960. After her husband's death in 1960, her son Noro ...
's nineteen-year-old son
Norodom Sihanouk Norodom Sihanouk (; km, នរោត្តម សីហនុ, ; 31 October 192215 October 2012) was a Cambodian statesman, Sangkum and FUNCINPEC politician, Norodom Sihanouk filmography, film director, and composer who led Cambodia in vari ...
to succeed him instead, mistakenly believing that he would be more pliable than Monireth. Two of his children, Sisowath Monireth and Sisowath Monipong, would go on to serve as
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sisowath, Monivong 1875 births 1941 deaths Cambodian Buddhists Cambodian Buddhist monarchs 20th-century Cambodian monarchs House of Sisowath People from Phnom Penh