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Siamese revolution (1688)The Siamese revolution (1688) was a major popular upheaval in the Kingdom of Siam (modern Thailand) which led to the overthrown of the pro-foreign Siamese king Narai by the Mandarin Petracha, and the ousting of French influence and military forces from Siam. As a consequence, Siam virtually severed all ties with the West, until some level of contacts were renewed in the 19th century. A contemporary who participated in the events, the French engineer Jean Vollant des Verquains, wrote in 1691 about its historical significance: "The revolution which occurred in the Kingdom of Siam in the year 1688 is one of the most famous events of our times, whether it is considered from the point of view of politics or religion."[1]
Foreign policy focus of King Narai
Contemporary French depiction of the King Narai of Siam. 
King Narai watching an eclipse with French astronomers and Jesuits, April 1688 King Narai especially sought to expand relations with the French, as a counterweight to Portuguese and Dutch influence in his kingdom, and at the suggestion of his Greek councillor Phaulkon. Numerous embassies were exchanged in both directions. A first Siamese ambassador to France was sent in the person of Phya Pipatkosa on board the Soleil d'Orient, but the ship was wrecked off the coast of Africa after leaving Mauritius, and he disappeared.[2][3] A second embassy was sent to France in 1684 (passing through England), led by Khun Pijaiwanit and Khun Pijitmaitri, requesting the dispatch of a French embassy to Thailand.[4] They met with Louis XIV in Versailles. In response, Louis XIV sent an embassy led by the Chevalier de Chaumont. A second Thai embassy to France was led by Kosa Pan in 1686. French intervention (1687)
French soldiers in Siam, 17th century Siamese painting. Desfarges had instructions to negotiate the establishment of troops in Mergui and Bangkok rather than the southern Songkla, and to take these locations if necessary by force.[5] King Narai agreed to the proposal, and a fortress was established in each of the two cities, which were commanded by French governors.[6] Desfarges was in command of the fortress of Bangkok, with 200 French officers and men,[7] as well as a Siamese contingent provided by King Narai, and Du Bruant was in command of Mergui with 90 French soldiers.[7][8] Another 35 soldiers with 3 or 4 French officers were assigned to ships of the King of Siam, with a mission to fight piracy.[7] The diplomatic mission, however, achieved little apart from the reaffirmation of the 1685 commercial treaty. The Jesuit Father Tachard had obtained secret instructions from Seignelay, which allowed him to deal directly with Phaulkon.[9] Hopes for the conversion of King Narai to Catholicism, which had largely motivated the embassy sent by Louis XIV, did not materialize.[9] Nationalistic upheaval
King Narai's court was located in Lopburi. Matters were brought to a head when King Narai fell gravely ill in March 1688. In April 1688, Phaulkon requested military help from the French in order to neutralize the plot. Desfarges responded by leading 80 troops and 10 officers out of Bangkok to the Palace in Lopburi,[10] but he stopped on the way in Ayutthaya and finally abandoned his plan and retreated to Bangkok, fearing that he could be attacked by Siamese rebels and troubled by false rumors that the king had already died.[11] Desfarges could have eliminated the conspiracy at this point if he had pursued his mission towards Lopburi, but his judgement failed him, partly influenced by the false rumours spread by Véret, the Director of the French East India Company in Ayutthaya.[12] Succession crisis
Kromluang Yothathep, daughter and only child of king Narai, was named regent on May 10, 1688. Far from calming the situation, Narai's decision spurred Petracha to act. With Narai essentially incapacitated by his illness, Petracha was given a free hand to stage a coup d'etat with the support of a resentful court as well as the Buddhist clergy. The events spurred Petracha to execute the long-planned coup immediately, initiating the 1688 Siamese revolution.[14] On May 17-18, 1688, King Narai was arrested, and on June 5 Phaulkon was executed. Six French officers were captured in Lopburi and mobbed, one of them dying as a result.[15] Many members of Narai's familly were assassinated (the king's brothers, his successors by right, were killed on July 9),[16] and King Narai himself died in detention on July 10-11. Phra Petratcha was crowned king on August 1.[17] Kosa Pan, the 1686 former ambassador to France, was one of the strongest supporters of Petratcha, and became his Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade.[18] Princess Kromluang Yothathep ultimately had to marry Petracha and become his queen. Ousting of French forces (1688)
Siamese attack on du Bruant in Tavoy, in which the Chevalier de Beauregard and the Jesuit Pierre d'Espagnac were captured and enslaved.[19] In the Siege of Bangkok, Petratcha besieged the French fortress in Bangkok with 40,000 men,[22] and over a hundred cannon,[23] during a period of four months.[24] The Siamese troops apparently received Dutch support in their fight against the French.[25] On September 9, the French warship Oriflamme, carrying 200 troops and commanded by de l'Estrilles, arrived at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, but was unable to dock at the Bangkok fortress as the entrance to the river was being blocked by the Siamese.[26] 
Ruins of the residence of Constantine Phaulkon and his wife Maria Guyomar de Pinha in Lopburi, Thailand. 
