Book excerpt: This text comprises three texts which shed light on the failure of the French to colonize Siam at the end of the 17th century. Events surrounding the coup d'etat of 18th May, 1688, which took place in the Siamese Versailles at Lopburi, are examined. The coup d'etat of 18 May 1688 in the Siamese Versailles at Lopburi led to the establishment of the last Ayutthayan dynasty, known to history as that of Ban Phlu Luang. But it was not just another internal palace coup in the face of the imminent death of the reigning monarch, Narai. For the king's favourite,