Front Palace Crisis
The Front Palace Crisis or the Front Palace incident (
The progressive reforms of King Chulalongkorn aroused the ire of Prince Vichaichan and the nobility, who saw their power and influence being slowly eroded. A fire in the
Prelude
Vichaichan
Since the elevation of Vice King Pinklao by his brother King Mongkut (Rama IV) twenty years earlier, the office of Front Palace had gained a considerable amount of power and prestige. Since Siam did not have a law of succession, the position of Vice King was seen as the strongest claimant and was therefore also the position of the heir presumptive to the throne.[1] The Vice King also had his own army of over 2,000 men, Western-trained and Western-armed.[2] He also controlled a naval forces of several steam-powered gunboats. The Prince also had a large share of state revenues over one-third of which is given directly to him for the maintenance of his officials, retinue, court, concubines and advisors.[1][3][4]
In August 1868 King Mongkut contracted malaria whilst on an expedition to see a solar eclipse in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, dying six weeks later on 1 October. The young Chulalongkorn, who was only 15 years old at the time, was unanimously declared king by a council of high-ranking nobility, princes of the Chakri dynasty and monks.[5] The council was presided over by Si Suriyawongse who was also appointed Regent for the young King.[6][7]
During the meeting when one of the Princes nominated Prince
Chulalongkorn
On 20 September 1873 King Chulalongkorn formally reached his majority at the age of 20, resulting in the dissolution of the regency of Si Suriyawongse. During the five years of the regency, Vichaicharn decided to limit his role and power out of reverence for the Regent, who arranged for his appointment.
In 1873 the king established the 'Auditing Office' (หอรัษฎากรพิพัฒน์, now the
These reforms infuriated the conservative faction at court, the Old Siam composed mainly of old aristocratic families, as the financial reforms eroded some of their old privileges. Politically the creation of the Privy Council meant that only royal favourites had access to political offices, depriving the old families of their influences.
Crisis
Fire within the Grand Palace
In early December 1874, Vichaichan received an anonymous letter threatening his life. In response he mobilized up to 600 troops and quartered them within his own palace. As tensions grew, King Chulalongkorn also mobilized his own troops. However, this underlined the fact that the Front Palace's guards both outnumbered and were better equipped than the King's men, besides creating great unease and tension between the two kings.[14] On the night of 28 December, a mysterious fire broke out after a small explosion within the walls of the Grand Palace. The fire quickly spread and was in danger of consuming the King's own residential halls and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha itself.[9][14]
The Front Palace guards immediately set off from their quarters to help extinguish the fire. However, they were turned away by the suspicious Royal guards, who suspected the fire was started by the Front Palace as an excuse to enter the Grand Palace under false pretense.
Once the confrontation began, Chulalongkorn and his ministers agreed immediately that the only person with enough clout to settle the crisis was the ex-regent Si Suriyawongse, who was in
Escape to the Consulate
In the early hours of 2 January 1875, Vichaichan fled his palace to seek refuge in the
The king followed Si Suriyawongse's advice by having his ministers offer Vichaichan amnesty. As punishment he must relinquish the title of Vice King, but again Vichaichan refused. As a counter offer Vichaichan wanted to keep his men and his revenues, with the British and the French acting as guarantors on these terms.[19] Because of the last item the offer was rejected by the council of the nobility and the King.[18] As 'guarantors' the two prolific colonialists (the British to the west and the French to the east) would see it as their right to intervene in future Siamese domestic affairs.[18] After much discussion both Chulalongkorn and Vichaichan were pressured by Si Suriyawongse to compromise, however no agreement could be reached.
The crisis remained unresolved mostly due to the warm support given to Vichaichan by the Acting-Consul Newman and his staff. Vichaichan thus waited for British intervention and refused all reconciliation with Chulalongkorn.
Arrival of Clarke
When Clarke arrived in Bangkok on 18 February on
After dining with Si Suriyawongse on board the Valiant, the Governor gave the 70-year-old ex-Regent a lecture on sowing dissension in the royal family and "the duty of thinking of his country before everything".[23] He also called a meeting between the different consuls in Bangkok to put before them his plan of reconciliation between the two 'Kings'. He assured them that the terms offered by Chulalongkorn must be accepted and that it was in the interests of the commerce of all countries for the crisis to end. The consuls unanimously agreed with him.[24]
Vichaichan meanwhile had also requested a meeting with Clarke by sending him a letter of welcome. Clarke, who has been purposefully avoiding the Vice King, asked for permission from Chulalongkorn before any contact would be made.
