General Desfarges

Who is General Desfarges?

Marshal Desfarges, also spelled Des Farges, was a French general of the 17th century who took an important role in French efforts at establishing a presence in Siam.

Desfarges led two battalions on board five warships, in the second French embassy to Siam. The embassy to king Narai, under the special envoys Simon de la Loubère and Claude Céberet du Boullay, left France for Siam in March 1687. Desfarges had instruction to establish French troops in Mergui and Bangkok, if necessary by force.

The disembarkment of the troops of Desfarges in Bangkok and the troops of his officer du Bruant in Mergui led to strong nationalistic movements in Siam directed by Phra Petratcha and ultimately resulted in the 1688 Siamese revolution in which king Narai died, Constantine Phaulkon was executed, and Phra Petratcha became king.

Desfarges, when he learned of the crisis, started to move his troops to the capital Lopburi at the request of Phaulkon, but then retreated back to Bangkok when he learned of the king's death on July 11, 1688. Phaulkon was arrested, tortured and executed by the insurgents. In June, the French troops in Mergui had to be evacuated, and in September, Desfarges, besieged in Bangkok, negotiated for his troops to be evacuated to Pondicherry after the four months Siege of Bangkok. He had however to leave as hostage his two sons and the Roman Catholic Bishops of the country.