Auguste Pavie
Encyclopedia
Auguste Jean-Marie Pavie (Dinan
31 May 1847- Thourie
7 May 1925) was a French colonial civil servant, explorer and diplomat who was instrumental in establishing French control over Laos
in the last two decades of the 19th century. After a long career in Cambodia
and Cochinchina
, Pavie became the first French vice-consul in Luang Prabang
in 1885, eventually becoming the first Governor-General and plenipotentiary minister of the newly formed French colony of Laos
.
Born in Dinan
in Brittany
, the son of a cabinet maker, Auguste Pavie did not have the usual makings of a diplomat. He had no training at all either as a military officer or in the grandes écoles
. Instead, drawn by the prospect of adventure in distant lands, he joined the army in 1864 at the age of seventeen.
In 1869, he was posted to Cochinchina
as part of the Marine Infantry
. He was called back for military service in France the following year during the Franco-Prussian war
, where he reached the rank of sergeant-major. In 1871 he returned to Cochinchina as part of the local administration of the postal and telegraphic service, almost immediately being put in charge of the small telegraphic office in the remote Cambodia
n port of Kampot, where he served for a decade.
The posting at Kampot gave Pavie the opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of the Indochinese, their culture and language. One of very few Europeans in this settlement on the Kampot River beneath the Elephant Mountains
, he "went native", mastering Cambodian, walking bare-foot and sporting a wide-brimmed hat, as he charted the backlands of Cambodia, recording all that he found of interest. Pavie's approach prompted mixed reactions: his immersion in Cambodian life was criticized by French officials in Cochinchina; however, a French officer remarked at the time that "beneath an appearance of physical weakness, there was a wealth of intelligence put to work with an energy and strength of will without equal." During this period, Pavie supervised the building of a telegraphic line between Phnom Penh
and Kampot.
In 1879, Pavie came to the attention of Charles Le Myre de Vilers
, governor of Cochinchinan governor of Cochinchinan and closely involved with the colonial lobbyists in France. Pavie became his protegé and was entrusted to lead a five year expedition to explore the region extending from the Gulf of Siam to the great freshwater lake Tonlé Sap
in Cambodia and beyond to the Mekong River. During this period he honed his skills of observation that would stand him in good stead for future missions as explorer and diplomat. These were the so-called "Missions Pavie" conducted over the 16 year period 1879-1895 during which Pavie, accompanied by his assistants, would explore the whole Indochinese Peninsula. At the end of his first mission, Pavie was put in charge of building a telegraphic line between Phnom Penh and Bangkok
, a major project.
So impressed were his superiors by his skills in managing this major project, that Pavie was transferred to the diplomatic service as the first vice-consul in Luang Prabang
in 1886. Pavie's appointment reflected the desire of the French to continue their colonial expansion in Indochina and their rivalry with Britain, the other main colonial power in the region. The British had already preempted French expansion into Burma with the Third Anglo-Burmese War
; the new French diplomatic office in Luang Prabang was a concession by the Siamese amid continuing demands to apportion territories bordering the Mekong River. Pavie was enchanted by his new posting:
Pavie went on to become consul in 1889 and consul general in 1891. In 1887, Luang Prabang was sacked by Chinese
and T'ai bandits, hoping to liberate the brothers of their leader Deo Van Tri, held prisoner by the Siamese; Pavie prevented the capture of the ailing local ruler Oun Kham
by ferrying him away from the burning city to safety in Bangkok
, Siam, thereby winning his gratitude and building his trust in French colonial plans, which were to be one of Pavie's major preoccupations from 1888 onwards. Pavie subsequently established friendly relations with Deo Van Tri, negotiating the release of his brothers; as a result a protectorate treaty was signed with the French in 1889 making Deo Van Tri Lord of Lai Chau
, the main town in the feudal Black River
region of Tonkin
that he controlled. Pavie referred to this kind of diplomacy as la conquête des coeurs [the winning of hearts], which became the title of his autobiography.
