The History Of Siam 1688

This book concerns the French intervention in Siam, 1685-1688, particularly the cataclysmic last year, during which Phetracha, the usurper and future king, held the ailing King Narai prisoner until his death. Marcel Le Blanc was one of fourteen Jesuits who arrived in Siam at the request of King Narai to promote the study of mathematics and astrology, but he became inextricably involved in events surrounding Phetracha's coup d'etat. He was in Bangkok during the siege and the arrival of the King's favorite, Madame Phalkon, who was subsequently arrested and killed. He describes his departure from the country with the French troops, his capture by the Dutch at the Cape, and his imprisonment in Middleburg. This new English edition of the book, first published in 1692, has been translated, introduced, and annotated by Michael Smithies, well-known scholar of the period

This text comprises three texts which shed light on the failure of the French to colonize Siam at the end of the 17th century. Events surrounding the coup d'etat of 18th May, 1688, which took place in the Siamese Versailles at Lopburi, are examined. The coup d'etat of 18 May 1688 in the Siamese Versailles at Lopburi led to the establishment of the last Ayutthayan dynasty, known to history as that of Ban Phlu Luang. But it was not just another internal palace coup in the face of the imminent death of the reigning monarch, Narai. For the king's favourite,

The first full history of a great commercial and political center that rose in Asia over almost five centuries.

History of the Kingdom of Siam and of the revolutions that have caused the overthrow of the empire, up to A. D. 1770 Turpin's History of Siam, published at Paris in the year 1771 consists of two volumes, the first of which deals merely with the natural History of Siam.— The present book is a translation of the second volume only, and is of considerable interest owing to the fact that it is the only extant European work dealing with the events leading up to and succeeding the fall of the old capital, Ayuthia.— We have no accounts of the compiler M. Turpin himself and therefore are unable to give any account of his life or position.— The present volume falls into the following parts:— a. A short resumé of the early history of Siam. Few names are given, and the accounts are somewhat vague. Chapter 1. b. An account of the reign of Phra Narai and his immediate successors Chapter 2-6. This portion has been compiled from the earlier accounts of Forbin and La Loubère; but Tachard's remarks are not treated as serious history. c. A short chapter (Chapter 7) giving a somewhat vague account of the period intervening between the above and the next.— d. The events leading up to the fall of Ayuthia. A description of the Burmese attack on the capital and of the early years of the reign of Phya Tak (Chapter 8-11.) This forms the part of greatest interest. e. A description of the Kingdoms bordering on Siam (Chapter 12-13). Taken on the whole, the book gives a very fair and impartial account, but as the bulk of the information was derived from the Catholic Missionaries, a somewhat biassed view is taken of the religion of the countries treated of.— The original has been carefully followed in the translation; here and there a few sentences have been omitted for the reason that such sentences are merely remarks of a moralizing nature on the part of M. Turpin himself, and have no connection whatever with the relation of the historical events.—