Sisowath Monivong Sisowath Monivong ( born 1875 , died 1941 ) was the king of Cambodia from 1927 until his death in 1941 . Cambodia This article is part of the series : Politics and government of Cambodia King Norodom Sihamoni Prime Minister Hun Sen Parliament Senate National Assembly Political parties CPP - Funcinpec - SRP Elections Provinces Human rights Foreign relations Other countries  •  Politics Portal view • talk • edit Sisowath Monivong was the second son of King Sisowath . He was born in Phnom Penh in 1875 . During this time , his uncle , King Norodom was ruling as a puppet king for the French in the then capital of Odong , who had established a colonial protectorate . In 1884 , the French conquered Laos and occupied Vietnam and Cambodia became a direct colonial possession . Siam was defeated in a war but not occupied . The royal family moved from Odong to the new capital of Phnom Penh , where Sisowath Monivong was residing . In 1904 , his uncle died and his father , the crown prince , became king . Immediately , Sisowath Monivong became the crown prince of Cambodia . In 1927 , his father died , and the now elderly Sisowath Monivong became king of Cambodia . Like his father and his uncle , Monivong was a figurehead for the French administration , and the real power was in the hands of the French Resident General . It was during Monivong 's rule that Cambodia became open to outside communist influences . It was during his reign that Ieng Sary , Pol Pot , and other future Cambodian communist rulers were born . In 1930 , the Indochina Communist Party was founded by Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh , and it became very popular in Cambodia . The Cambodian communists were intent on overthrowing the French , not the monarch . In 1940 , when France fell to the Nazi German armies , the puppet French administration , the Vichy , took power not only in France ( under German rule ) , but also in France 's overseas colonies , including Cambodia . In late 1940 , a powerless Monivong noticed that Japan was making inroads in Vietnam . Japan invaded and occupied Cambodia in early 1941 . The Japanese allowed Cambodian French Vichy officials to rule , but under Japanese protection . So the Cambodian king was a puppet for the Vichy French , who were puppets for the Japanese in Cambodia . In western Cambodia , Thailand , now an ally of the Japanese , occupies some lands . As the Japanese and Thai oppression of Cambodians became evident , Sisowath Monivong retired to Kampot in late 1941 , and died there that year . He was succeeded by his nineteen year old grandson , Norodom Sihanouk . Preceded by : Sisowath King of Cambodia Succeeded by : Norodom Sihanouk Categories : Cambodian monarchs In other languages : Español | Suomi | 中文 