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72-594: Until the mid-19th century, the primary means of transport in Bangkok (and Siam in general) was by boat. This began to change as the country opened up to Western ideas and influences, and underwent modernization during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV, r. 1851–1868). The signing of the Bowring Treaty in 1855 marked the beginning of increasing Western political and economic influence, and many foreigners set up diplomatic missions, trading companies and residences on

144-413: A Buddhist monk ( ordination name Vajirayan ; Pali Vajirañāṇo ), following a Siamese tradition that men aged 20 should become monks for a time. The same year, his father died. By tradition, Mongkut should have been crowned the next king, but the nobility instead chose the older, more influential and experienced Prince Chetsadabodin (Nangklao), son of a royal concubine rather than a queen. Perceiving

216-461: A British delegate, even praised him as "our own king", and showed his support of him as a new king of Siam. Having been celibate for 27 years, he now set about building the biggest royal family of the Chakri dynasty . Inside the palace there was a large number of women—reports say three thousand or more. They were mostly servants, guards, officials, maids and so on, but Mongkut acquired 32 wives, and by

288-720: A herd of war elephants to the US president Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War for use against the Confederacy . He did, however, offer to send some domesticated elephants to US president James Buchanan , to use as beasts of burden and means of transportation. The royal letter of 14 February 1861, which was written before the Civil War had even started, took some time to arrive in Washington DC, and by

360-542: A lack of roads in which they could travel by horse-drawn carriage, requested that the King build a new road on the east side of the river behind the consulates and businesses. The King agreed to the request, and ordered the construction of a new system of roads. The first, which would serve the European district, was begun in 1862 and officially opened to traffic on 16 March 1864. At the time, roads were not officially named, and

432-639: A recommendation by Tan Kim Ching in Singapore , the court hired 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. Around 1870, Leonowens wrote a memoir of her time as teacher, “ The English Governess at the Siamese Court .” Author Margaret Langdon took this work, and interviews with Leonowens' descendants, to fill out and create

504-522: A result, the administrative power of Siam rested largely in the hands of the two Bunnags, Dit and Tat. Upon his coronation , Mongkut married his first wife, Queen Somanass . However, Queen Somanass died in the same year. He then married his half-grandniece, Mom Chao Rampoei Siriwongse, later Queen Debsirindra . In 1849, there were upheavals in the Shan State of Kengtung and Chiang Hung kingdom in response to weakened Burmese influence. However,

576-632: Is believed that the name Samphanthawong was derived from Wat Samphanthawongsaram , the temple near the district office when it was first built. Now the district office has moved to Yotha Road in Talat Noi Sub-district. The district is divided into three sub-districts ( khwaeng ). Yaowarat Road (เยาวราช) is about 1.5 km in length. Along both sides, gold shops and Chinese restaurants: noodles , rice , dim sum , bird's nest soup are found. More shops, especially those selling fruit and Chinese traditional medicine, can be found in

648-532: Is known in the West primarily through the lens of the 1951 musical The King and I and its 1956 film adaptation . Mongkut ( มงกุฎ , literal meaning: crown ) was the second son of Prince Itsarasunthon , son of Phutthayotfa Chulalok , the first Chakri king of Siam (King Rama I ) and Princess Bunrot . Mongkut was born in the Old (Thonburi) Palace in 1804, where the first son had died shortly after birth in 1801. He

720-554: Is named after the King. King Mongkut is one of the people with the most children in Thai history; he had 32 wives and concubines during his lifetime who produced at least 82 children, one of whom was Chulalongkorn , who married four of his half sisters. Chakri dynasty Kings Viceroys Deputy Viceroy Crown Prince Hereditary Prince Royalty Samphanthawong District Samphanthawong ( Thai : สัมพันธวงศ์ , pronounced [sǎm.pʰān.tʰā.wōŋ] ))

792-455: Is one of the 50 districts (khet) of Bangkok , Thailand . Regarded as Bangkok's Chinatown , it is the smallest district by area in Thailand. Neighbouring districts are (from north clockwise) Pom Prap Sattru Phai , Bang Rak , Khlong San (across Chao Phraya River), and Phra Nakhon . The area has been a Chinese community since the early days of Bangkok. Originally living in what is now

