Constantine Phaulkon (born Κωνσταντίνος Γεράκης or Constantinos Gerakis; Gerakis is the Greek word for Phaulkon) (1647 - June 5, 1688) was a Greek adventurer, who became first counsellor to King Narai of Ayutthaya. // Events March 14 - Thirty Years War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm. ... June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ... King Narai the Great (Thai สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช) (died July 11, 1688) became king of the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam, todays Thailand, in 1655. ... Ayutthaya (also spelled Ayudhya or Ayuthia) refers to The old capital of Thailand, see Ayutthaya (city) The province around the city, Ayutthaya province The ruins of the old palace, see Ayutthaya historical park Ayutthaya kingdom as the period of Thai history (1365-1768) in which Ayutthaya was capital This is...

Born on Cephalonia (Greece), Phaulkon came to Siam (today's Thailand) in 1675 after being a ship assistant on a English trade ship. He quickly learned Thai and began to work at the court of King Narai as a translator. Due to his connection with the British East India Company he quickly rose to become a counsellor of the king. Geography The capital of the Cephallonia prefecture is Argostoli. ... Events January 5 - The Battle of Turckeim June 18 - Battle of Fehrbellin August 10 - King Charles II of England places the foundation stone of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London - construction begins November 11 - Guru Gobind Singh becomes the Tenth Guru of the Sikhs. ... The British East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ...

Phaulkon's proximity to the king earned him the envy of many Thai members of the royal court. When King Narai became terminally ill, a rumor spread that Phaulkon wanted to use the designated heir, Phra Pui, to become king himself. In a coup d'état started by Phetracha, the foster brother of Narai, Phaulkon and his followers as well as the royal heir were arrested and killed on June 5, 1688 in Lopburi. After king Narai died a few days later, Phetracha became the new king of Siam and started a xenophobic regime. A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government against the volonté générale formed by the majority of the citizen, usually done by a smaller supposedly weaker body that just replaces the top power figures. ... Phetracha (alternative spellings: Bedraja, Petraja, Petraja, Petratcha; also called Phra Phetracha) (d. ... Lopburi is a city in Thailand, capital of the Lopburi province. ... Xenophobia means fear of strangers or the unknown and comes from the Greek ξενοφοβια, xenophobia, literally meaning fear of the strange. It is often used to describe fear of or dislike of foreigners, but racism in general is sometimes described as a form of xenophobia, as are such prejudices as...

Differing interpretations of Phetracha's motivation for ordering the arrest and execution of Phaulkon have made Phaulkon's position in Thai history controversial. Supporters of Phetracha's actions have depicted Phaulkon as an opportunistic foreign userper, who sought to use his influence with the court to take control of the kingdom on behalf of Western interests. Those more skeptical of Phetracha's motives believe that Phaulkon was a convenient scapegoat- a means for Phetracha to seize power by capitalizing on the envy and suspicion that Phaulkon had engendered.

References

• http://marabu1.tripod.com/SIAM.HTM George A. Sioris, Phaulkon - The Greek First Counsellor at the Court of Siam: An Appraisal, Bangkok 1988, ISBN 974-8298-41-8
• http://mapage.noos.fr/memoires-de-siam/phaulkon0.html (in French)