Narai the Great vs Samori Ture

Narai became king of Ayutthaya after a coup against his uncle, King Si Suthammaracha. His reign marked a shift toward cosmopolitanism and foreign trade.

Narai developed Lopburi as a second royal capital, building a palace and European-style buildings. The city became a center for foreign diplomats and traders, reflecting Narai's cosmopolitan policies.

Narai welcomed the first French embassy led by Chevalier de Chaumont at his court in Ayutthaya. The embassy sought to convert Narai to Catholicism and establish trade ties, leading to a Franco-Siamese alliance.

Narai dispatched a Siamese diplomatic mission to the court of King Louis XIV at Versailles. The embassy, led by Kosa Pan, was a major event in Franco-Siamese relations and showcased Siamese culture in Europe.

During Narai's final illness, French troops in Bangkok and Mergui were besieged by Siamese forces loyal to Phetracha. The siege ended French military influence in Siam and led to the expulsion of French garrisons.

Samori Ture's forces defeated a French column near Kankan, marking the beginning of the Mandinka resistance against French colonial expansion in West Africa. This victory established Samori as a major military leader and delayed French control over the region.

Samori Ture signed a treaty with France establishing the Niger River as the boundary between his Wassoulou Empire and French territories. The treaty temporarily halted French advances but was later violated by the French, leading to renewed conflict.

Facing superior French forces, Samori Ture ordered a systematic scorched earth retreat eastward from his capital Bissandougou. His army destroyed villages and crops to deny resources to the French, relocating the empire's center to the Kong region.

French forces captured Samori Ture near Gu