The Siege of Bangkok. The French fortress of Bangkok (A) surrounded by Siamese troops and batteries (C), 1688. The enclosure of the village of Bangkok represented in the lower left corner (M) is actually today's Thonburi.[27] Some of the French troops remained in Pondicherry to bolster the French presence there, but most left for France on February 16 1689 aboard the French Navy Normande and the French Company Coche, with the engineer Vollant des Verquains and the Jesuit Le Blanc aboard. The two ships were captured by the Dutch at The Cape, however, because the War of the Augsburg League had started. After a month in the Cape, the prisoners were sent to Zeeland where they were kept at the prison of Middelburg. They were able to return to France through a general exchange of prisoners.[33] On April 10 1689, Desfarges – who had remained in Pondicherry – led an expedition to capture the island of Phuket in an attempt to restore some sort of French control in Siam.[34][35] The occupation of the island led nowhere, and Desfarges returned to Pondicherry in January 1690.[36] Recalled to France, he left 108 troops in Pondicherry to bolster defenses, and left with his remaining troops on the Oriflamme and the Company ships Lonré and Saint-Nicholas on February 21 1690.[37] Desfarges died on his way back trying to reach Martinique, and the Oriflamme later sank on February 27 1691, with most of the remaining French troops, off the coast of Britanny.[38] Aftermath
Not all contacts with the West were severed however. On November 14th, immediately after the French retreat, the 1644 Treaty and Alliance of Peace between Siam and the VOC was renewed, guaranteeing the Dutch the deerskin export monopoly they had had, and giving them freedom to trade freely in Siamese ports with anyone. They also obtained a renewal of their export monopoly on Ligor for tin (originally granted by king Narai in 1671).[41] Dutch factors (Opperhoofden) were also stationed at Ayutthaya, such as Pieter van den Hoorn (from 1688 to 1691), or Thomas van Son (from 1692 to 1697).[42] Contact between Siam and the West remained sporadic, however, and would not return to the level seen in the reign of King Narai until the reign of King Mongkut in the mid-19th century.[43] Overall, Siamese foreign trade does not seem to have stagnated, as trade relations with Asian countries remained buoyant. Siam remained especially involved in the Sino-Siamese-Japanese trade. During the reign of Petracha, about 50 Chinese junks are recorded to have visited Ayutthaya, and during the same period as many as 30 junks left Ayutthaya for Nagasaki, Japan.[44] The official resumption of contacts with the West started with the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United Kingdom in 1826, and diplomatic exchanges with the United States started in 1833.[45] France only resumed official contacts in 1856, when Napoleon III sent an embassy to King Mongkut led by Charles de Montigny in 1856. A Treaty was signed on August 15 1856 to facilitate trade, guarantee religious freedom, and allow the access of French warships to Bangkok. In June 1861, French warships brought a Thai embassy to France, led by Phya Sripipat (Pae Bunnag).[46] NotesReferences
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