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864-636: Is preserved as a tourist attraction. 13°44′50″N 100°29′40″E  /  13.74722°N 100.49444°E  / 13.74722; 100.49444 Mongkut Mongkut ( Thai : มงกุฏ ; 18 October 1804 – 1 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty , titled Rama IV . He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was Phra Poramenthra Ramathibodhi Srisindra Maha Mongkut Phra Chomklao Chao Yu Hua Phra Sayam Thewa Maha Makut Witthaya Maharat (พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรรามาธิบดีศรีสินทรมหามงกุฎ พระจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว พระสยามเทวมหามกุฏวิทยมหาราช). The reign of Mongkut

936-544: Is said that his younger brother, Viceroy Pinklao , could speak it even better. Mongkut's first son and heir, Chulalongkorn , granted the Thammayut sect royal recognition in 1902 through the Ecclesiastical Polity Act; it became one of the two major Buddhist denominations in modern Thailand. Chulalongkorn also persuaded his father's 47th child, Vajirañana , to enter the order and he rose to become

1008-607: The Odeon Circle , where the Chinatown Gate and Wat Traimit are located. The road then passes the neighbourhood of Talat Noi , before crossing Phadung Krung Kasem Canal at Phitthayasathian Bridge . Here, the road enters Bang Rak District and runs along the former European quarter of Bang Rak Subdistrict , branching off to historic side-streets ( soi ) such as Soi Charoen Krung 30 ( Captain Bush Lane , location of

1080-589: The Phra Nakhon district , they were relocated here when the capital was set up. The narrow Sampheng Lane (สำเพ็ง, now called Wanit I Road, วานิช 1) was the district's main street until Yaowarat Road was constructed in 1892 during the reign of King Chulalongkorn . Sampheng Lane is depicted on the back of series 15 20 baht banknotes, to commemorate an important post-World War II visit by young king Rama VIII (accompanied by HM's brother, Prince Bhumibol, with his ever-present camera). Nowadays, Yaowarat Road remains

1152-651: The Portuguese embassy ), Soi Charoen Krung 36 ("Rue de Brest", named to commemorate diplomatic relations with France , whose embassy is located here, along with the Customs House and Haroon Mosque ), and Soi Charoen Krung 40 (Soi Burapha, location of the Oriental Hotel , Assumption Cathedral , the Catholic Mission and Assumption College ). The General Post Office building is located on

1224-747: The Protestant Cemetery , and the Asiatique night market. The final stretch of Charoen Krung Road, after it intersects Rama III Road under Rama III Bridge , is known as Thanon Tok ( ถนนตก , "falling road"), a reference to the fact that if the road continued on, it would fall into the river. At the end of the road, adjacent to Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital , is the Yan Nawa office of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority , where one of Bangkok's former trams

1296-538: The Qing dynasty court, as the mission symbolised Siam's subjection to the Qing emperors and because the Qing dynasty was then not so powerful as it had once been, as it was itself threatened by Western powers. In 1854, John Bowring , the governor of Hong Kong in the name of Queen Victoria , came to Siam to negotiate a treaty. For the first time Siam had to deal seriously with international laws. Prayurawongse negotiated on

1368-844: The Territorial Defense Command headquarters . It heads east through the Rattanakosin Island , crossing the inner moat at Saphan Mon (" Mon Bridge"), and passes the Ban Mo and Wang Burapha neighbourhoods, as well as the Sala Chalermkrung Royal Theatre . The road crosses Khlong Ong Ang (the outer moat) at Damrong Sathit Bridge, which is the site of the Saphan Lek market. From here, it serves Bangkok's Chinatown , running southeast, roughly parallel to Yaowarat Road . It passes

1440-560: The 10th Supreme Patriarch of Thailand from 1910 to 1921. Accounts vary about Nangklao's intentions regarding the succession. It is recorded that Nangklao verbally dismissed the royal princes from succession for various reasons; Prince Mongkut was dismissed for encouraging monks to dress in the Mon style. Prince Mongkut was supported by the pro-British Dit Bunnag who was the Samuha Kalahom , or Armed Force Department's president, and

