Palace Revolt of 1912

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Palace Revolt of 1912

Photograph of key plotters
Date1 April 1912
Location
Pranakorn, Siam
Result
  • Captain Yut Khongyu confessed all the plans and names before a revolt.
  • The plotters, three were sentenced to death, 20 received life imprisonment, 32 received twenty years, six received fifteen years and a further 30 received 12 years imprisonment.
  • Most of the plotters were pardoned or had their sentences lessened by the king.
Belligerents
The Rebels of 1912 Monarchy of Siam
Commanders and leaders
Khun Thuayhanpitak King Vajiravudh

The Palace Revolt of 1912 (

coup
.

Background

Vajiravudh, King of Siam

In 1909, a group of soldiers got into an argument over a woman with a group of Vajiravudh's pages near the entrance to Vajiravudh's palace. At the time, Vajiravudh was the crown prince and designated successor to King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). Six soldiers were arrested, and Vajiravudh petitioned Chulalongkorn to cane the soldiers. The practice of caning had recently been banned, and Chulalongkorn refused the petition. However, Vajiravudh threatened to resign as successor, and Chulalongkorn eventually consented to the caning. The incident caused much dissatisfaction within the army.

King of Siam on 23 October 1910. Vajiravudh set out in his coronation speech to modernize and westernize Siam in his role as its absolute monarch
.

The new king spent lavishly on his

Thai, staging dramatic productions, hunting, and overseeing his Wild Tiger Corps
.

Wild Tiger Corps

Main article: Wild Tiger Corps

On 1 May 1911, Vajiravudh established the Wild Tiger Corps (Thai: กองเสือป่า) (RTGS: Kong Suea Pa).[1]: 4  The corps was meant to be a nationwide paramilitary corps, answerable only to the monarch. At first a ceremonial guard, it became a military force of 4,000 within its first year. Filled with commoners, the king would often mess with them and socialize with them openly. Army officers were not permitted to join the organization.[2]: 148  The corps eventually rivaled the army in strength and the civil service in influence. The king even went so far as appointing some to high ranks in the army and nobility.

While the king socialized with members of the corps, the

financial
collapse.

The Revolt That Never Happened

On 13 January 1912, dissatisfied with his

Qing Dynasty in China that same year, they decided to move forward. Their plans were unclear and their goals were contradictory. Some wanted to replace Vajiravudh with one of his many brothers, others wanted a constitutional monarchy and some in the extreme wing, a republic
.

On 1 April 1912,

military tribunal three were sentenced to death, 20 received life imprisonment, 32 received twenty years, six received fifteen years and a further 30 received 12 years imprisonment. They were tried for attempted regicide, treason
, and attempted overthrow of the government.

The failed uprising was the first revolt against the

House of Chakri
from the outside the nobility. Despite their actions, most of the plotters were pardoned or had their sentences lessened by the king himself in 1924. This included the death sentences (the king felt that no one had been hurt). However the lesson was not lost on Vajiravudh, who quickly stepped up vigilance against any such threats in the future.

Aftermath and legacy

The Wild Tiger Corps was disbanded soon after the revolt. In 1914, Vajiravudh determined that the act providing for invoking

leaders
of which openly confessed their inspiration to be the actions of the 1912 plotters.

See also

References

  1. ^ Boontanondha, Thep. "King Vajiravudh and the Making his Military Image". Academia. Paper presented at the 8th Singapore Graduate Forum on SE Asian Studies. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  2. ISBN 978-0-415-65407-4
    . Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  3. ^ Pakorn Nilprapunt (2006). "Martial Law, B.E. 2457 (1914) — unofficial translation" (PDF). thailawforum.com. Office of the Council of State. Retrieved May 21, 2014. Reference to Thai legislation in any jurisdiction shall be to the Thai version only. This translation has been made so as to establish correct understanding about this Act to the foreigners.

Further reading

  • Greene, Stephen Lyon Wakeman. (1999). Absolute Dreams. Thai Government Under Rama VI, 1910-1925. Bangkok: White Lotus.
  • Stowe, Judith A. (1991). Siam Becomes Thailand: A Story of Intrigue. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers.
  • Baker, Christopher John, and Phongpaichit, Pasuk. (2005). A History of Thailand. Cambridge University Press.
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