Vajiravudh
Vajiravudh วชิราวุธ | |
---|---|
King Rama VI | |
King of Siam | |
Reign | 23 October 1910 – 26 November 1925 |
Coronation |
|
Predecessor | Chulalongkorn (Rama V) |
Successor | Prajadhipok (Rama VII) |
Born | Grand Palace, Bangkok, Siam | 1 January 1881
Died | 26 November 1925 Grand Palace, Bangkok, Siam | (aged 44)
Spouse | |
Issue | Bejaratana Rajasuda |
House | Chakri dynasty |
Father | Chulalongkorn (Rama V) |
Mother | Saovabha Phongsri |
Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Signature |
Vajiravudh | |
---|---|
Thai name | |
Thai | พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาวชิราวุธ พระมงกุฎเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว |
RTGS | Phrabat Somdet Phra Poramenthra Maha Wachirawut Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua |
Vajiravudh[a] (1 January 1881 – 26 November 1925) was the sixth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and promote Siamese nationalism. His reign was characterized by Siam's movement further towards democracy and minimal participation in World War I. He had keen interests in Siamese history, archaeology, and literature, as well as economics, politics and world affairs, and founded the country's first university, Chulalongkorn University.
Education
Vajiravudh was born on 1 January 1881 to
Prince Vajiravudh was first educated in the royal palace in Thai and English. His full siblings were
Crown Prince Vajiravudh left England in October 1902 and returned to Siam in January 1903, traveling via US and Japan.[7] In 1904 became a temporary monk, in accordance with Siamese tradition. In 1906, his father Chulalongkorn travelled to Europe to seek treatment for his lung disease, and Chulalongkorn made Vajiravudh Regent of Siam. One of Crown Prince Vajiravudh's accomplishments during this regency was his supervision of the construction of the equestrian statue of King Chulalongkorn.
Chulalongkorn died on 23 October 1910, and Vajiravudh succeeded his father as king of Siam.
Accession and early reforms
Even before his coronation, Vajiravudh initiated several reforms. He organized Siam's defence and established military academies. He created the rank of "general" for the first time in Siam, with his uncle, Prince
His first act following his accession to the throne was to build the Royal Pages College, subsequently renamed
In 1911, he established the Wild Tiger Corps [เสือป่า]) a para-military corp outside of the established military hierarchy. Initially a ceremonial guard, it became a military force of 4,000 within its first year and consumed much of the King's time and energy. It became the source of deep dissatisfaction between the army and the King. A branch for children was also established known as (ลูกเสือ Tiger Cubs) which became the Boy Scouts.
On 28 November 1911 Vajiravudh's second and formal coronation was held with visiting royals from Europe and Japan as guests, a first for Siam, which festivities took 13 days. Later that year, the first airplane was flown in Siam.
The early years of Vajiravudh's administration were largely dominated by his two uncles,
Vajiravudh reformed his father's monthon system by creating the "paks" (Thai: ภาค) or "regions" over the administrative monthons. Each pak was governed by an Uparaja (viceroy) directly responsible to the king. The Uparaja presided over the intendants of monthons in the region—thus concentrating local administrative powers in his hands—much to the dismay of Prince Damrong.
Attempted coup
Radicals expected a new constitution upon the coronation of Vajiravudh. However, no constitution was forthcoming. In 1911, the Wuchang Uprising that led to the fall of Qing dynasty prompted Siamese radicals to act. So, for the first time in Siam, an attempt was made to overthrow the monarchy and establish democracy.
The immediate cause, however, occurred even before Vajiravudh's coronation. In 1909, Crown Prince Vajiravudh ordered a Thai Royal Military Academy student who had had an argument with one of Vajiravudh's pages to be caned. Academy alumni were further provoked by Vajiravudh's creation of the Wild Tiger Corps, seen by the army as a threat to their prerogatives.
The plotters were relatively young army and naval officers, students during the 1909 incident. The coup was planned for 1 April—the traditional Siamese
The coup plan was leaked. Captain Yut Kongyu, who was selected as the assassin by
Administration, economy, infrastructure
Rama VI inherited his father's plan of building a modern nation although he was more skeptical of outside methods. Disagreements occurred incessantly with "old aristocrats", many of whom were his relatives such as the celebrated
In 1912, Vajiravudh announced the change in the
In 1913, Siam faced a financial crisis as the Chinese-Siamese Bank went bankrupt.[11]
In 1914, Vajiravudh, having determined that the act providing for the invocation of
Also in 1914, the construction of
The king continued his father's
In 1917, Vajiravudh established the Nakorn Sri Thammarat Regiment as his personal guard. In the same year Vajiravudh founded Chulalongkorn University, the first university in Siam, named in honor of his father. In 1918, Vajiravudh founded the Dusit Thani near Dusit Palace as an experimental site for democracy. The democratic institutions were imitated including elections, parliament, and the press. Vajiravudh himself acted as one of the citizens of Dusit Thani, yet the city was criticized by others[who?] as another of Vajiravudh's theatrical conceits.