In 1892 he became resident minister in Bangkok, and played an important role in the gunboat diplomacy
of the Franco-Siamese War in 1893, which resulted in the establishment of the French protectorate over Laos
. He was the first commissioner general of the government of the newly formed republic of Laos
in 1894, before becoming plenipotentiary
minister. At that time, Laos became a part of French Indochina
, joining Annam
, Tonkin
, Cochinchina
(which together form modern Vietnam
) and the Kingdom of Cambodia
; and the Mekong, long referred to as "our river" by French politicians and colonial lobbyists, became wholly controlled by France.
All these posts allowed Pavie access to Cambodia and Laos at every possible level.
During his various missions, Pavie managed to survey an area of 676000 km² (261,005.1 sq mi), travelling 30,000 km in the upland areas to the North and East of the Mekong, on foot, by elephant or down the river on rafts, gathering a large amount of scientific information. He was accompanied by a team of up to 40 assistants, with a wide range of expertise, from archaeology to entomology, some like diplomat-doctor Pierre Lefèvre-Fontalis and the immunologist Alexandre Yersin
becoming famous in their own right. Many were trained at the École Cambodgienne in Paris, which Pavie helped found in 1885; it would later become the École Coloniale in 1889, and later still the present-day École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer
. Pavie made a special effort to ensure that the École also trained indigenous assistants, personally accompanying the first Cambodian entrants to France. The original École Coloniale was located at 2 avenue de l'Observatoire, currently the Paris office of the École nationale d'administration
.
The first mission Pavie, from 1879 to 1885, covered the areas of Cambodia and Southern Siam as far as Bangkok
. The second mission, from 1886 to 1889, covered Northeastern Laos
and the exploration of the Black river
in Tonkin
as far as Hanoi
. The third mission, from 1889 to 1891, involved the exploration of the Mekong river from Saigon to Luang Prabang
. The fourth mission, from 1894 to 1895,
involved the areas of Laos bordering with China
and Burma on the left bank of the Mekong river, as far as the Red River.
Between 1898 and 1921 he produced the multi-volume work La mission Pavie, A la conquête des coeurs and Contes du Cambodge, du Laos et du Siam.
Dinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
31 May 1847- Thourie
Thourie
Thourie is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.-Geography:The ruisseau de la Couyère forms all of the commune's western border, then flows into the Semnon, which forms all of its southern border....
7 May 1925) was a French colonial civil servant, explorer and diplomat who was instrumental in establishing French control over Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
in the last two decades of the 19th century. After a long career in Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
, Pavie became the first French vice-consul in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
in 1885, eventually becoming the first Governor-General and plenipotentiary minister of the newly formed French colony of Laos
French colonial administration of Laos
The French approach to the colonial administration of Laos might be viewed as one of 'benign neglect', as compared to the contributions of other colonial rulers to their Southeast Asian colonies.-French Territorial Administration:...
.
Early career
Dinan
Dinan is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France.-Geography:Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead of nestling on the valley floor like Morlaix, most urban development has been on the hillside, overlooking the river Rance...
in Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, the son of a cabinet maker, Auguste Pavie did not have the usual makings of a diplomat. He had no training at all either as a military officer or in the grandes écoles
Grandes écoles
The grandes écoles of France are higher education establishments outside the main framework of the French university system. The grandes écoles select students for admission based chiefly on national ranking in competitive written and oral exams...
. Instead, drawn by the prospect of adventure in distant lands, he joined the army in 1864 at the age of seventeen.
In 1869, he was posted to Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
as part of the Marine Infantry
Troupes de marine
The or Infanterie de marine, formerly Troupes coloniales, are an arm of the French Army with a colonial heritage. The Troupes de marine have a dedicated overseas service role. Despite their title they have been a part of the Army since 1958...
. He was called back for military service in France the following year during the Franco-Prussian war
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, where he reached the rank of sergeant-major. In 1871 he returned to Cochinchina as part of the local administration of the postal and telegraphic service, almost immediately being put in charge of the small telegraphic office in the remote Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n port of Kampot, where he served for a decade.
