King Mongkut (Rama IV)
One of the most remarkable kings of the Chakri Dynasty
Born	October 18, 1804 Bangkok, Thailand (Siam)
Died	October 1, 1868 Bangkok, Thailand (Siam)

King Mongkut (Rama IV), (October 18, 1804 – October 1, 1868) was king of Siam from 1851 to 1868. Historians have widely regarded him as one of the most remarkable kings of the Chakri Dynasty. Prince Mongkut was the son of King Rama II and his first wife Queen Srisuriyendra, whose first son died at birth in 1801. Prince Mongkut was five years old when his father succeeded to the throne in 1809. According to the law of succession, he was the first in line to the throne; but when his father died, his influential half-brother, Nangklao, was strongly supported by the nobility to assume the throne. Prince Mongkut decided to enter the Buddhist priesthood and travelled in exile to many locations in Thailand. Prince Mongkut spent the following twenty-seven years searching for Western knowledge; he had studied Latin, English, and astronomy with missionaries and sailors. Prince Mongkut would later be noted for his excellent command of English, although it is said that his younger brother, Vice-King Pinklao, could speak even better English. Image File history File links Rama IV File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Chakri dynasty have ruled Thailand since king Taksin was declared mad in 1782. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Bangkok Skytrain at sunset on Thanon Narathiwat Ratcha Nakharin with Empire Tower at the back. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Bangkok Skytrain at sunset on Thanon Narathiwat Ratcha Nakharin with Empire Tower at the back. ... October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Chakri dynasty have ruled Thailand since king Taksin was declared mad in 1782. ... Phuttaloetla Nabhalai, Rama II, now known as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (February 26, 1766–July 21, 1824), was the son of King Rama I. His reign as King of Siam (1809–1824) brought in a renaissance of Thai arts and culture, especially in literature. ... Queen Srisuriyendra (Thai: ) was the queen consort of King Rama II of Thailand. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Rama III statue in Bangkok Nangklao (Rama III) or King Jessadabodindra (full royal name Prabath Somdej Pra Paramadhiwarasetha Maha Jessadabodindra Siammintarawirodom Borommadhammikkarajadhirat Boromanathbopitra Phra Nangklao Chaoyuhua or พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรมาธิวรเสรฐ มหาเจษฎาบดินทร์ สยามินทรวิโรดม บรมธรรมิกมหาราชาธิราช บรมนารถบพิตร พระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว in Thai) (March 31, 1788 - April 2, 1851) third of the Chakri dynasty, was king of Thailand from 1824 to 1851. ... Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a philosophy, and a life-enhancing system of psychology. ... The term Western World or the West can have multiple meanings depending on its context. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant. ... The Chakri dynasty have ruled Thailand since king Taksin was declared mad in 1782. ... Chaufat Krommakhun Izaret, Prince Chudamani (September 4, 1808 - January 7, 1866) was a younger brother and the vice-king of King Mongkut. ...

After his twenty-seven years of pilgrimage, King Mongkut succeeded to the throne in 1851. He took the name Phra Chom Klao, although foreigners continued to call him Mongkut. His awareness of the threat from the British and French imperial powers, led him to many innovative activities. He ordered the nobility to wear shirts while attending his court; this was to show that Siam was no longer barbaric from the Western point of view. 1851 (MDCCCLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

King Mongkut periodically hired foreign instructors to teach his sons and daughters English. Among teachers in the list were a missionary named Dan Beach Bradley, who was credited for introducing Western medicine to the country and printing the first non-government run newspaper; and an English woman named Anna Leonowens, whose influence was later the subject of great Thai controversy. It is still debated how much this affected the worldview of one of his sons, Prince Chulalongkorn, who succeeded to the throne. Dan Beach Bradley (1804-1873) was a Christian missionary to Siam. ... Anna Leonowens (November, 1831 - January 19, 1915) is chiefly famous for being the British governess portrayed in the musical The King and I. The play, based on adaptations of her factually slipshod memoirs, provides a fictionalised look at her life in the royal court of Siam (present-day Thailand). ... His Majesty King Rama V of Siam, with his son, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajirunnahis (portrait in National History Museum, Bangkok) King Chulalongkorn the Great or Rama V (royal name: Phra Chula Chomklao Chaoyuhua; Thai script: พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว) (September 20, 1853 - October 23, 1910) was the fifth king of the Chakri dynasty...

Anna claimed that her conversations with Prince Chulalongkorn about human freedom, and her relating to him the story of Uncle Tom's Cabin, became the inspiration for his abolition of slavery almost 40 years later. It should be noted, however, that the slavery system in Siam was very different from that in the United States, where slavery was based on race. Slavery in Thailand was often voluntary and due to economic condition. One could be punished for torturing slaves in Siam and some 'slaves' could buy their freedom. Uncle Toms Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is a novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe which treats slavery as a central theme. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

