King Mongkut (Rama IV)
King who took the throne after 27 years as a monk and launched Siam's modernization.
Life
Monk and scholar
Mongkut was the son of Rama II. When his father died the throne passed to his elder brother, and he became a Buddhist monk for 27 years, studying the Pali scriptures and founding the Dhammayuttika order; he also learned English, Latin and astronomy from Western missionaries.
Opened the country
After taking the throne in 1851, facing pressure from the Western powers, he opened the country on his own initiative. In 1855 he signed the Bowring Treaty with the United Kingdom, lowering tariffs and opening trade, and then signed treaties with other Western countries. He hired Western teachers to educate the princes and pushed reforms.
Total solar eclipse
In 1868, based on his own calculations, he accurately predicted a total solar eclipse; he caught malaria while traveling to observe it and died.
Legacy
King Mongkut launched Siam's modernization; he and his son Chulalongkorn made Siam the only country in Southeast Asia never to become a colony.
Did you know? The film The King and I is based on him; because it is historically inaccurate, it is banned in Thailand.
Key dates
- 1824Became a Buddhist monk
- 1851Accession
- 1855Signed the Bowring Treaty
- 1862Hired Anna Leonowens to educate the princes
- 1868Died after observing a total solar eclipse