Norodom (1834-1904) succeeded his father Ang Duong as King of Cambodia, ruling from 1860 until his death.
At the time of Norodom's accession, Cambodia was an independent Siamese protectorate. However, the country was weak and subject to the power struggles between France and Siam. In 1863, Norodom was forced to sign a treaty with the French, making Cambodia an independent French protectorate. This independence lasted until 1884, when the French tightened their control of the region.
Upon Norodom's death, his half-brother Sisowath ascended to the throne.
From that time, Norodom and the future kings of Cambodia were figureheads and merely were patrons of the Buddhist religion in Cambodia and viewed as god-kings by the peasant population.
Rather than pass the throne on to Norodom's sons, the French passed the succession to Norodom's brother Sisowath, whose branch of the royal family was more submissive and less nationalistic to French rule than Norodom's, who was viewed as the more nationalistic branch of the family.
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