On the evening of 24 February, Clarke and Ryder dined at the British Consulate, finally meeting with Vichaichan. The Governor put before him the terms of the offer. After much complaint the humiliated Vichaichan was forced to accept Chulalongkorn's terms in full.[8][26] He had come to realize that these were the most favourable terms he could hope to receive and that the hospitality of the British was finite.[22] That evening Chulalongkorn wrote to Clarke: "My good Friend, My private secretary has reported his conversation with Your Excellency. I am glad to agree that my cousin shall return to his palace quietly in the early morning, and come to me at eleven o'clock, when, as I must meet the wishes of my own people, I think it better that only Siamese should be present at our reconciliation, Your faithful friend, Chulalonkorn Rex"[25] After spending a day and a night as guests of the king at the Grand Palace, Clarke and his company returned to Singapore.
Aftermath
The final agreement stripped Vichaichan of the title of Vice King, although he retained the title and office of Front Palace. He was allowed to keep 200 guards of small weaponry. From then on the king also had a monopoly on all ships, weapons and ammunition. The king also pledged to guarantee and take responsibility for Vichaichan's financial rights and interests once he had: "placed the Finances of Our Kingdom on a more secure and firmer basis, so as to [...] prevent the waste of our resources."[26] The agreement greatly reduced the powers of Vichaichan, and also deprived the nobility and the conservatives of a leader who could really challenge the king and his reforms.[26]
After the crisis Vichaichan was consigned to his palace and his role in the administration of the Kingdom ceased to exist. The crisis also led to the decline of Si Suriyawongse, who quietly withdrew from politics and retired after the crisis ended, and to a large extent the nobility and the Bunnags themselves. The crisis also brought the end to the councils of the nobility — from then on only those in the Privy Council were given any role in the administration of the kingdom. The ignominious ending of the dependent relationship between the king and his nobles meant that from then on all ministers of state, high-ranking military and government officials were drawn not from the nobility but almost exclusively from the House of Chakri (primarily of Chulalongkorn's own brothers), a situation that was not rectified until 1932.[27]
Although his power and authority for the first time since his coronation was unchallenged, Chulalongkorn and Young Siam decided to slow down and at times suspend their reforms altogether. Writing to Clarke a year later that he had decided: "to defer the prosecution of further plans of reform until I shall find some demand for them among the leaders of my people. I have not relinquished them, but act, according to my opportunities."[26] The terms of his agreement with Vichaichan were kept until the latter's death.
Abolition of the Front Palace
Vichaichan died on 28 August 1885 at the age of 47.
The
See also
- Front Palace, Bangkok– History of the royal residence
- Front Palace – History of the title
- Si Suriyawongse
- Vajirunhis
- Crown Prince of Thailand
- Rattanakosin Kingdom
Notes
- ^ a b c d Kesboonchoo Mead P.60
- ^ Bowring P. 429
- ^ Bowring P. 446
- ^ a b http://www.thailaws.com Archived 2009-12-12 at the Wayback Machine Second Sovereigns Archived 2016-03-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 2009-11-28
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.38
- ^ a b c Kesboonchoo Mead P.39
- ^ a b c Chakrabongse P.217
- ^ a b c Englehart P.95
- ^ a b c Siam in the 19th Century Chris Jones. Retrieved on 2009-11-28
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.51
- ^ a b Kesboonchoo Mead P.52
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.58
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.44
- ^ a b c d e Kesboonchoo Mead P.61
- ^ a b c Vetch P.133
- ^ a b Kesboonchoo Mead P.62
- ^ UK in Thailand, Embassy History Archived 2008-12-11 at the Wayback Machine, The first British Consul in Bangkok. Retrieved on 2009-11-28
- ^ a b c d e Kesboonchoo Mead P.63
- ^ a b c d e Vetch P.134
- ^ a b Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board Singapore- Sir Andrew Clarke Archived 2009-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Sitragandi Arunasalam. 1997. Retrieved on 2009-11-28
- ^ Vetch P.122
- ^ a b Vetch P.142
- ^ a b Vetch P.137
- ^ a b c Vetch P.138
- ^ a b Vetch P.141
- ^ a b c d e Kesboonchoo Mead P.64
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.94
- ^ Kesboonchoo Mead P.95
References
- Prince Chula Chakrabongse, HRH (1967). Lords of Life: A History of the Kings of Thailand. United Kingdom: Alvin Redman Limited.
- Englehart, Neil A. (2001). "Culture and Power in Traditional Siamese Government" (Southeast Asia Program Series) (Southeast Asia Program Studies, 18). United States: Cornell University Southeast Asia Program Publications. ISBN 0-87727-135-6.
- Kesboonchoo Mead, Kullada (2004). The Rise and Decline of Thai Absolutism. United Kingdom: Routledge Curzon. ISBN 0-415-29725-7.
- ISBN 1-4179-5130-3. Full text also at 'archive.org': Life of Sir Andrew Clarke