Who is king mongkut of siam

Selected images from this work. View 4 images. About this work. Description King Mongkut reigned seated on a throne, wearing a tall crown, rich gold robes and other insignia of office, surrounded by bowls and dishes. Physical description 1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion ; glass approximately Contributors Thomson, J. Lettering The late 1st King of Siam, , the state robes. Thomson photo. Notes This is one of a collection of original glass negatives made by John Thomson.

The negatives, made between and , were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in King Maha Mongkut, also known as Rama IV, ruled Siam now Thailand from to , during which time he successfully negotiated with Western powers, modernized his nation and served as the inspiration for the story Anna and the King of Siam. Mongkut ascended the throne upon the death of his half-brother, Jetta Rama III , after spending 27 years as a Buddhist monk.

Educated and multi-lingual, Mongkut negotiated with the United States and European powers to open Siam to international trade. He also brought in missionaries to teach his concubines and children about modern science and culture.

Others who joined his circle were among the leading princes and young nobles of Bangkok society, and this group, led by Phraya Suriyawong Chuang Bunnag —eldest son of the leading minister of Rama III—was responsible for placing Mongkut on the throne when Rama III died on April 2, These young liberals had come to understand the nature of Western power and Siam's weakness, profiting from the example of Western warfare against China in the Opium War, and Burma and Upon consolidating their power the liberals signified their willingness to come to terms with Western demands and signed treaties, beginning with Britain in , which removed all barriers to trade and established extra-territoriality for European subjects in Siam.

Mongkut and Suriyawong, who became his chief minister, set a pattern of accommodation to the West which came to assure Siam's survival as an independent state through the 19th-century thrust of European imperialism.

Described by European envoys as thin and austere, Mongkut was extraordinarily lively, excited by ideas, and colorfully expressive in English.

By Panu Wongcha-um. In fact, King Mongkut, who reigned from to his death in , is seen by many historians as a reformist for his time.