During 1918-1919 the price of rice soared. The government faced public criticism due to its tepid response. The major cause of the problem was the hoarding of rice. Chinese millers and rice merchants bought huge amounts of rice from farmers for export to Singapore, the largest rice market in the region. Price speculation was rampant. The government imposed a ban on rice exports. At the same time, public servants asked for higher wages due to the rising cost of living. The public, mainly the urban "middle-class", and Chinese traders became more and more unhappy with the government.
World War I and Siamese nationalism
On 22 July 1917 Vajiravudh declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
Vajiravudh wrote a letter (held in the
Other than 140,000 Vietnamese colonial troops and workers drafted by the French, Siamese troops were the only Southeast Asians in the European theatre of World War I.[19] However, the Siamese troops did not see much action, as they arrived in Europe towards the end of the war. Participation in the war allowed Siam to later negotiate with the Western powers as a partner, albeit a junior one.[20] Although the Siamese pilots who trained in France did not see combat because the war ended, Siam's participation in the First World war led to the founding of the Royal Thai Airforce and the airborne postal service. The Royal Siamese Transport Corps (Ror Yor) and Medical Corps did see front line action, but not in combat.[21] Nineteen soldiers died, some in accidents, but mainly from the Spanish Flu.[22]
Financial crisis
In 1917, the price of silver rose and exceeded the face value of silver coins. The coins were then melted down and sold. The government solved this by changing the pure silver coin to alloy. Vajiravudh eventually forbade exports of Siamese coins. In 1918, the usage of 1-baht coins was nullified and 1-baht banknotes were introduced. Coins were recalled and kept as a national reserve. In 1919, Vajuravudh imposed a military-exemptation tax (Thai: เงินรัชชูปการ) nationwide including on the royal members. As the need for huge capital increased, a new bank, later known as the "Government Savings Bank", was founded in 1923.
Though the Siamese forces that joined the march at
In spite of the financial crisis, railway constructions continued. The railway reached
Personal life
Vajiravudh as a writer
King Vajiravudh was one of Thailand's most highly renowned artists, writing modern novels, short stories, newspaper articles, poems, plays, and journals. He translated many of English literature and French literature into Thai, Among his works were translations of three Shakespeare plays: The Merchant of Venice, As You Like It, and Romeo and Juliet. He wrote many other pieces promoting Thai nationalism, one of his nationalistic works is "The Honour of Tiger Soldier " (Thai: เกียรติศักดิ์ทหารเสือ) based on ancient French chivalric rhyme "Mon âme à Dieu, Ma vie au Roi, Mon cœur aux Dames, L'honneur pour moi", and might also be influenced by Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers. King Vajiravudh also composed nonfiction such as “The War of Polish Succession”, which he wrote while he was Crown Prince[23] (see also external links below).
The king was among those writers who introduced mysteries and detective stories to the Thai reading public. He translated
The king was well-versed in
As a homage to his great, great, great-grandfather, Tao Sên-pom, King Vajiravudh published a fictional play in Thai, based on the Prince and designed for performance with musical accompaniment in 1913.[25] Prince Sên-pom was the father of Chao Praya Chakri, Rama I. The drama centres on a tale of Siamese courtly romance. It is absorbing fun and well-written. A copy of the play was given as a present to the Armstrong family in Cragside House, Rothbury, where it remains in the library. On a trip to the English Lake District, Vajiravudh directed the performance of a play at the Stonehenge-like setting of Castlerigg Stone Circle, in the mountains near Keswick.
In 1914 King Vajiravudh published in a Thai newspaper an article titled "Jews of the Orient" (
Marriages
Vajiravudh had been a king without a queen for about ten years. In 1920, he met Her Serene Highness Princess Varnvimol at his theatre at
In 1921, Vajiravudh married Prueang Sucharitakul, who was a daughter of Lord Suthammamontri and elevated her to Lady Sucharitsuda. He then married Sucharitsuda's sister, Prabai Sucharitakul, with the title of Lady Indrani. In 1922, Lady Indrani was elevated to Princess and Queen Indrasakdisachi. However, the queen suffered two miscarriages. In 1924, Vajiravudh married Krueakaew Abhaiwongse, later renamed Suvadhana, a daughter of Lord Aphaiphubet. Queen Indrasakdisachi was then demoted to Princess Consort in 1925.
