Chulalongkorn the Great — Rama V
(b. 1853, r. 1868-1910)

The young prince depicted in The King and I, Chulalongkorn, while not Mongkut's oldest living son, was the oldest son whose mother was a queen and thus his first choice as heir. His father saw that he had a superb education, a Thai classical one as well as a thorough grounding in western subjects.

When he was thirteen the ceremony of tonsure was performed in which the long lock of hair on his head was cut off. There were several days of elaborate ceremonies with a cast of thousands. Then his head and eyebrows were shaved in preparation for his three traditional months as a Buddhist monk.

He and his father were very close and the prince served a practical apprenticeship with the King. Unfortunately, Chulalongkorn was only fifteen when Mongkut died of malaria. The boy was elected king but this was really in name only; the real power was the regent, the Krahalome of The King and I. It was a precarious time; five earlier kings had been assassinated during their minority, and the fact Chulalongkorn reached his majority at all was a testament to his upbringing, character and intelligence. Although he was restive under the regent's control, he knew the time was not ripe to try to assume power. The regent continued to keep control, giving all the choice jobs to his friends and relatives and doing things in the new King's name but without his knowledge. The judges were also his puppets.

While still a minor he did take two trips out of country, and the boy King saw that his numerous brothers were educated in the special modern schools he created, and he insisted they be able to translate foreign languages into Siamese. He then assigned them to government posts or high positions in the military, and many performed brilliantly. When Louis Leonowens returned to Siam as an adult, he was made a captain in the King's army.

When the regent died, Chulalongkorn finally gained full control, but there were still problems. There was a severe rift with his second king who had conspired with the regent and whose army was better-trained than the King's. Even when he reached his majority, Chulalongkorn took his time in making changes. For example, he did not forbid kowtowing and allow courtiers to stand in his presence until after the death of the regent. He immediately freed his own slaves, but it took thirty years to free all in the country because of the great disruption to the population and economy which would have resulted. (The decrees of freedom applied only to those born in Siam.) The young King reformed taxes and public finance, encouraging private industry, started to clear the judicial backlog, created centralized budgeting and established a legislature although, at first, most of its members were appointed. The reforms were slow because civil servants had to be trained and he wished to maintain Siamese traditions, that is, to have change without complete modernization.The canals of Bangkok were gradually replaced by streets. He built the first railroad and was the first reigning Thai king to travel abroad, visiting Russia, Germany, France and England as well as the rest of South East Asia. In 1894, the Ministry of Education was set up to regulate nation-wide education and to provide scholarships so commoners could study abroad.

However, international, conditions were difficult. The French were taking over much of the Indochinese peninsula and, although Siam lost some territory (in particular, Cambodia and Laos were no longer were part of Siam), it was the only Indochinese country to maintain its independence, and it became a buffer state between colonial possessions.

Chulalongkorn had ninety-two wives and seventy-seven children by fifty-two of them. He assured his own sons and nephews the best modern education, and many studied in Europe. No longer isolated in the palaces, they were subject to the scrutiny of the press and often communicated directly with the people. He is regarded as the greatest King of Siam. His death in 1910 is still commemorated on Chulalongkorn Day, there is an equestrian statue of him in Royal Plaza, and one of the universities is named for him.

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