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A King of Siam

© Maria Christensen

For centuries, the enticing and profitable lure of tea, silk and spices had led Western explorers and merchants, such as Marco Polo to the fabled lands of the East. The stories and goods they brought back stoked a fire which, by the nineteenth century, raged on as imperialism. In Southeast Asia, countries fell one by one under European rule. Britain conquered Burma and Malaysia; France created Indochina out of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam; the Dutch ruled Indonesia; and the United States administered the Philippines. Only one country, Siam (Thailand), managed to maintain independence. While this was in large part due to the wish of the British and French to have a buffer state between their empires, the role of King Mongkut of Siam should not be overlooked. Popularized by Hollywood in the 1950s with the musical The King and I, King Mongkut's life was, of course, very little like Hollywood's portrayal, however, the facts of his life are just as interesting as the fiction.

Born in 1804, Chao Fah Mongkut began life as a traditional Siamese crown prince. His education included history, literature, poetry, Buddhism, and warfare, and at the age of 14, he entered a Buddhist monastery as a novice monk. Buddhism had a profound influence on the young man and six years later he officially became a Buddhist monk. His decision to become a monk coincided with, and was influenced by the death of his father, King Rama II, and the following decision of a council of princes and nobles to place Mongkut's half brother, Chesdabodin, on the throne. Chesdabodin became King Nang Klao (Rama III) mainly because he was 17 years older than Mongkut, had more experience in running the government, and had cultivated far more power. Realizing that not only might he be safer, and less of a potential threat to his brother as a monk, but that Buddhism was deeply and spiritually appealing to him, Mongkut spent the next 27 years maintaining the traditional life of a monk, often traveling the countryside and living on charity. It was an incredibly formative time for him which would have a great impact on the way he would later rule. Always intellectually curious, Mongkut studied many things, including science, spent time among the common Thai people and cultivated friendships with foreign missionaries. He learned English, French, and Latin and became familiar with Western ways and technology.

In 1851, Mongkut traded his saffron robes for the trappings of state upon the death of Nang Klao. As absolute monarch of the Thai people, he blended tradition with reform and embarked upon the modernization of Siam. Foremost among his concerns was the realization that full diplomatic relations with Western powers must be maintained for Siam to remain independent. Far from unaware of what was happening to Burma, China and the rest of Southeast Asia, Mongkut signed a treaty known as the Bowring Treaty with Britain in 1855. The British established a consulate in Bangkok, gained extraterritoriality and commerce rights and a limitation of taxation by the Siamese government. Within the next 15 years, important treaties would be signed with France, the United States and several other Western powers, as well as Japan in 1898. Trade with the West flourished and with the proceeds from an increasingly stable economy Mongkut built canals and roads and issued the country's first uniform currency. He reformed his bureaucracy and set about having his officials and members of the Court educated in English.

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