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| Sisowath Monivong ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Monivong in 1929 | |
| King of Cambodia | |
| Reign | 9 August 1927 – 24 April 1941 |
| Coronation | 20 July 1928 |
| Predecessor | Sisowath |
| Successor | Norodom Sihanouk |
| Born | 27 December 1875 (1875-12-27) Khemarin Palace,Phnom Penh,Cambodia |
| Died | 24 April 1941(1941-04-24) (aged 65) Bokor Hill Station,Kampot,Cambodia,French Indochina |
| Burial | |
| Spouse | and 19 other consorts and concubines |
| Issue | with Kanviman Norleak Tevi: Sisowath Pinnareth Sisowath Thavet Roeungsi Sisowath Sariletlak Sisowath Kossamak Sisowath Nearirakh Sisowath Monireth Sisowath Monipong |
| House | Sisowath |
| Father | Sisowath |
| Mother | Varni Van |
| Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Sisowath Monivong (Khmer:ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស,Sisŏvôtthĕ Mŭnivôngs[ˈsiːsoʋatmuˈniːʋɔŋ];[1] 27 December 1875 – 24 April 1941) was theKing of Cambodia from 9 August 1927 until his death in 1941. During his reign, Cambodia was aFrench protectorate. Monivong was the grandson of the poet-kingAng Duong, grandfather ofNorodom Sihanouk and the great-grandfather of the current king,Norodom Sihamoni. His fullregnal title andstyle wasPreah Bat Samdech Preah Serey Monivarman Krom Luang Chao Chakrabangsa Sisowath Monivong Ney Preah Reacheanachak Kampuchea (Khmer: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 male monarch from theHouse of Sisowath, as all his successors are members of theHouse of Norodom.
Born inPhnom Penh in 1875, Sisowath Monivong was the sixth child and the second son ofKing Sisowath.[2] His mother was Neak Moneang Van, later titledSamdeach Preah Voreachini, the fifth child-bearing wife of Sisowath. At that time his uncleKing Norodom ruled fromOudong, the capital of Cambodia. Norodom was apuppet king for theFrench colonial protectorate. In 1884, after the French conqueredLaos and occupiedVietnam,Cambodia became a directcolonial possession. The royal family then moved from Oudong to the new capital ofPhnom Penh, 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.[2] There he was admitted to the Military School ofSaint-Maixent. He graduated two years later with the rank sous lieutenant in theForeign Legion. He was then posted toBrive 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. Duringthe 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 ofSamdech 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.[2] One of these was a woman named Meak, a member of theRoyal Ballet, who was given the titleKhun 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;[3] one of her cousins, named Saloth Sâr, would later adopt the namePol Pot.
Monivong died on 23 April 1941 at the age of 65 atBokor Mountain which was renamedPreah Monivong National Park in his honour.
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 afigurehead for the French administration and, in the words of one author, Monivong "caused the French no trouble".[4] 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 ofSisowath Sirik Matak),Sisowath Watchayavong, Norodom Phanouvong,Norodom Suramarit and Norodom Singhara.
It was during Monivong's rule that Cambodia became open to outside communist influences. In 1930, the Vietnamese leaderHo Chi Minh founded theIndochinese Communist Party which subsequently obtained popularity in Cambodia. The Cambodian communists' primary objective was to overthrow the French.
In 1940, when theFrench Third Republic fell toNazi Germany, the "Vichy France" regime took power in theunoccupied parts of France and in itsoverseas colonies, including Cambodia. In the late 1930s, a powerless Monivong noticed thatImperial Japan 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, now an ally of the Japanese, occupied territory. As the Japanese and Thai oppression of Cambodians became evident, Sisowath Monivong retired toKampot in late 1941 and died atBokor the same year.[5] He died taking the posthumous title ofPreah Karuna Preah Sisowath Monivong Preah Khatiyakot (Khmer:ព្រះករុណាព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ មុនីវង្ស ព្រះខត្តិយកោដ្ឋ).
His sonSisowath Monireth was the heir to the throne, but the French authorities choseSisowath Kossamak's nineteen-year-old sonNorodom Sihanouk to succeed him instead, mistakenly believing that he would be more pliable than Monireth.[6] Two of his children, Sisowath Monireth and Sisowath Monipong, would go on to serve asprime minister.
Media related toSisowath Monivong at Wikimedia Commons
Sisowath Monivong Born: 27 December 1875 Died: 24 April 1941 | ||
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | King of Cambodia 1927–1941 | Succeeded by |
| French Protectorate (1863–1945; 1945–1953) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Kampuchea (1945) | ||
| Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970) | ||
| Khmer Republic (1970–1975) | ||
| Democratic Kampuchea (1975–1979) | ||
| People's Republic of Kampuchea andState of Cambodia (1979–1993) | ||
| Kingdom of Cambodia (1993–present) | ||
| ||
