Si Votha

Si Votha (Khmer: ស៊ីវត្ថា; 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 (1772–1796) 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. 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.

During the 1870s, taking advantage of a new uprising against Norodom's authority, Si Votha swiflty 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.

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