{"data":{"id":"fact_tt8q3ejn8n","thread":{"slug":"thai-cambodia-conflict","title":"Thailand–Cambodia Border Conflict"},"occurredAt":"1863-08-11T12:00:00.000Z","recordedAt":"2026-09-02T04:21:50.194Z","title":"Cambodia becomes French protectorate under King Norodom","body":"On 11 August 1863, King Norodom of Cambodia signed a treaty with France, placing Cambodia under French protection and ending its tributary status to Siam. The treaty gave France control over Cambodia's foreign relations in exchange for personal protection for Norodom. This established the French protectorate, which lasted until Cambodia's independence in 1953.","location":"Cambodia","actors":["King Norodom","France","Siam"],"verdict":"VERIFIED","verdictNote":"Multiple independent sources confirm that on 11 August 1863, King Norodom signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate over Cambodia, ending its tributary status to Siam. The sources agree on the date and the key terms, though some emphasize Norodom's request for protection rather than a forced cession. The Wikipedia articles on the French protectorate and Cambodia–France relations both state the date explicitly, and the Norodom article confirms the treaty's purpose.","sources":[{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_protectorate_of_Cambodia","title":"French protectorate of Cambodia","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia%E2%80%93France_relations","title":"Cambodia-France relations - Wikipedia","publisher":"en.wikipedia.org","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norodom_of_Cambodia","title":"Norodom of Cambodia","publisher":"Wikipedia","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"},{"url":"https://time.com/archive/6764230/indo-china-kettle-storm-in-toyland/","title":"INDO-CHINA: Kettle-Storm in Toyland","publisher":"Time","retrievedAt":"2026-09-02"}],"tags":["cambodia","france","protectorate","1863","norodom","colonialism"],"views":9,"updatedAt":"2026-09-04T23:08:50.271Z","media":[],"relatedFactIds":[],"url":"/fact/fact_tt8q3ejn8n"}}