The posting at Kampot gave Pavie the opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of the Indochinese, their culture and language. One of very few Europeans in this settlement on the Kampot River beneath the Elephant Mountains
Dâmrei Mountains
The Dâmrei Mountains, literally the "Elephant Mountains", are a mountain range situated in the southwest of Cambodia.-Description:These mountains are an offshoot of the Krâvanh or Cardamom Mountains, but occupy a much smaller area. The highest elevation is Phnom Bokor at 1,081 meters above...
, he "went native", mastering Cambodian, walking bare-foot and sporting a wide-brimmed hat, as he charted the backlands of Cambodia, recording all that he found of interest. Pavie's approach prompted mixed reactions: his immersion in Cambodian life was criticized by French officials in Cochinchina; however, a French officer remarked at the time that "beneath an appearance of physical weakness, there was a wealth of intelligence put to work with an energy and strength of will without equal." During this period, Pavie supervised the building of a telegraphic line between Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...
and Kampot.
Diplomatic career
Charles Le Myre de Vilers
Charles Le Myre de Vilers was governor of Cochinchina and resident-general of Madagascar . He was a member of the French National Assembly from 1889 to 1902 ....
, governor of Cochinchinan governor of Cochinchinan and closely involved with the colonial lobbyists in France. Pavie became his protegé and was entrusted to lead a five year expedition to explore the region extending from the Gulf of Siam to the great freshwater lake Tonlé Sap
Tonlé Sap
The Tonlé Sap is a combined lake and river system of major importance to Cambodia.The Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hot spot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997....
in Cambodia and beyond to the Mekong River. During this period he honed his skills of observation that would stand him in good stead for future missions as explorer and diplomat. These were the so-called "Missions Pavie" conducted over the 16 year period 1879-1895 during which Pavie, accompanied by his assistants, would explore the whole Indochinese Peninsula. At the end of his first mission, Pavie was put in charge of building a telegraphic line between Phnom Penh and Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, a major project.
So impressed were his superiors by his skills in managing this major project, that Pavie was transferred to the diplomatic service as the first vice-consul in Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
in 1886. Pavie's appointment reflected the desire of the French to continue their colonial expansion in Indochina and their rivalry with Britain, the other main colonial power in the region. The British had already preempted French expansion into Burma with the Third Anglo-Burmese War
Third Anglo-Burmese War
The Third Anglo-Burmese War was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British...
; the new French diplomatic office in Luang Prabang was a concession by the Siamese amid continuing demands to apportion territories bordering the Mekong River. Pavie was enchanted by his new posting:
Pavie went on to become consul in 1889 and consul general in 1891. In 1887, Luang Prabang was sacked by Chinese
Black Flag Army
The Black Flag Army was a splinter remnant of a bandit group recruited largely from soldiers of ethnic Zhuang background, who crossed the border from Guangxi province of China into Upper Tonkin, in the Empire of Annam in 1865. They became known mainly for their fights against French forces in...
and T'ai bandits, hoping to liberate the brothers of their leader Deo Van Tri, held prisoner by the Siamese; Pavie prevented the capture of the ailing local ruler Oun Kham
Oun Kham
Oun Kham was King of Luang Prabang during 1872-1887 and a second time between 1889 and 1895. On 7 June 1887 the Lao royal capital was seized and sacked; the elderly ruler barely escaped with his life. Between his two ruling period he was exiled in Bangkok where he gave assistance to Auguste Pavie...
by ferrying him away from the burning city to safety in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Siam, thereby winning his gratitude and building his trust in French colonial plans, which were to be one of Pavie's major preoccupations from 1888 onwards. Pavie subsequently established friendly relations with Deo Van Tri, negotiating the release of his brothers; as a result a protectorate treaty was signed with the French in 1889 making Deo Van Tri Lord of Lai Chau
Lai Chau
Lai Châu is the capital town of Lai Chau province in the Northwest region of Vietnam....
