he actively sought to subject his kingdom to colonial serfdom has been contested. Contrary to the assertions of some 19th century French authors, Duong did not seek the imposition of a French protectorate over his country, he rather pondered the feasibility of some ill-defined, unequal relationship with France. He certainly was aware, that the French main objective for a protectorate was the containment of the British and the creation of a secure flank for Cochinchina. The historic reality of 19th century Asia reminded any local ruler to seek alignment of some form or the other with at least one of the then technological more advanced Western powers. Ang Duong's death in October 1860 and accumulating foreign pressure convinced his son King Norodom Prohmbarirak to agree to the initially rather moderate French terms. Cambodia was able to preserve its identity, culture and traditions during the French colonial period, which might otherwise have diffused into the modern Vietnamese and Siamese nations, that could have absorbed all Cambodian territory as their modern border most likely would be the Mekong river. See also Literature of Cambodia Notes Footnotes References External links Lettre de S.M. Ang Duong 1796 births 1860 deaths 19th-century Cambodian monarchs Cambodian people of Thai descent Cambodian poets Cambodian Buddhist monarchs 19th-century poets 19th-century Cambodian writers Cambodian male writers