1512-624: The British governor of the Straits Settlements from Singapore , was among those who were invited. King Mongkut predicted the solar eclipse, at (in his own words) "East Greenwich longitude 99 degrees 42' and latitude North 11 degrees 39'." King Mongkut's calculations proved accurate. When he made calculations on the Wakor solar eclipse that was to occur, he used the Thai system of measuring time ("mong" and "baht"), but he implemented

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1584-540: The Chinatown and Rattnakaosin areas, has raised concerns that historic communities are being displaced by development. Charoen Krung Road runs for 8.6 kilometres (5.3 mi) through the districts of Phra Nakhon , Pom Prap Sattru Phai and Samphanthawong (dividing the two), Bang Rak , Sathon and Bang Kho Laem . It begins at Sanam Chai Road , at the corners of the Grand Palace , Wat Pho, Saranrom Park and

1656-478: The European district to end in Bang Kho Laem, where the river made a sharp turn to the east. The second phase, within the old city walls, ran from Wat Pho to meet the earlier section at Saphan Lek ("iron bridge"). When the road was first built, locals remarked of its size and width that there just weren't enough people to walk such large a street. In fact, only one side of the road was regularly used until it

1728-540: The King that the American climate might not be suitable for elephants and that American steam engines could also be used as beasts of burden and means of transportation. A century later, during his state visit to the US, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, who was Mongkut's great-grandson, referred to this event in his address before the US Congress on 29 June 1960. He said, "my great-grandfather offered to send

1800-536: The President and Congress elephants to be turned loose in the uncultivated land of America for breeding purposes. That offer was made with no other objective than to provide a friend with what he lacks, in the same spirit in which the American aid program is likewise offered." The asteroid 151834 Mongkut is named in honour of the King and his contributions to astronomy and the modernization of Siam. The main hospital of Phetchaburi province, Phrachomklao Hospital ,

1872-557: The Samphanthawong boundary in the neighboring Pom Prap Sattru Phai District. There are other places of historic interest in Samphanthawong. Wat Mae Phra Luk Prakham (วัดแม่พระลูกประคำ) or Holy Rosary Church , on the bank of Chao Phraya River, is one of the oldest Catholic churches in Bangkok. It is more widely known by its older name, Wat Kalawar (วัดกาลหว่าร์), named after Calvary . It was first built in 1787 during King Rama I period by settlers who migrated from Ayuthaya when

1944-475: The Thai government and people considered them to be lèse majesté . To clarify the historical record, well-known Thai intellectuals Seni and Kukrit Pramoj in 1948 wrote The King of Siam Speaks . The Pramoj brothers sent their manuscript to the American politician and diplomat Abbot Low Moffat (1901–1996), who drew on it for his 1961 biography, Mongkut the King of Siam . Moffat donated the Pramoj manuscript to

2016-469: The Thammayut sect as a rightful branch of Theravada. Mongkut also improved women's rights in Siam. He released a large number of royal concubines to find their own husbands, in contrast to how his story has been dramatized. He banned forced marriages of all kinds and the selling of one's wife to pay off a debt. In contrast to the previous king, Nangklao, Mongkut didn't see the importance of sending envoys to

2088-614: The United States Library of Congress in 1961. 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. Slavery in Thailand was sometimes a voluntary alternative for individuals to be rid of social and financial obligations. One could be punished for torturing slaves in Siam, and some slaves could buy their freedom. Some western scholars and observers have expressed

2160-535: The Western method of longitude and latitude when he determined where on Earth the eclipse would best be viewed. Upon returning from his journey to Wakor, he condemned the court astrologers "for their...stupid statements because of their negligence of his detailed prediction and their inattention to measurement and calculation by modern instruments." During the expedition, King Mongkut and Prince Chulalongkorn were infected with malaria . The king died six weeks later in

2232-479: The arrival of American missionaries, but the debate about Earth's shape remained an issue for Siamese intellectuals throughout the 1800s. During his reign, Mongkut urged his royal relatives to have "a European-style education." The missionaries, as teachers, taught modern geography and astronomy, among other subjects. Six years after Mongkut's death, the first Thai-language geography book was published in 1874, called Phumanithet by J.W. Van Dyke. However, geography

