Prajadhipok

Prajadhipok was born on 8 November 1893 in Bangkok, Siam (now Thailand) to King Chulalongkorn and Queen Saovabha Phongsri. Prince Prajadhipok was the youngest of nine children born to the couple. Overall he was the king's second-youngest child (of a total of 77), and the 33rd and youngest of Chulalongkorn's sons. Unlikely to succeed to the throne, Prince Prajadhipok chose to pursue a military career. Like many of the king's children, he was sent abroad to study, going to Eton College in 1906, then to the Woolwich Military Academy from which he graduated in 1913. He received a commission in the Royal Horse Artillery in the British Army based in Aldershot. In 1910 Chulalongkorn died and was succeeded by Prajadhipok's older brother (also a son of Queen Saovabha), Crown Prince Vajiravudh, who became King Rama VI. Prince Prajadhipok was by then commissioned in both the British Army and the Royal Siamese Army. With the outbreak of the First World War and the declaration of Siamese neutrality, King Vajiravudh ordered his younger brother to resign his British commission and return to Siam immediately, a great embarrassment to the prince, who wanted to serve with his men on the Western front. Once home, Prajadhipok became a high-ranking military official in Siam. In 1917 he was ordained temporarily as a monk, as was customary for most Buddhist Siamese men. In August 1918 Prince Prajadhipok married his childhood friend and cousin Rambai Barni, a descendant of King Mongkut (Prajadhipok's grandfather) and his Royal Consort Piam. They were married at Sukhothai Palace which was a wedding gift to the couple from Queen Saovabha. After the war in Europe ended, he attended the École Superieure de Guerre in France, returning to Siam to the Siamese military. During this time, he was granted the additional title Krom Luang Sukhothai (Prince of Sukhothai). Prajadhipok lived a generally quiet life with his wife at their residence, Sukhothai Palace, next to the Chao Phraya River. The couple had no children. Prajadhipok soon found himself rising rapidly in succession to the throne, as his brothers all died within a relatively short period. In 1925, King Vajiravudh himself died at the age of 44. Prajadhipok became absolute monarch at only thirty-two. He was crowned King of Siam on 25 February 1926. ==Last absolute monarch==

cover in 1931|alt= Relatively unprepared for his new responsibilities, Prajadhipok was nevertheless intelligent, diplomatic in his dealings with others, modest, and eager to learn. However, he had inherited serious political and economic problems from his predecessor. Gradually these princes arrogated power to themselves, monopolising all the main ministerial positions and appointing their sons and brothers to both administrative and military posts. By April 1926 almost the entire cabinet of ministry heads had been replaced with newly appointed Princes or nobles, with only three former members being re-appointed. Unlike his predecessor, the king read virtually all state papers that came his way, from ministerial submissions to petitions by citizens. Information was obtained regarding local self-government in surrounding countries, and proposals to allow certain municipalities to raise local taxes and manage their own budgets were drawn up. The fact that the public was not sufficiently educated to make the scheme work militated against the success of this administrative venture. Nevertheless, the idea of teaching the Siamese the concept of democracy through a measure of decentralisation of power in municipalities had become, in Prajadhipok's mind, fundamental to future policy-making. However, Yasukichi Yatabe, Japanese minister to Siam, criticized the king's way and that it would not be accomplished in a hundred years' time. , 1931 In September 1931 Britain abandoned the gold standard and devalued sterling by 30 percent. ==Revolution of 1932==

meeting in Ananta Samakhom A small group of soldiers and civil servants began secretly plotting to overthrow absolute monarchy and bring a constitutional government to the kingdom. Their efforts culminated in an almost bloodless "revolution" on the morning of 24 June 1932 by the self-proclaimed Khana Ratsadon (''People's Party''; คณะราษฎร). It was a significant gesture because, according to previous royal rituals, monarchs were to remain seated while their subjects made obeisance, this showed that Prajadhipok was acknowledging the changed circumstances. ==First constitutional monarch==

