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After Taksin's death, General Chakri became the first king of the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1782-1809. His first action as king was to transfer his administrative headquarters across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok. There he set about to build his new palace according to the pattern of Ayutthaya. He assembled all surviving master craftsmen from the old city. The Grand Palace they built contained not only the residences of the king and the royal family, but also incorporated the government and judicial offices and, most importantly, the Royal Chapel where the revered Emerald Buddha was installed.
Rama I's successors, Rama II and Rama III, completed the consolidation of the Siamese kingdom and the revival of the arts and culture of Ayutthaya.
Rama II re-established relations with the West, suspended since the time of Narai, allowing the Portuguese to construct the first Western embassy in Bangkok. Rama III, ruled 1824-1851, continued to reopen Siam's doors to foreigners, successfully promoting trade with China. The ready availability of Chinese porcelain led him to decorate many of his temples, including Wat Arun, with porcelain fragments.
King Mongkut, Rama IV, who ruled 1851-1868, was the first Thai king to understand Western culture and technology, and his reign has been described as the 'bridge spanning the new and the old.' Mongkut realised that traditional Thai values would not save his country from Western encroachment, and thus initiated the policy of modernisation that he believed would bring Siam in line with the West and reduce hostilities with foreigners.
Mongkut's son, Chulalongkorn, was only 15 when he ascended the throne. But he reigned over Siam as Rama V for 42 years - and transformed his country from a backward Asian land into a modern 20th century kingdom. King Chulalongkorn's successor, Vajiravudh (1910-1925), was Oxford-educated and thoroughly Anglicised. His western-inspired reforms to modernise Siam considerably affected the structure of modern Thai society.
Prajadhipok (Rama VII) was personally concerned with improving the welfare of his subjects. He was aware of the rising demand for greater participation in government by a small foreign-educated faction, but felt that the Siamese were, on the whole not ready for democracy. In 1927, he publicly commented that the people must be first taught political consciousness before democracy could be effectively be introduced. However, a coup d'etat in 1932 ended the paternal but absolute rule of the king. the coup was staged by the People's Party, a military and civilian group masterminded by foreign-educated Thai, whose chief ideologist was Pridi Panomyong, a young lawyer trained in France.
The king accepted the provisional constitution by which he 'ceased to rule but continued to reign.' In December 1932, the king signed the Parliament Constitution which promised universal suffrage and general elections every four years. Upon the abdication of King Prajadhipok, Ananda Mahidol returned home to a tumultuous welcome in 1945. With his death just one year later, he was succeeded by his younger brother King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the present monarch.

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Category Travel & Places

Tags The, history, of, Thailand