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2304-523: The behalf of the Siamese. The result was the Bowring Treaty between the two nations. The main principle of the treaty was to abolish the Royal Storage (พระคลังสินค้า), which since Ayutthaya 's times held the monopoly on foreign trade. The Royal Storage had been the source of Ayutthaya's prosperity as it collected immense taxation on foreign traders, including the taxation according to the width of

2376-515: The capital, and was succeeded by his son, who survived malaria. It has been argued that the assimilation of Western geography and astronomy into 19th-century Siam "proved that Siam equalled the West in terms of knowledge, and therefore the imperialists ' claim that Siam was uncivilized and had to be colonized was unreasonable." This suggests that the Western form of these sciences may have saved Siam from actually being colonized by Western powers. Contrary to popular belief, King Mongkut did not offer

2448-634: The city was lost to Burma. The current building was constructed in 1890. Upriver from the church is Thailand's first commercial bank building. The building was constructed in 1904 and houses the Talat Noi Branch of Siam Commercial Bank . Downriver from Holy Rosary Church is River City Shopping Complex , a shopping center specializing in arts and antiques. There are numerous markets around Samphanthawong. There are many shops and stalls along Yaowarat, Sampheng (now Wanit 1), and Charoen Krung Roads, especially at night and during weekends. Saphan Lek ,

2520-702: The competition eventually resulted in the lands ending up in the hands of nobility. The Bowring Treaty also had a legal impact. Due to the horror of the Nakorn Bala methods of torture in judicial proceedings, the British requested not to be tried under the Siamese system, securing a grant of extraterritoriality ; British subjects in Siam were therefore subject only to British law, while the Siamese in Britain enjoyed no reciprocal privilege. More treaties were then made with other powers, further undermining national revenue and legal rights. The Bowring treaty proved to be

2592-536: The contents of this petition, reflected that recently the Europeans had been coming to live in Bangkok in increasing numbers every year. Their countries had roads that made every village or town look orderly, pleasant and clean. Our country was greatly overgrown with grass or climbers; our pathways were but small or blind alleys; our larger pathways were dirty, muddy, or soiled, and unpleasant to look at. On 19 August 1861, Western consuls, complaining of ill health due to

2664-781: The corner of Charoen Krung and Si Lom stands the State Tower . Charoen Krung meets Sathon Road under the ramps of Taksin Bridge , near the Saphan Taksin Station of the BTS Skytrain . From here, it enters Sathon District, where it passes Wat Yan Nawa , Sathorn Unique Tower , the Bangkok Dock Company and Wat Suthiwararam School . As the road enters Bang Kho Laem District, the area becomes mostly residential. It passes Shrewsbury International School ,

2736-549: The corner of Soi Charoen Krung 32, and Soi 42/1 is home to Wat Suan Phlu and the Shangri-La Hotel . As it passes through Bang Rak, Charoen Krung meets several roads branching off to the northeast, running parallel to each other. Built during the turn of the 19th–20th centuries as the city expanded southward following the development around Charoen Krung, these roads are Si Phraya , Surawong , Si Lom and Sathon . The latter two form Bangkok's financial district, and on

2808-408: The direction of Bamrung Mueang instead. The city's first tram line began operation on Charoen Krung in 1888. Originally horse-drawn, the tram was electrified in 1894. The service ran until its discontinuation in 1963. Charoen Krung's importance gradually declined as the city's rapid expansion in the latter half of the 20th century drew real estate development elsewhere. The southern section, although

2880-729: The east bank of the Chao Phraya River , just beyond the newly expanded city limits marked by Phadung Krung Kasem Canal , which had been dug in 1851. ... the foreign consuls all signed their names to a petition which they presented to the King. It said that the Europeans were used to going out in the open air, riding carriages or riding horseback for pleasure. These activities had been good for their health and they had not suffered from illnesses. Since their coming to live in Bangkok, they had found that there were no roads to go riding in carriages or on horseback for pleasure, and they had all been sick very often. The King, after having heard

2952-406: The economic and social revolution of Siam. Mongkut's reign saw immense commercial activities in Siam for the first time, which led to the introduction of coinage in 1860. The first industries in Siam were rice milling and sugar production. Infrastructure was improved; there was a great deal of paving of roads and canal digging—for transport and water reservoirs for plantations. In 1862, following

