The Chakri Kings of Thailand - in the Golden Age of Rattanakosin
The first of the Chakri kings, King Rama I or King Phra
Phuttayotfa, who reigned from 1782 - 1809,
founded the dynasty when he established Bangkok as the
capital of Thailand. King Rama I is remembered as the great
warrior who put an end to the constant Burmese threat and
consolidated the kingdom.
Literature flourished during the First Reign. Works include
the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic
and the translation of the Chinese classic, Romance of the
Three Kingdoms.
When King Rama II or King Phra Phutthalertla Napalai,
the son of King Rama I, ascended the throne, his reign
from 1809 - 1824 signaled the start of a dynasty. Like
his father, King Rama II loved literature and was renowned as
a great poet.
The Chakri dynasty continued with King Rama III or
King Phra Nangklao, the son of King Rama II, who
reigned from 1824 - 1851. Unlike his father, he had no
interest in literature. Even the greatest of Thai poets, Sunthorn
Phu, found no favor in the Third Reign.
In King Rama IV or King Mongkut (1851 - 1868),
another son of King Rama II, the kingdom had one of the most
enlightened Chakri kings. After 27 years in monkhood during
which he studied Buddhism, English, Latin, science,
mathematics and astrology, King Monkut ascended the throne
at 47.
Politically astute, he saw the growing pressures of colonialism
and prepared his son, Prince Chulalongkorn, for the challenges
ahead.
The reign of King Rama V or King Chulalongkorn (1868 -
1910, was the golden age of the Chakri Reformation. The
most revered of the Chakri kings, King Chulalongkorn
reorganized the government, improved education,
infrastructure and communications. Slavery was abolished.
His crowning achievement was the ability to neutralize Britain
and France at the height of their imperial power and preserve
the independence of Thailand.
King Rama VI or King Vajiravudh, the son of King
Rama V, reigned from 1910 - 1925. The first of the
Chakri kings to be educated overseas, King Vajiravudh
introduced surnames for the people, changed Thai flag to its
present form, enacted compulsory primary education and
established Chulalongkorn University in memory of his father.
The Seventh Reign, however, incurred massive spending in a
fragile economy, a harbinger of events in the next reign.
The last of King Rama V’s sons, King Rama VII or King
Prajadhipok, reigned from 1925 - 1935. He was
also the last of the Chakri kings to reign as absolute monarch.
The coup on 24 June 1932 ended the absolute monarchy.
King Prajadhipok reigned briefly as the first constitutional
monarch in a stormy relationship with the new government.
He abdicated on 2 March 1935.
After the abdication, young Prince Ananda, the son of Prince
Mahidol and grandson of King Rama V, he was appointed king
at the age of ten. Regency was appointed while the young king
continued his studies.
King Rama VIII or King Ananda Mahidol had a short
and tragic reign from 1935 - 1946. On 9 June 1946,
less than a year after he returned from his studies, the young
King Ananda was found shot. No verdict was returned.
In 1946, the present monarch, King Rama IX or
King Bhumipol Adulyadej, younger brother of King
Ananda, ascended the throne. The reign saw the blossoming of
a close relationship between the benevolent monarch and his
people, one of deep respect and fatherly love.
It seemed the ideal model of a constitutional monarchy over
the longest reign in history. Perhaps the one that King
Prajadhipok was so desperately seeking in 1932.
The nine kings of the Chakri dynasty have seen old Siam from
a group of fragmented kingdoms under constant external
threat to a unified kingdom. The kingdom went through a
painful transition from an absolute monarchy to a tumultuous
constitutional democracy and onto a thriving and stable
nation.
The reign of the Chakri Kings in Thailand has covered more
than 220 years over which the kingdom has preserved its unity,
independence and prosperity.
For more on the Chakri Kings.
Chakri Kings first appeared in Tour Bangkok
Legacies a historical travel site on people, places and
events that shaped the landscape of Bangkok. The author Eric
Lim, a free-lance writer, lives in Bangkok Thailand.