Norodom I (February 1834 – 24 April 1904) rules as king of Cambodia from 1860 to 1904.

He is the eldest son of King Ang Duong, who rules on behalf of Siam, and half-brother of Prince Si Votha as well as the half-brother of King Sisowath.

Norodom is cognate with Narottama in Sanskrit which means Best (Uttama) of men (Nara).

Norodom is considered to be the first modern Khmer king.

He is credited with saving Cambodia from disappearing altogether.

In 1863, to prevent the two powerful neighbous, Vietnam and Siam, from swallowing Cambodia altogether, he invites France to make Cambodia its protectorate.

However, he sends many letters to Siam claiming French Admiral de la Grandière had forced him into signing a false treaty.

Many Cambodians believe that this brilliant act and his shrewdness did actually save Cambodia from disappearing.

When he was born, Cambodia was under Vietnamese (Annamese) and Siamese rule.

The two powers had partitioned the country between them, but the royal family, being related to the Siamese, remained in the Siamese zone, as the Vietnamese were more authoritarian than the Siamese.

Nonetheless, Vietnam and Siam frequently fight wars over Cambodian territory.

The royal capital of Cambodia is in Oudong (named for the first King of Ayutthaya), but the main center of the region is the capital of Siam in Bangkok.

Prince Norodom is sent by his father to study in Bangkok, where he studies Siamese (Thai), politics, military strategy, Buddhist scriptures and the ancient Pali language.