Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn, posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was characterised by the modernisation of Siam, governmental and social reforms, and territorial concessions to the British and French empires. As Siam was surrounded by European colonies, Chulalongkorn, through his policies and acts, ensured the independence of Siam.
Chulalongkorn was born as the son of Mongkut, the fourth king of Siam. In 1868, he travelled with his father and Westerners invited by Mongkut to observe the solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. During that trip, Chulalongkorn and his father both contracted malaria which resulted in his father's death, and his accession to the throne. The 1893 Franco-Siamese crisis and Haw wars took place during his reign. All his reforms were dedicated to ensuring Siam's independence given the increasing encroachment of Western powers, so that Chulalongkorn earned the epithet Phra Piya Maharat or known as the Great Beloved King.
Early life
Chulalongkorn was born on 20 September 1853 to King Mongkut and Queen Debsirindra. In his lifetime, Mongkut had 39 wives and concubines with whom he had 82 children. Chulalongkorn was neither Mongkut's first child or first son, but was made the heir presumptive as the first son born to Debsirindra. During Mongkut's reign, Siam came under increasing pressure from European colonial ambitions, specifically from the British in Burma and Malaya, and the French in Indochina. These pressures jeopardised Siamese independence. Although Mongkut pushed for reforms, he was aware much of it would be carried out by his successor. As such, he began preparing Chulalongkorn to become an innovative king.From age 7, the prince began learning under the guidance of royal lecturers who gave him a more traditional education. Under this, Chulalongkorn was taught Buddhism, Pali, historical chronicles, royal practices, rituals, Siamese writing, military command and fencing. In 1866, he became a novice monk for six months at Wat Bawonniwet according to royal tradition. Additionally, he was educated by Western teachers who taught him science, English and French. Among these Western tutors was Anna Leonowens, who taught the prince and some of his siblings between 1862 and 1867. Chulalongkorn became friends with her son Louis, which continued into their adulthood. Mongkut himself also played a large direct role in Chulalongkorn's education. From age 7, Mongkut maintained his son by his side where he involved him with the daily matters of Siam to allow Chulalongkorn to understand how to rule. Through this, Mongkut passed down his desires for reform.
In 1868, Chulalongkorn accompanied his father on an expedition to Wa Ko, south of Hua Hin, to observe and validate Mongkut's predictions made for the solar eclipse of 18 August. Mongkut proved correct, being more accurate than some French astronomists. However, both he and his son became ill from malaria. In Bangkok, Mongkut died on October 1, 1868. He had yet to designate a successor, leaving the choice to a council who chose Chulalongkorn. The accession council was headed by Sri Suriyawongse of the Bunnag family, and was made up of the Supreme Patriarch, prelates, princes and noblemen. Nominated by Prince Deves, Chulalongkorn was unanimously chosen. However, since he was only 15-years old, Chuang served as regent until he became 20-years old. Additionally, Wichaichan was chosen as the viceroy – a choice normally made by the monarch. To Chuang, Wichaichan could serve as an ally if Chulalongkorn ever opposed him.''''
Regency
The young Chulalongkorn was an enthusiastic reformer. He visited Singapore and Java in 1870 and British India in 1872 to study the administration of British colonies. He toured the administrative centres of Calcutta, Delhi, Bombay, and back to Calcutta in early 1872. This journey was a source of his later ideas for the modernization of Siam. He was crowned king in his own right as Rama V on 16 November 1873.Sri Suriwongse then arranged for the Front Palace of King Pinklao to be bequeathed to King Pinklao's son, Prince Yodyingyot.
As regent, Sri Suriwongse wielded great influence. Sri Suriwongse continued the works of King Mongkut. He supervised the digging of several important khlongs, such as Padung Krungkasem and Damneun Saduak, and the paving of roads such as Charoen Krung and Silom. He was also a patron of Thai literature and performing arts.
Early reign
At the end of his regency, Sri Suriwongse was raised to Somdet Chao Phraya, the highest title a noble could attain. Si Suriyawongse was the most powerful noble of the 19th century. His family, the House of Bunnag, was a powerful aristocratic dynasty of Persian descent. It dominated Siamese politics since the reign of Rama I. Chulalongkorn then married four of his half-sisters, all daughters of Mongkut: Savang Vadhana, Saovabha Phongsri, and Sunanda Kumariratana, and Sukhumala Marasri.Chulalongkorn's first reform was to establish the "Auditory Office" on 4 June 1873, solely responsible for tax collection, to counter the influence of the Bunnag family who had been in control of wealth collection since early Rattanakosin. As tax collectors had been under the aegis of various nobles and thus a source of their wealth, this reform caused great consternation among the nobility, especially the Front Palace. Chulalongkorn appointed Chaturonrasmi to be an executive of the organization, which he closely oversaw. From the time of King Mongkut, the Front Palace had been the equivalent of a "second king", with one-third of national revenue allocated to it. Prince Yodyingyot of the Front Palace was known to be on friendly terms with many Britons, at a time when Siamese relations with the British Empire were tense.