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3024-535: The galleon and the tithe. Western products had to go through a series of tax barriers to reach Siamese people. The Europeans had been attempting to undo this monopoly for a long time but no serious measures had been taken. For Siamese people, trading with foreigners subjected them to severe punishment by the government. The taxation was partially reduced in the Burney Treaty . However, in the world of nineteenth-century liberalism , government control over trade

3096-421: The heart of Bangkok's Chinatown. The area now in the Samphanthawong district was once three separate amphoes , Samphanthawong, Sam Yaek, and Chakkrawat, established on 15 October 1915 when old districts were overhauled and replaced by 25 new districts to cover inner Bangkok. Sam Yaek District and Chakkrawat District were later merged into Samphanthawong District. The district became Khet Samphanthawong in 1972. It

3168-667: The historic S.A.B. Intersection near the areas of Nakhon Khasem (Thieves' Market) and Khlong Thom , as well as the Chinese temple Wat Mangkon Kamalawat . The road continues straight until it meets Rama IV Road at Mo Mi Junction , where it bends slightly south. From near the road's beginning at Sanam Chai to Mo Mi Junction, the extension of the MRT's Blue Line runs beneath Charoen Krung, and serves its neighbourhoods via Sam Yot and Wat Mangkon stations, which opened in 2019. From Mo Mi Junction, Charoen Krung heads south to meet Yaowarat Road at

3240-646: The monastic rules of discipline, the vinaya . Vajirayan admired Buddhawangso for his obedience to the vinaya, and was inspired to pursue religious reforms. In 1835, he began a reform movement reinforcing the vinaya law that evolved into the Dhammayuttika Nikaya , or Dhammayut sect. A strong theme in Mongkut's movement was that, "…true Buddhism was supposed to refrain from worldly matters and confine itself to spiritual and moral affairs". Mongkut eventually came to power in 1851, as did his colleagues who had

3312-605: The more fictionalized account, Anna and the King of Siam , in 1944, which was adapted for films and a musical. Her story would become the inspiration for the Hollywood movies Anna and the King of Siam and Anna and the King as well as the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I and its subsequent film adaptation , which, because of their fictionalized historical references and perceived disrespectful treatment of King Mongkut, were initially banned in Thailand as

3384-432: The most powerful noble during the reign of Rama III. He also had the support of British merchants who feared the growing anti-Western sentiment of the previous monarch and saw the 'prince monk' Mongkut as the 'champion' of European influence among the royal elite. Bunnag, with the supporting promise of British agents, sent his men to the leaving-from-monk-status ceremony for Prince Mongkut even before Nangklao's death. With

3456-543: The older name of the bridge crossing Khlong Ong Ang canal on Charoen Krung Road , is a narrow strip along both sides of Khlong Ong Ang with small shops selling goods. Nearby is Woeng Nakhon Khasem (เวิ้งนาครเขษม) or "thieves market". The Khlong Thom Market (in Pom Prap Sattru Phai District), once a famous market for low cost goods and electronics, is a large area of several blocks on the opposite side of Charoen Krung Road. The small lanes inside

3528-401: The opinion that Siamese slaves were treated better than English servants. During his monkhood, Mongkut studied both indigenous astrology and English texts on Western astronomy and mathematics, hence developing his skills in astronomical measurement. One way that he honed his mastery of astronomy, aside from the accurate prediction of the solar eclipse of 18 August 1868 (Wakor solar eclipse),

3600-485: The printing system and then resumed the publishing of Siam's first newspaper, the Bangkok Recorder . However, the missionaries were not as successful when it came to making religious conversions. In 1852, he ordered the nobles of the court to wear upper garments. Previously, Siamese nobles were forbidden to wear any shirts to prevent them from hiding any weapons in it and met the king bare-chested. The practice

3672-458: The resources of the Siamese army ran out and the army had to retreat. Accompanying the influx of Western visitors to Siam was the notion of a round earth. By many Siamese, this was difficult to accept, particularly by religious standards, because Buddhist scripture described the earth as being flat . The Traiphum , which was a geo-astrological map created before the arrival of Westerners, described "…a path between two mountain ranges through which

