Kings of Thailand - The Chakri Dynasty

His Majesty King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke founded the Chakri Dynasty and became King Rama I in 1782 after King Taksin had been deposed . The capital of Siam was moved to Bangkok and from then until the present day the Kings of Thailand have all been members of the House of Chakri.

King Rama I

(His Majesty King Phuttayotfa Chulalok) Lived 1737-1809, reigned 1782-1809

Rama I was born on March 20th 1737 at Ayutthya. In 1767 he entered the service of King Taksin who established the capital at Thonburi. Following the deposition of King Taksin in 1782, Phuttayotfa Chulalok was chosen as king and became the first ruler of the House of Chakri. On his accession he moved the capital to the opposite bank of the Chao Phraya river and founded Bangkok.
During his reign the Grand Palace was built, and it was he who installed the Emerald Buddha in the Chapel Royal. He formed a special council of viziers, civil servants and the military. He also revised the law, known as “Laws of the Three Seals”, to replace the books of law destroyed when the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya.

King Rama II

(His Majesty King Loet La Nabwalai) Lived 1768-1824, reigned 1809-1824

He was appointed Deputy King in 1806. He took a great interest in the arts and was himself an artist, writer & composer. His reign was a time of peace, during which the administrative system was improved and land reforms were introduced, including the removal of land from landowners who did not cultivate it. Religion & culture were also promoted, and he translated prayers from the original Pali to Thai so that the people would understand their meaning. He ordered the construction of many temples, notably Wat Arun, Temple of the Dawn, which was completed in the reign of his son King Rama III. He had three white elephants, considered sacred animals by the Thai people.

King Rama III

(His Majesty King Nang Klao) (Lived 1787-1851, reigned 1824-1851

He re-opened relations with Western nations and during his reign the first Treaty with the United States of America was signed. He also developed trade with China and allowed Christian missionaries into the country. He had no children so the succession passed to his half brother.

King Rama IV

(His Majesty King Mongkut) Lived 1804-1868, reigned 1851-1868

He was given a classical education of literature and poetry in Siamese & Pali, also in the arts of warfare, and in Buddhism. At the age of 12 he was given command of the armed forces. At 14 he was ordained a novice monk for 7 months, and when he was 20 ordained as a monk at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Two weeks after he ordained the reigning king died and the Prince was elected as King.
His training as a monk gave him the ability to meet with all classes of people. All those at court were trained in a foreign language. In 1831 a class was started for young ladies between sixteen & twenty-one to learn English. At first this was not altogether successful as teaching was based only on pictures & words from the Christian Bible and there were fears about attempted conversion. The king asked the Consul in Singapore to hire a suitable English teacher and Mrs Anna Leonowens came to Bangkok to fill the post. The King was greatly interested in astronomy, which unfortunately led to his death at the age of 64, as he caught malaria while viewing an eclipse, which he had been able to predict himself, from a pavilion sited in a marshy & mosquito-infested area.

King Rama V

(His Majesty King Chulalongkorn) Lived 1853-1910, reigned 1868-1910.

For the first few years of his reign there was a regency. The king was an advocate of modernisation and had Europeans employed on projects such as the first railway. Continuing the out-going attitude of his predecessor, he visited Europe twice, in 1897 and 1907, and became friendly with other European rulers, bonds which still exist today. He also visited the Malay States and the Dutch East Indies.
He sent his sons to Europe to study, in England, and later for military training in Denmark, Germany & Russia. By being prepared to lose some border territories he saved Siam from being colonised, and it is he who must be thanked for the fact that Siam was never colonised during this period of empire building by foreign nations. He also built up the modern army, and established the first public museum.
He introduced the Baht – still the official currency today - and reformed taxation so that taxes were paid direct to the government, rather than being collected by corrupt middlemen. He abolished the practice of prostration before the king and also abolished slavery in 1905.

King Rama VI

(His Majesty King Vajiravudh) Lived 1881-1925, reigned from 1910-1925

He was appointed Crown Prince in 1895. The royal families of Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Russia and Japan were present at his coronation. He was educated in England, and loved literature & poetry in Thai and English. He translated all Shakespeare’s plays into Thai. He also published scores for classical Thai theatre & ballet which allowed these subjects to be studied formally. In 1916 he declared war on Germany and Thai troops fought with the allies in the latter part of World War I.

King Rama VII

(His Majesty King Prajadhipok) Lived 1893-1941, reigned from 1925-1935

His reign coincided with the economic depression following the Wall Street crash of 1929. In 1932 there was a coup d’etat and power was transferred to a legislative assembly, ending the 150 year rule of the Chakri kings. On 10 December 1932 King Prajadhipok granted the Thai people the constitutional monarchy which is still in being today. The king went to live in England to obtain medical treatment and on 2 March 1935 he abdicated. He died in England on 30 May 1941 and his ashes were brought to Bangkok by his widow Queen Rhamba in 1949.

King Rama VIII

Lived 1925-1946, Regency from 1935-1946

He was the older son of HRH Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla. He spent his early years in Switzerland where he was educated. He returned to Bangkok at the end of WWII but died suddenly on 9 June 1946, never having been crowned. After his death the present King, his brother, altered his title to that of a fully crowned & anointed sovereign.

King Rama IX

(His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej) 5 December 1927-

His Majesty was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was educated in Switzerland and received his diploma at Lausanne, where he chose to enter Lausanne University to study science. However, the sudden death of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, changed his life completely. Now that he was to become king, he decided to return to Switzerland for further studies in political science and law, in order to prepare himself for government. Early in 1950 he returned to Thailand. On 28 April 1950 he was married to Mom Rajwongse Sirikit Kitiyakara, great-grand-daughter of King Chulalongkorn. The following week he was crowned as King , and his wife as Queen.
The King made it his practice to travel throughout the year to rural areas of Thailand so that he could meet with the people the better to listen to their needs and problems. He has launched many royal projects to help rural inhabitants and the poor.
In the early years of his reign many other South-East Asian monarchs were driven into exile, or even executed, following the advent of Communist and socialist regimes in neighbouring countries. The King’s moral authority was such that he gained the respect of the people and he has always worked openly & in private to persuade the Government to put public interest first. In October 1973 and May 1992 when Thailand underwent political upheaval, the King intervened successfully to avoid bloodshed.
His Majesty is also a talented photographer, musician & composer. He is a self –taught painter and has had works exhibited. He is also fluent in English, French & German and has had foreign books translated into Thai.
In 1996 His Majesty King Bhumipol Adulyadej became the longest reigning monarch in Thai history.