, the main town in the feudal Black River
Black River (Vietnam)
The Black River is a river located in China and northwestern Vietnam. Its source is in Yunnan Province of China...
region of Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
that he controlled. Pavie referred to this kind of diplomacy as la conquête des coeurs [the winning of hearts], which became the title of his autobiography.
In 1892 he became resident minister in Bangkok, and played an important role in the gunboat diplomacy
Gunboat diplomacy
In international politics, gunboat diplomacy refers to the pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of conspicuous displays of military power — implying or constituting a direct threat of warfare, should terms not be agreeable to the superior force....
of the Franco-Siamese War in 1893, which resulted in the establishment of the French protectorate over Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. He was the first commissioner general of the government of the newly formed republic of Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
in 1894, before becoming plenipotentiary
Plenipotentiary
The word plenipotentiary has two meanings. As a noun, it refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term commonly refers to a diplomat fully authorized to represent his government as a prerogative...
minister. At that time, Laos became a part of French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, joining Annam
Annam (French Colony)
Annam was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam. Vietnamese were subsequently referred to as "Annamites." Nationalist writers adopted the word "Vietnam" in the late 1920s. The general public embraced the word "Vietnam" during the revolution of August 1945...
, Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
, Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
(which together form modern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) and the Kingdom of Cambodia
Colonial Cambodia
In 1863, Cambodia under king Norodom became a protectorate of France. In October 1887, the French announced the formation of the Union Indochinoise , which at that time comprised Cambodia, already an autonomous French possession, and the three regions of Vietnam...
; and the Mekong, long referred to as "our river" by French politicians and colonial lobbyists, became wholly controlled by France.
All these posts allowed Pavie access to Cambodia and Laos at every possible level.
Missions Pavie
Alexandre Yersin
Alexandre Emile Jean Yersin was a Swiss and French physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the bacillus responsible for the bubonic plague or pest, which was later re-named in his honour .Yersin was born in 1863 in Aubonne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland, to a family...
becoming famous in their own right. Many were trained at the École Cambodgienne in Paris, which Pavie helped found in 1885; it would later become the École Coloniale in 1889, and later still the present-day École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer
École nationale de la France d'Outre-mer
The École Nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer was a French grande école, providing training for future colonial administrators...
. Pavie made a special effort to ensure that the École also trained indigenous assistants, personally accompanying the first Cambodian entrants to France. The original École Coloniale was located at 2 avenue de l'Observatoire, currently the Paris office of the École nationale d'administration
École nationale d'administration
The École Nationale d'Administration , one of the most prestigious of French graduate schools , was created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratise access to the senior civil service. It is now entrusted with the selection and initial training of senior French officials...
.
The first mission Pavie, from 1879 to 1885, covered the areas of Cambodia and Southern Siam as far as Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. The second mission, from 1886 to 1889, covered Northeastern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and the exploration of the Black river
Black River (Vietnam)
The Black River is a river located in China and northwestern Vietnam. Its source is in Yunnan Province of China...
in Tonkin
Tonkin
Tonkin , also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is the northernmost part of Vietnam, south of China's Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces, east of northern Laos, and west of the Gulf of Tonkin. Locally, it is known as Bắc Kỳ, meaning "Northern Region"...
as far as Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. The third mission, from 1889 to 1891, involved the exploration of the Mekong river from Saigon to Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
. The fourth mission, from 1894 to 1895,
involved the areas of Laos bordering with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Burma on the left bank of the Mekong river, as far as the Red River.
Retirement
On retiring from high office, he returned to France in 1904 and set to work preparing his recollections and observations for publication.Between 1898 and 1921 he produced the multi-volume work La mission Pavie, A la conquête des coeurs and Contes du Cambodge, du Laos et du Siam.
Works
- Mission Pavie en Indochine, 1879-1895. 7 vols. Paris: Leroux, 1898-1919.
- A la conquête des coeurs: Le Pays des millions d'Eléphants. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France, 1942.
- Contes populaires du Cambodge, du Laos et du Siam. Paris: Leroux, 1903.