Si Votha
Si Votha (; also spelled Si Vattha; c. 1841 – 31 December 1891) was a Cambodian prince who was briefly a contender for the throne. He spent his entire life fighting his half brother King Norodom for the throne. Si Votha was a grandson of King Ang Eng (reigning from 1772 to 1796) and a son of King Ang Duong. His biographical notes only record that he had a daughter named Neak Ang Mechas (Princess) Ang Duong Rath Votha. Si Votha had two half-brothers, Norodom and Sisowath of Cambodia, with Norodom being the king's chosen heir. Succession struggle and 1861 rebellion Upon King Ang Duong's death, a succession struggle ensued, with Si Votha attempting to take power while his half brother Norodom was occupied with a rebellion; eventually Norodom gained the upper hand when he gained the backing of Sisowath. When Norodom was officially crowned king in 1864 in a joint coronation ceremony supervised by the French and Siamese officials, Si Votha once again made no secret of his intention to lay claim to the Cambodian throne. Norodom's throne would have been extremely precarious without French support. Sisowath would likely have adopted the same attitude as Si Votha if the Siamese king had allowed him to leave Bangkok. Si Votha's long history of opposition to Norodom, which led him to lead a life of discomfort in the most isolated regions of the kingdom, suggests some deep personal antagonism between the two princes. 1876 Rebellion During the 1870s, taking advantage of a new uprising against Norodom's authority, Si Votha swiftly returned to Cambodia from Thailand. Begging the pardon of the king of Siam for his unauthorized departure, Si Votha left Bangkok, swiftly passed through Battambang, and travelled onward to the higher region of the Mekong. He had little difficulty in quickly raising a large band of supporters and began to harry the officials loyal to King Norodom. He besieged the provincial capital at Kampong Thom and went through the turbulent province of Kampong Svai. Forces dispatched under Norodom's orders failed to apprehend him. As late as 1876, Si Votha remained in revolt, striking at an outpost of Norodom's government, and slipping back to his sanctuary among the Stiengs, one of the tribal groups on the fringes of Cambodian society. Resistance and 1885-1886 revolt The French refused to help King Norodom put down Si Votha's revolt until the king concluded a treaty which advocated several reforms. By January 1877, the treaty was concluded and on 15 January, King Norodom proclaimed a series of reforms under the new treaty. In return, the French now bent their efforts to defeating Si Votha's uprising. Si Votha's uprising lasted until 1885-1886 with the help of Khmer Prince Duong Chakr, Norodom's own child. It was Norodom's prestige that ultimately brought Si Votha's resistance to an end. Si Votha, lurking on the northeastern boundaries of the kingdom, was a nuisance but nothing more. For the inhabitants of the northeastern region of Cambodia, Votha remained a king and he