Jules Develle and the Paknam Incident of 1893

This contribution analyses the role of the French Foreign Minister Jules Develle with regard to the Franco-Siamese Crisis of 1893. The main body of the text addresses the extent to which Jules Develle directed French foreign policy during the Siamese Crisis of 1893. The paper assumes that although Develle officially held the power, his decisionmaking in the Siamese crisis was substantially influenced by other actors. The purpose of this paper is to identify who these actors were and the extent to which they were able to persuade the Foreign Minister to adopt their views or aims with respect to the Siam question.