In 1874, Chulalongkorn established the Council of State as a legislative body and a privy council as his personal advisory board based on the British privy council. Council members were appointed by the monarch.
Front Palace crisis
On the night of 28 December 1874, a fire broke out near the gunpowder storehouse and gasworks in the main palace. Front Palace troops quickly arrived, fully armed, "to assist in putting out the fire". They were denied entrance and the fire was extinguished. The incident demonstrated the considerable power wielded by aristocrats and royal relatives, leaving the king little power. Reducing the power held by the nobility became one of his main motives in reforming Siam's feudal politics.When Prince Yodyingyot died in 1885, Chulalongkorn took the opportunity to abolish the titular Front Palace and created the title of "Crown Prince of Siam" in line with Western custom. Chulalongkorn's son, Prince Vajirunhis, was appointed the first Crown Prince of Siam, though he never reigned. In 1895, when the prince died of typhoid at age 16, he was succeeded by his half-brother Vajiravudh, who was then at boarding school in England.
Haw insurgency
In the northern Laotian lands bordering China, the insurgents of the Taiping Rebellion had taken refuge since the reign of King Mongkut. These Chinese were called Haw and became bandits, pillaging the villages. In 1875, Chulalongkorn sent troops from Bangkok to crush the Haw who had ravaged as far as Vientiane. However, they met strong Chinese resistance and retreated to Isan in 1885. New, modernized forces were sent again and were divided into two groups approaching the Haw from Chiang Kam and Pichai. The Haw scattered and some fled to Vietnam. The Siamese armies proceeded to eliminate the remaining Haw. The city of Nong Khai maintains memorials for the Siamese dead.Third Anglo-Burmese War
In Burma, while the British Army fought the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty, Siam remained neutral. Britain had agreements with the Siamese government, which stated that if the British were in conflict with Burma, Siam would send food supplies to the British Army. Chulalongkorn honored the agreement. The British expected he would send an army to help defeat the Burmese, but he did not do so.Military and political reforms
Freed of the Front Palace and Chinese rebellions, Chulalongkorn initiated modernization and centralization reforms. He established the Royal Military Academy in 1887 to train officers in Western fashion. His upgraded forces provided the king much more power to centralize the country.The government of Siam had remained largely unchanged since the 15th century. The central government was headed by the Samuha Nayok, who controlled the northern parts of Siam, and the Samuha Kalahom, who controlled southern Siam in both civil and military affairs. The Samuha Nayok presided over the Chatu Sadombh. The responsibilities of each pillar overlapped and were ambiguous. In 1888, Chulalongkorn moved to institute a government of ministries. Ministers were, at the outset, members of the royal family. Ministries were established in 1892, with all ministries having equal status.
The Council of State proved unable to veto legal drafts or to give Chulalongkorn advice because the members regarded Chulalongkorn as an absolute monarch, far above their station. Chulalongkorn dissolved the council altogether and transferred advisory duties to the cabinet in 1894.
Chulalongkorn abolished the traditional Nakorn Bala methods of torture in the judiciary process, which were seen as inhumane and barbaric to Western eyes, and introduced a Western judicial code. His Belgian advisor, Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, played a great role in the development of modern Siamese law and its judicial system.
Pressures for reform
Chulalongkorn was the first Siamese king to send royal princes to Europe to be educated. In 19th century Europe, nationalism flourished and there were calls for more liberty. The princes were influenced by the liberal notions of democracy and elections they encountered in republics like France and constitutional monarchies like the United Kingdom.In 1884, Siamese officials in Europe warned Chulalongkorn of possible threats to Siamese independence from the European powers. They advised that Siam should be reformed like Meiji Japan and that Siam should become a constitutional monarchy. Chulalongkorn demurred, stating that the time was not ripe and that he himself was making reforms.
Throughout Chulalongkorn's reign, writers with radical ideas had their works published for the first time. The most notable ones included Thianwan Wannapho, who had been imprisoned for 17 years and from prison produced many works criticizing traditional Siamese society.