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3744-483: The road became known as Thanon Mai ( ถนนใหม่ ) or New Road . King Mongkut later gave it the name Charoen Krung , which means "prosperous city" or "prosperity of the city". The road, constructed in two phases, runs roughly parallel to the Chao Phraya River in a southerly direction from the city centre. The first section ran from the old city moat , crossed Phadung Krumg Kasem Canal, and continued through

3816-610: The same progressive mission. From that point on, Siam more quickly embraced modernization. Vajirayan initiated two major revolutionary changes. Firstly, he embraced modern geography, among other sciences considered "Western". Secondly, he sought reform in Buddhism and, as a result, a new sect was created in Siamese Theravada Buddhism. Both revolutions challenged the purity and validity of the Buddhist order as it

3888-578: The site of many historic buildings, has lagged in economic potential; up to 20 percent of its commercial buildings were unoccupied in 2013. Lately, in an attempt at urban renewal, there have been efforts to promote the southern Charoen Krung neighbourhood as the Charoenkrung Creative District . Meanwhile, construction of the Blue Line extension of Bangkok's MRT system, which runs directly under Charoen Krung as it passes through

3960-493: The small lanes branching off the main road. A gate was built to celebrate King Bhumibol 's 72nd birthday. It is on Odeon Circle , (named after a cinema that once stood nearby) at end of Yaowarat Road. Some of well-known Thai Buddhist Temples in the district are: Many Chinese temples and shrines are also here, including: The most famous Chinese temple in the area, Wat Mangkon Kamalawat (วัดมังกรกมลาวาส), popularly known as Wat Leng Noei Yi (วัดเล่งเน่ยยี่), lies just outside

4032-465: The stars, planets, moon and sun pass." Religious scholars usually concluded that Buddhist scriptures "…were meant to be taken literally only when it came to matters of spiritual truth; details of natural science are revealed figuratively and allegorically." Mongkut claimed to have abandoned the Traiphum cosmology before 1836. He claimed that he already knew of the round state of earth 15 years before

4104-428: The support of powerful nobility and Britain, Mongkut's ascension to the throne was ensured. After his twenty-seven years of monastic life, King Mongkut voluntarily defrocked and ascended the throne in 1851, aged 47. He took the name Phra Chom Klao , although foreigners continued to call him King Mongkut. The king was well known among the foreigners, particularly some British officers, as pro-British. Sir James Brooke ,

4176-501: The throne was irredeemable and to avoid political intrigues, Mongkut retained his monastic status. Vajirayan became one of the few members of the royal family who devoted his life to religion. He travelled around the country as a monk and saw the relaxation of the rules of the Pali Canon among the Siamese monks he met, which he considered inappropriate. In 1829, at Phetchaburi , he met a monk named Buddhawangso, who strictly followed

4248-418: The time he died, aged 64, he had 82 children. His awareness of possibility of an outbreak of war with the European powers led him to institute many innovative activities. He ordered the nobility to wear shirts while attending his court; this was to show that Siam was a "modern" nation from the Western point of view. However, Mongkut's own astrological calculations pointed out that his brother, Prince Isaret,

4320-520: The time it reached its destination, President Buchanan was no longer in office. Lincoln, who succeeded Buchanan, is said to have been asked what the elephants could be used for, and in reply he said that he did not know, unless "they were used to stamp out the rebellion." However, in his reply dated 3 February 1862, Lincoln did not mention anything about the Civil War. The President merely politely declined to accept King Mongkut's proposal, explaining to

4392-476: The two became close friends, and Vajirayan invited Pallegoix to preach Christian sermons in the wat. Vajirayan admired Christian morals and achievements as presented by the vicar, but could make nothing of Christian doctrine. It was then that he made the comment later attributed to him as king: "What you teach people to do is admirable, but what you teach them to believe is foolish." King Mongkut would later be noted for his excellent command of English, although it

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4464-492: The two states then fought each other and Chiang Hung sought Siamese support. Nangklao saw this as an opportunity to gain control over Shan states but he died in 1851 before this plan was realized. In 1852, Chiang Hung submitted the request again. Mongkut sent Siamese troops northwards but the armies were turned aside by the mountainous highlands. In 1855 the Siamese marched again and reached Kengtung—though with even greater difficulty. They laid siege on Kengtung for 21 days. However,