Vajiravudh had only one child, a daughter with
Succession law
In 1924, Vajiravudh promulgated his Law of Succession, which has since become the code for
Financial problems and death
In 1924, King Vajiravudh, accompanied by Suvadhana, visited the Federated Malay States. The reconciliation with European powers on unequal treaties progressed gradually, while the financial crisis was taking a great toll on Siam as another loan was taken from Britain and the firing of numerous government officials occurred. In 1925 Vajiravudh had to dissolve his Nakorn Sri Thammarat Regiment and merged provinces into larger units to lower maintenance costs.
In November 1925, it was announced that Vajiravudh fell ill.[30] Princess Consort Suvadhana was then pregnant. Vajiravudh then announced his succession instructions: if Princess Suvadhana gave birth to a son, the throne would go to him. If not, the throne would pass to his surviving brother, Prince Prajadhipok of Sukhothai. He barred Princess Inthrasaksachi from being interred with him in the future and instead granted that right to Princess Suvadhana. And Vajiravudh also barred his uncle, Prince Damrong, from the government.
On the night of 25 November, Princess Suvadhana gave birth to a princess only two hours before Vajiravudh's death. Vajiravudh glimpsed his sole daughter for the first and only time before his demise on the 26 November 1925. The throne passed to his brother, Prajadhipok, who named Vajiravudh's daughter as Princess Bejaratana.
Tributes to King Vajiravudh
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King Vajiravudh on a stamp
-
Statue of the king in Lumphini Park, Dusit, Bangkok
Honors
Monarchs of the Chakri dynasty | |
---|---|
Phutthayotfa Chulalok (King Rama I) | |
Phutthaloetla Naphalai (King Rama II) | |
Nangklao (King Rama III) | |
Mongkut (King Rama IV) | |
Chulalongkorn (King Rama V) | |
Vajiravudh (King Rama VI) | |
Prajadhipok (King Rama VII) | |
Ananda Mahidol (King Rama VIII) | |
Bhumibol Adulyadej (King Rama IX) | |
Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X) | |
Military rank
- Honorary General, British Army[36]
National honours
- Thailand:
- Knight (and Sovereign) of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri
- Knight (and Sovereign) of the Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems
- Knight Grand Cordon (and Sovereign) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao
- Knight of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit
- Knight Grand Commander (and Sovereign) of the Honourable Order of Rama
- Knight Grand Cordon (and Sovereign) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
- Knight Grand Cordon of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
- Member of the Vallabhabhorn Order
- Member of the Vajira Mala Order
- Rajaniyom Medal
- War Medal of B.E. 2461 (WW1)
- Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Service to the Nation (Military)
- Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of arts and sciences (Civilian)
- Chakra Mala Medal
- King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal, First Class
- King Rama VI Royal Cypher Medal, First Class
- King Rama VI Court Medal, Gold Medal
- King Rama VI Coronation Medal
- Chai Medal
Foreign honours
- Sweden:
- Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (RSerafO), 14 July 1897[37]
- Denmark:
- Knight of the Order of the Elephant (RE), 27 July 1897[38]
- Spain:
- Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece, 15 May 1902 - [b][39]
- Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 16 October 1897[40]
- Kingdom of Italy:
- Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, 1 April 1901[41]
- Austria-Hungary:
- Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, 1902[42]
- United Kingdom:
- Honorary Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)[43]
- Honorary Knight Grand Commander of the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (GCSI), 26 April 1918[43]
- Honorary Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO), 21 April 1902 [c][44]
- German Empire:
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Prussian Crown, 30 May 1902[d][4]
- Baden:
- Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1902[45]
- Empire of Japan:
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, 9 December 1902[46]
Ancestry
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See also
Notes
- ^ Thai: วชิราวุธ; RTGS: Wachirawut
- ^ from Queen Maria Christina, Regent of Spain, when he attended the enthronement ceremonies for King Alfonso XIII in Madrid.
- ^ invested by King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace after he reached his majority.
- Wilhelm II during an official visit to Berlin.
