Sisowath of Cambodia explained

Sisowath
ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ
Succession:King of Cambodia
Reign:27 April 1904 – 9 August 1927
Coronation:28 April 1906
Predecessor:Norodom
Successor:Sisowath Monivong
Spouse:20 consorts and concubines
Issue:16 sons and 13 daughters, including:
Sisowath Monivong
House:Sisowath
Father:Ang Duong
Mother:Neang Pou
Birth Name:Ang Sar
Birth Date:7 September 1840
Birth Place:Mongkonburi, Phra Tabong Province, Siam
(present-day Banteay Meanchey, Cambodia)
Death Place:Khemarin Palace, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, French Indochina
Place Of Burial:Oudong Mountain, Cambodia
Religion:Buddhism

Sisowath (Central Khmer: ស៊ីសុវត្ថិ, in Central Khmer pronounced as /ˈsiːsoʋat/; 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 the progenitor of the House of Sisowath.

Life

Sisowath was given the birth name of "Ang Sar" (Central Khmer: អង្គសោ).[1] When he was born, Cambodia was under joint Siamese and Vietnamese rule. The royal family lived in Battambang then under Siamese hegemony. Like his brother King Norodom, Sisowath was educated in the Siamese capital of Bangkok. He did not return to his native Cambodia until 1860, when his father and the ruling monarch, Ang Duong, died.

Reign

In 1904, when Norodom died, Sisowath was crowned as king of Cambodia, a crown that would have gone to one of Norodom's sons, Prince Yukanthor, were it not for the latter having a falling-out with the French. During his reign, Sisowath continued Norodom's role in government, where he was well rewarded by the French for his cooperation: they built him a new palace, gave him a steam-powered yacht, and supplied him with a complementary ration of 250 lbs of high-grade opium per year.[2] In 1927, he died in Phnom Penh and was given the posthumous title of Preah Karuna Preah Sisowath Preah Reacheanukot (Central Khmer: ព្រះករុណា ព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ ព្រះរាជានុកូត). He was succeeded by his son and crown prince, Prince Sisowath Monivong. At the time of his death, he was the world's oldest monarch.[3]

Crowning

On April 24, 1904, the day King Norodom died, the Royal Crown Council met, gathering senior ministers and personalities of the kingdom, in order to elect the new sovereign. The Crown Council elected Samdach Oppareach Preah Sisowath (the Viceroy) as successor to his elder step-brother.He was crowned as Preah Bat Samdech Preah Sisowath Chamchakrapong Hariréach Barminthor Phouvanay Kraykéofa Soulalay Preah Chau Krong Kampuchea Thippadey (Central Khmer: ព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះស៊ីសុវត្ថិ ចមចក្រពង្ស ហរិរាជបរមិន្ធ្រភូវណៃ ក្រៃកែវហ្វាសុឡាឡៃ ព្រះចៅក្រុងកម្ពុជាធិបតី).

Honours

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Jeldres (2003), p. 16
  2. Norman G. Owen, The Emergence of Modern Southeast Asia, p. 363
  3. Web site: World 's oldest living monarch . Sisowath, King of Cambodia, the world 's oldest living monarch, who this week celebrates his 84th birthday . 31 July 1923 Stock Photo - Alamy.