Claude Céberet du Boullay (1647–1702) was a 17th-century French diplomat who participated in the La Loubère-Céberet embassy as "envoy extraordinary" to the kingdom of

Siam Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

(modern

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

) in 1687. He was co-representative of the mission with the diplomat

Simon de la Loubère Simon de la Loubère (; 21 April 1642 – 26 March 1729) was a French diplomat to Siam (Thailand), writer, mathematician and poet. He is credited with bringing back a document which introduced Europe to Indian astronomy, the " Siamese method ...

Mission to Siam

In 1685, Céberet became one of the 12 Directors of the French East India Company. During the 1687 embassy to Siam, Céberet was put in charge of the commercial interests of France, and particularly those of the French East India Company. Céberet left from Brest with the embassy for Siam on 1 March 1687. The embassy sailed on board the warships ''L'oiseau'' (46 guns), ''Le Gaillard'' (52 guns), ''La Loire'' (24 guns), ''La Normande'' and ''Le Dromadaire''. The embassy arrived in Thailand in September and October 1687. An interview with the Siamese king

Narai King Narai the Great (, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Prasat Thong dynasty. He was the king of Ayutthaya Kingdom from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous king of the ...

occurred on 2 November 1687. The mission achieved little more than the confirmation of the 1685 commercial treaty obtained by the Chevalier de Chaumont. It also seems that Père Tachard considerably interfered with the mission so as to render it useless. There were some important results on the military plane however, as the troops which had arrived with the mission occupied the cities of

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

and

Mergui Myeik (, or ; , ; , , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region, Myanmar, located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimated population was over 209,000. ''World Gazett ...

Return to France

In December 1687, Céberet left again for France first by going overland from

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...

to the harbour of

. He left on 4 January 1688 on the ship ''President'' for

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

, which he reached on 25 January.The Malay Peninsula: Crossroads of the Maritime Silk Road By Michel Jacq-Hergoualc'h, Victoria Hobson, Page 5

/ref> While in Pondicherry, Céberet ordered the Governor of Pondicherry François Martin (Pondicherry), François Martin to send his son-in-law André Deslandes to found Company trade counters in the

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

region. Deslandes left Pondicherry on 30 August 1688 and would found the counters of Balassor and Cassimbazar in 1689. Back in France, after being intendant in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

, Céberet became

intendant An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

. Claude Céberet died on 18 September 1702 and was buried in Dunkirk.

Notes

Works

*Céberet, Claude ''Journal du Voyage de Siam''

References

*Smithies, Michael ''Three military accounts of the 1688 revolution in Siam'', Orchid Press, Bangkok, 2002, {{DEFAULTSORT:Ceberet du Boullay, Claude 1647 births 1702 deaths 17th-century French diplomats Ambassadors of France to the Ayutthaya Kingdom

Mission to Siam

Return to France

See also

Notes

Works

References