on 10 December 1932. In the early stages of the constitutional monarchy, the King and the royalists seemed to be able to compromise with Khana Ratsadon. The constitutional bill which was drafted by Pridi Banomyong and intended to be a permanent one was made temporary. The new constitution restored some of the monarch's lost power and status. Among them were introduction of unelected half of the House of Representatives and royal veto power. The country's first prime minister Phraya Manopakorn Nitithada was a conservative and royalist nobleman. The compromise broke down quickly. He did not contest when his interpretation of Pridi's economic plan, which also aim on land reform and seizure of royal land, was released with his signature. The king played a role in the coup d'état of April 1933, where the House was ordered to close by the prime minister. He signed an order to execute Khana Ratsadon leaders. But Khana Ratsadon's military wing leader Phraya Phahonphonphayuhasena ousted the government and restored its power. He played an active role in an anti-revolutionary network, which also aimed to assassinate Khana Ratsadon's leaders. The insurrection diminished the king's prestige. When the revolt began, Prajadhipok immediately informed the government that he regretted the strife and civil disturbances. The royal couple then took refuge at Songkhla, in the far south. The king's withdrawal from the scene was interpreted by the Khana Ratsadorn as a failure to do his duty. By not throwing his full support behind government forces, he had undermined their trust in him. In 1934 the Assembly voted to amend civil and military penal codes. The king vetoed the changes to the separation between personal and royal assets as he did not want to pay tax, and protested an amendment to diminish the king's consideration of death sentence over the courts. After many losses to Khana Ratsadon, the king seemed to change his stance and expressed support for democracy and blamed Khana Ratsadon for being anti-democratic. However, Phibul later discussed in the House that unelected parliamentary members were the king's wish, and another House member criticized the king for being unbearable. Prajadhipok, whose relations with the Khana Ratsadon had been deteriorating for some time, went on a tour of Europe before visiting England for medical treatment. He continued to correspond with the government regarding the conditions under which he would continue to serve. He tried to retain some of the royal powers, such as power to veto law with no possible override. Other disagreements were on royal assets and royal benefits. After the government did not comply, on 14 October Prajadhipok announced his intention to abdicate unless his requests were met. Trip to Europe File:Hitler and Rama VII.jpg|King Prajadhipok and Adolf Hitler at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in Nazi Germany, 1934 File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2005-0524-508, Berlin, Ankunft des siamesischen Königspaares.jpg|King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambai Barni with Konstantin von Neurath in Nazi Germany, 1934 File:King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambhai Barni with British Premier Ramsay Macdonald in 1934.jpg|King Prajadhipok and Queen Rambai Barni with British Premier Ramsay MacDonald at Number 10 Downing Street, 1934 File:พระบาท สมเด็จ พระเจ้าอยู่หัว เสด็จ เฝ้า สมเด็จ สันโตปาปา ที่ ๑๑ ณ กรุงโรม.jpg|King Rama VII and Queen Rambai Barni after an audience with Pope Pius XI at Vatican City, 1934 ==Abdication==

The People's Party rejected the ultimatum, and on 2 March 1935, Prajadhipok abdicated, to be replaced by Ananda Mahidol. Prajadhipok issued a brief statement criticising the regime that included the following phrases, since often quoted by critics of Thailand's slow political development. ==Life after abdication and death==

Prajadhipok spent the rest of his life with Queen Rambhai Barni in England. At the time of abdication, the couple lived at Knowle House, in Surrey, just outside London. However, this house was not suitable considering his health, so they moved to a smaller house in Virginia Water (still in Surrey), but with more space. The house was named "Hangmoor", but wishing to give it a more pleasant name, he called it "Glen Pammant", an anagram of an old Thai phrase tam pleng nam. They remained there for two years. They moved again to Vane Court, the oldest house in the village of Biddenden in Kent. He led a peaceful life there, gardening in the morning and writing his autobiography in the afternoon. In 1938 the royal couple moved to Compton House, in the village of Wentworth in Virginia Water, Surrey. Due to bombing by the German Luftwaffe in 1940, the couple again moved, first to a small house in Devon, and then to Lake Vyrnwy Hotel in Powys, Wales, where the former king had a heart attack. The couple returned to Compton House, as he expressed his preference to die there. King Prajadhipok died from heart failure on 30 May 1941. His cremation was held at the Golders Green Crematorium in north London. It was a simple affair attended by just Queen Ramphai and a handful of close relatives. Queen Ramphaiphanni stayed at Compton House for a further eight years before she returned to Thailand in 1949, bringing the king's ashes back with her. ==Legacy==

Historian David K. Wyatt writes that Prajadhipok was "a hard-working, effective executor" who was "intellectually equal to the demands of his office", and whose main failing was to underestimate the Bangkok elite's growing nationalism, and that "[a]s late as his death in exile, many would have agreed with his judgement that a move towards democracy in 1932 was premature." who already intended to usher in democracy before the Khana Ratsadon prematurely carried out their revolution. Prajadhipok's abdication statement is often cited in support of this view. Later historians have challenged it as a myth, citing evidence that Prajadhipok's political maneuvers leading up to his abdication had more to do with preserving the power and status of the declining monarchy than challenging the Khana Ratsadon's actual failures to uphold democratic ideals. ==Tributes to Prajadhipok==

File:Monument of King Rama VII at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University 01.jpg|A Statue of the king in Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, Nonthaburi File:Prajadhipok statue - Thai Parliament Museum - 2017-01-26 (008).jpg|King Rama VII statue at Parliament House of Thailand Infrastructure • Sukhothai Thammathirat University • Phra Pok Klao Bridge, Bangkok • Prajadhipok Road, Bangkok • Prapokklao Hospital, Chanthaburi Province Military ranks • Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet National honours • The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri • The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems • Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao • Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit • Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Rama • Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the White Elephant • Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Thailand • Dushdi Mala Pin of Service to the Nation (Civilian) • Chakra Mala Medal • King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal, First Class • King Rama VI Royal Cypher Medal, First Class • King Rama VII Royal Cypher Medal, First Class • Rajini Medal Foreign honours • : • Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum • : • Knight of the Order of the Elephant, 8 February 1926 • : • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Netherlands Lion • : • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) • : • Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, 1926 • : • Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour • : • Knight of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation • : • Knight of the Order of the Seraphim • : • Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles, 1 March 1934 • : • Grand Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit • : • Order of the White Lion, First Class Honorary degrees • 1931: Doctor of Laws, George Washington University ==Ancestry==