2.

The Early Stages of The Franch Protectorate

The establishment of the French protectorate
The begins of France protectorate
The protectorate was established in 1863 when the Cambodian King Norodom requested the
establishment of a French protectorate over his country.
The beginnings of French involvement in Cambodia are to be found in the eighteenth century,
when Catholic missionaries took up residence in Cambodia, especially in the vicinity of Udong.
French involvement did not become political, however, before the 1850s, coincident with
French involvement in Vietnam. In the mid-1850s King Duang sought French support in an
attempt to play off the Thai against the Vietnamese, but a French diplomatic mission to
Cambodia in 1856, armed with a draft treaty of cooperation, failed to reach the Cambodian
court.
Why did Franch protect Cambodia?
French interest in Cambodia deepened with their involvement in Vietnam. When French
explorers arrived in Cambodia in the early 1860s, they were seeking to expand French
commercial interests in Southeast Asia, and believed that Cambodia, or more precisely the
Mekong, were a gateway to China. The French had already occupied southern Vietnam as a
colony, and were eager to increase the control over the region.
The treaty of the Franch protectorate of Cambodia
The colonial era began without a shot and in a tentative way. A delegation of French concluded
a treaty with Norodom On 11 August 1863, Norodom signed a treaty acknowledging a French
protectorate over his kingdom. Under the treaty, the Cambodian monarchy was allowed to
remain, but power was largely vested in a resident general to be housed in Phnom Penh. France
was also to be in charge of Cambodia's foreign and trade relations as well as provide military
protection.