References
- ^ We Love Mahavajiravudh. "สมเด็จพระมหาธีรราชเจ้า: พระราชประวัติ รัชกาลที่ 6". Kingramavi.blogspot.com. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
- ^ "Place of peace and tranquility". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ Worachart Michubut. History of King Vajiravudh. Lecture Transcript, Vajiravudh School Website, Bangkok, accessed 2020.
- ^ a b "Germany". The Times. No. 36783. London. 2 June 1902. p. 7.
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36875. London. 17 September 1902. p. 7.
- ^ Royal Military College Sandhurst.
- ^ "Court News". The Times. No. 36894. London. 9 October 1902. p. 4.
- ^ "พระบาทสมเด็จพระมงกุฎเกล้า vs สมเด็จกรมพระยาดำรงราชานุภาพ". Reurnthai.com. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Klomsuan, Kantika (2013). The Siamese Kingdom Exhibition (in Thai). Bangkok.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "The First Siamese Kingdom International Expo in the Reign of King Rama VI". silpa-mag.com. 7 May 2021.
- ^ Edward Van Roy. "Siamese Melting Pot", (2018).
- ^ Pakorn Nilprapunt (2 April 2012) [2006]. "Martial Law, B.E. 2457 (1914) unofficial translation" (PDF). Thailand Law Forum. Office of the Council of State (Thailand). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 30 May 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.
- ^ "History". กระทรวงเกษตรและสหกรณ์ [Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives]. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ "Rice Breeding and R&D Policies in Thailand". Food and Fertilizer Technology Center Agricultural Policy Platform (FFTC-AP). 26 April 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Chakrabongse, Chula (1967). Lords of Life. A History of the Kings of Thailand. Alvin Redman Ltd.
- ^ Mann, Neela (2015). "The extraordinary story of the letters between Maynard Willoughby Colchester Wemyss and King Rama VI of Siam".
- ^ Letter, King Rama VI to Wemyss, Gloucester Archives, Gloucester, UK, 28 July 1921
- ^ Sanderson Beck: Vietnam and the French: South Asia 1800-1950, paperback, 629 pages
- ^ ไทยกับสงครามโลกครั้งที่ 1 at knowledge.eduzones.com
- ISBN 978-1-9163563-0-6.
- ^ Phusrisom, K (2016). "The Siamese Expeditionary Force of World War One and the Spanish Flu". Hektoen International Journal of Medical Humanities. Fall 2016.
- ^ "Internet Archive: The War of Polish Succession". Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Elementary, My Dear Wat:" influence and imitation in the early crime fiction of 'Late-Victorian' Siam by Rachel Harrison, in Chewing Over the Pest: Occidental Narrative in Non-Western Readings, Rachel Harrison ed.
- ^ Vajiravudh, H M King (1913). The story of Tao Sên-pom (in Thai). Cragside House, Rothbury, England.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Chaloemtiarana, Thak (25 December 2014). "Are We Them? Textual and Literary Representations of the Chinese in Twentieth-Century Thailand". Southeast Asian Studies. 3 (3). Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-7914-0642-7.
- ISBN 0-86091-329-5.
- S2CID 159778879.
- ^ "พระราชประวัติพระบาทสมเด็จพระมงกุฎเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว". Archived from the original on 8 April 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
- ^ Archived copy Archived 14 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archived copy Archived 14 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archived copy Archived 15 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archived copy Archived 15 June 2018 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Archived copy Archived 7 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette. 5 October 1915. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ Sveriges statskalender (in Swedish), 1915, p. 670, retrieved 6 January 2018 – via runeberg.org
- ISBN 978-87-7674-434-2.
- ^ Spanish Official Gazette (Madrid) - 27 May 1902. BOE Spanish Official Journal
- ^ "Real y distinguida orden de Carlos III". Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish). 1914. p. 201. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ Italy. Ministero dell'interno (1920). Calendario generale del regno d'Italia. p. 57.
- ^ ""A Szent István Rend tagjai"". Archived from the original on 22 December 2010.
- ^ a b [1]"London Gazette"
- ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36748. London. 22 April 1902. p. 9.
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 41
- ^ 刑部芳則 (2017). 明治時代の勲章外交儀礼 (PDF) (in Japanese). 明治聖徳記念学会紀要. p. 150.
Further reading
- Greene, Stephen Lyon Wakeman. Absolute Dreams. Thai Government Under Rama VI, 1910-1925. Bangkok: White Lotus, 1999.
- Vella, Walter Francis. Chaiyo! King Vajiravudh and the Development of Thai Nationalism. Honolulu: The University Press of Hawaii, 1978.