INTRODUCTION TO THAILAND # 3
A young general, Taksin, had escaped from the Burmese at Ayudhya with a small group of his men. He quickly rallied the remaining Thai forces and
drove the Burmese from Thailand after which he became the now king. Rather than reestablish the capitol at Ayudhya which was vulnerable to attack,
he chose a new location on the Chao Phya River at Thon Buri. This heroic episode in Thai history ended in sad tragedy. Nobles of the court, claiming that Taksin
had been driven mad by the pressure of expelling the Burmese, deposed the King and executed him.
Another general, Chao Phya Chakri, was chosen to succeed as King. He was crowned as King Rama I in 1782, the first king of the present dynasty. One of his
first acts was to move the capitol across the Chao Phya River to it’s present site in Bangkok. Here, he and the first Chakri kings tried to reestablish
the lost grandeur of Ayudhya.
King Mongut, the fourth Chakri king, began the process of change which has developed Thailand into the modern state it is today. King Mongut had spent the
early years of his life as a Buddhist monk, during this time he traveled throughout Thailand, learning at first hand the life of the people. He had also studied Latin,
English, astronomy and Western culture to prepare himself for his role as King.
King Mongut recognized encroaching Western imperialism as a threat to his nation, and believed a willingness to change and accept modern ideas were
necessary to resist this threat. Therefore, the King abolished many oppressive rituals of the court, encouraged the spread of Western medicine and education,
opened the country to Christian missionaries, and liberalized trade rules. In the area of diplomacy, King Mongut signed treaties with England, France and United States.
King Chulalongkorn, Rama V, followed the modernizing principles of his father During his reign railways were built, a civil service established, legal and
administrative systems reformed. However, he is best remembered in Thailand as the King who freed the slaves. Some Thai territory was lost of French and
British imperialists during this time, but King Chulalongkorn was very successful in preserving the sovereignty of his nation against expanding imperialism.
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