France–Thailand relations

Diplomatic relations with France and Thailand cover a period from the 16th century until modern times. Relations started in earnest during the reign of Louis XIV of France with numerous reciprocal embassies and a major attempt by France to Christianize the Kingdom of Thailand (then known as Siam) and establish a French protectorate, which failed when the country revolted against foreign intrusions in 1688. France would only return more than a century and a half later as a modernised colonial power, engaging in a struggle for territory and influence against Thailand in mainland Southeast Asia that would last until the 20th century. France established a protectorate over the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1863, pressuring Siam to renounce its claims over the region. 30 years later, following the Franco-Siamese crisis and the Paknam naval incident in 1893, Siam was forced to cede all territories east of the Mekong River (which constitutes most of modern Laos) to France under Franco-Siamese Treaty, which then established as the French protectorate as part of Indochina.