"Bishop Pallegoix states that slaves are 'well treated in Siam--as well as servants are in France;' and I, from what I have seen, would be inclined to go even farther, and say, better than servants are treated in England... In small families, the slaves are treated like the children of the masters; they are consulted in all matters, and each man feels that as his master is prosperous, so is he... ([1857] 1969:193-94). Image File history File links Cquote1. ... Later scholars rely to a remarkable extent upon the conclusions of Jean Baptiste Pallegoix and Bowring. Bowring and Pallegoix are clearly the implied European observers behind Robert Pendleton's comment that "The slaves were, by and large, not badly off. European observers generally reported that they were better off than freemen servants in Western society" (1962:15). Citing Pallegoix, Bruno Lasker writes that "since they were essential to the support of their owners, they enjoyed a relatively humane treatment" (1950:58). Also citing Pallegoix, Virginia Thompson writes, "Though their condition varied...their status was always comparatively easy and generally humane" (1967[1941]:599). Citing Pallegoix and Bowring, R. B. Cruikshank writes, "In any event, most observers suggest that slaves in Siam were very well treated" (1975:320; see also Bacon 1881:296; Bock ([1884] 1986:159; Colquhoun 1885:189, 267; Freeman 1910:100; Garnier 1873:171-72; Graham 1924:237-38; Pallegoix 1854:299; Turpin 1771:87, quoted in Lasker 1950:57; Wales 1965:63; Wilson 1962:96). Not only have scholars have argued that slaves were well-treated, but many have argued that the entry into servitude was the voluntary economic decision of the slave. Bowring cites as evidence "the fact that whenever they are emancipated, they always sell themselves again" (1969 [1857]:193)."[1]

Leonowens' story would become the inspiration for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, as well as the Hollywood movies of the same title, which, because of their incorrect historical references and disrespectful treatment of Mongkut's character, were for some time banned in Thailand as the Thai government and people considered them to be lese-majesté. Image File history File links Cquote2. ... Rodgers and Hammerstein were an American songwriting duo consisting of Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960). ... The King and I is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with a script based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. ...

Contrary to the popular belief held by some Westerners, Mongkut never offered a herd of war elephants to President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War for use against the Confederacy. He did offer to send some domesticated elephants to President James Buchanan, to use as beasts of burden and means of transportation. The royal letter, which was written even before the Civil War started, took some time to arrive in Washington DC, and by the time it reached its destination President Buchanan was not in office any longer. In his replying letter Lincoln, who succeeded Buchanan as the US President, respectfully declined to accept Mongkut's proposal, explaining to the King that American steam engines could also be used for the same purposes. Charging elephants caused terror and panic, and their thick hides made them difficult to injure or kill. ... Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865), sometimes called Abe Lincoln and nicknamed Honest Abe, the Rail Splitter, and the Great Emancipator, was an American politician who served as the 16th President of the United States (1861 to 1865), and the first president from the Republican Party. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Lincoln, President Ulysses S. Grant, General Jefferson Davis, President Robert E. Lee, General Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama (until 29 May 1861) Richmond, Virginia (29 May 1861–2 April 1865) Danville, Virginia (from 3 April 1865) Language(s) English (de facto) Government Republic... This article is about the President of the United States. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ...

As a monk and Buddhist scholar, Mongkut worked to establish the Thammayut Nikaya, an order of Buddhist monks that he believed would conform more closely to the orthodoxy of the Theravada school. It was said that the newly-established order was tacitly supported by King Nangklao, despite oppositions to it by conservative congregations, including some princes and noblemen. Later, when Mongkut himself became King, he would strongly support his sect. Thammayut Nikaya (Pali), literally Those adhering strictly to the monastic dicipline, also known in the West as the Thai Forest Tradition, is an order of Theravada Buddhist monks in Thailand. ... A monk is a person who practices asceticism, the conditioning of mind and body in favor of the spirit. ... Theravada (Pāli: theravāda; Sanskrit: sthaviravāda; literally, the Way of the Elders) is the oldest surviving Buddhist school, and for many centuries has been the predominant religion of Sri Lanka (about 70% of the population[1]) and continental Southeast Asia (parts of southwest China, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia...

It was during his reign and under his guidance that Siam entered a treaty relationship with Great Britain. Sir John Bowring, Governor of Hong Kong, as representative of England, concluded the trade treaty (later commonly referred to as "the Bowring Treaty")with the Siamese Government in 1855. The Bowring Treaty later served as model for series of trade treaties with many other westerns countries, and historians often give credits to King Mongkut (and Sir John Bowring) for opening the new era of Siam's international commerce. These treaties, however, were also later considered an inequal treaty, and after Siam had been modernized, the Siamese government began negotiations to repel the Bowring Treaty and other similar treaties in the reign of King Vajiravudh, Rama VI, grandson of Mongkut, a task that would not succeeded until well into the reign of Rama VII, another grandson of his.

One of King Mongkut's last official duties came in 1868, when he invited Sir Harry Ord, the British Governor of Straits Settlements from Singapore, as well as a party of French astronomers and scientists, to watch the total solar eclipse, which Mongkut himself had calculated two years earlier, at (in the King's own words) "East Greenwich longitude 99 degrees 42' and latitude North 11 degrees 39'." The spot is at Wakor village in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, south of Bangkok. Mongkut's calculations proved to be exactly accurate, but this scientific expedition became perilous when Mongkut and Prince Chulalongkorn were infected with malaria. The king died several days later in the capital, and was succeeded by his son, who survived the malaria. 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Photo taken during the 1999 eclipse. ... Prachuap Khiri Khan (Thai ประจวบคีรีขันธ์) is one of the central provinces (changwat) of Thailand. ... Malaria is an infectious disease that is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions. ...

For his role in introducing Western science and scientific mothodology to Siam, King Mongkut is still honoured to this day in modern Thailand as the country's "Father of Modern Science and Technology".

Reportedly, Mongkut once remarked to a Christian missionary friend: "What you teach us to do is admirable, but what you teach us to believe is foolish". This article is becoming very long. ...

External link

• An image of King Mongkut.