4536-468: Was also known for appointing his younger brother, Prince Chutamani, as Second King , crowned in 1851 as King Pinklao . Mongkut told the country that Pinklao should be respected with equal honor to himself (as King Naresuan had done with his brother Ekathotsarot in 1583). During Mongkut's reign, the power of the House of Bunnag reached its zenith: It became the most powerful noble family of Siam. Mongkut

4608-549: Was as well-favored as himself to be the monarch. So, Mongkut then crowned his brother as King Pinklao, the second king. As a prince, Pinklao was known for his abilities in foreign languages and relations. Mongkut also raised his supporter Dit Bunnag to Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Prayurawongse ( Somdet Chao Phraya was the highest rank of nobility on a par with royalty) and made him his regent kingdom-wide. Mongkut also appointed Dit Bunnag's brother, Tat Bunnag, as Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Pichaiyat, as his regent in Bangkok. As

4680-486: Was changing the official Buddhist calendar, "which was seriously miscalculated and the times for auspicious moments were incorrect." In 1868, he invited high-ranking European and Siamese officials to accompany him to Wakor village in Prachuap Khiri Khan Province , south of Hua Hin , where the solar eclipse that was to occur on 18 August could be best viewed as a total eclipse. Sir Harry Ord ,

4752-524: Was criticized by Westerners and so Mongkut ended it. However, Mongkut did not abandon the traditional culture of Siam. For Buddhism, Mongkut pioneered the rehabilitation of various temples. He also began the Magha Puja (มาฆบูชา) festival in the full moon of the third lunar month, to celebrate Buddha's announcement of his main principles. He instigated the recompilation of Tripitaka in Siam according to Theravada traditions. He also formally established

4824-406: Was followed by Prince Chutamani ( เจ้าฟ้าจุฑามณี ) in 1808. In 1809, Prince Itsarasunthon was crowned as Phutthaloetla Naphalai (later styled King Rama II.) The royal family then moved to the Grand Palace . Thenceforth, until their own accessions as kings, the brothers ( เจ้าฟ้า chaofa ) were called Chao Fa Yai ( เจ้าฟ้าใหญ่ ) and Chao Fa Noi ( เจ้าฟ้าน้อย ). In 1824, Mongkut became

4896-463: Was marked by significant modernization initiatives and diplomatic engagements, which played pivotal roles in shaping Thailand's trajectory towards progress and international relations. Siam first felt the pressure of Western expansionism during Mongkut's reign. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of his country, both in technology and culture—earning him the nickname "The Father of Science and Technology" in Siam. Mongkut

4968-597: Was only taught in select schools, mainly those that were run by American missionaries with English programs for upper secondary students. Thongchai Winichakul argues that Mongkut's efforts to popularize Western geography helped bring reform to education in Siam. 1852 saw an influx of English and American missionaries into Siam as Mongkut hired them to teach the English language to the princes. He also hired Western mercenaries to train Siamese troops in Western style. In Bangkok, American Dan Beach Bradley had already reformed

5040-490: Was practiced in Siam at the time. In 1836, Vajirayan arrived at Wat Bowonniwet in what is now Bangkok's central district , but was then the city proper, and became the wat's first abbot ( เจ้าอาวาส ). During this time, he pursued a Western education, studying Latin, English, and astronomy with missionaries and sailors. Vicar Pallegoix of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bangkok lived nearby;

5112-435: Was renovated and paved with asphalt in 1922. The construction of Charoen Krung Road—together with Bamrung Mueang , built shortly after—marked a major change in Bangkok's urban landscape. Land transport soon overtook canals in importance, and the growth of the city now followed roads instead. Charoen Krung remained the city's main road and largest thoroughfare up to the early 20th century, when development expanded in-land along

5184-417: Was swiftly disappearing. The abolition of such trade barriers replaced the previous system of Siamese commerce with free trade . Import taxation was reduced to 3% and could only be collected once. This was a blow to national revenue. However, this led to dramatic growth of commercial sectors as common people gained access to foreign trade. People rushed to acquire vast, previously empty fields to grow rice and

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