In recent times, Thailand's anti-government rallies and demonstrations have been so loud that the scale of their demands for royal reform has attracted worldwide attention. Although many readers are very interested in the activities of the Thai royal family, out of respect for the Thai royal family, SiamEse Jewel Pickers does not want to rely on the lace news of Thailand's current royal family purely for the sake of so-called reading traffic. However, in order to allow readers who are interested in Thai history to have a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the Thai royal family, today, Siam Chu Chu introduces you to a very famous king in Thai history, who is King Rama IV Mongkut.
In the history of Thailand, many kings have been honored with the title of Emperor, such as The Great Of Langham khan in the Sukhothai period, Narisuan the Great in the Ayutthaya period, Zheng Xin the Great in the Thonburi period, and Chulalongkorn the Great in the Rattanakorn period. In Thailand they are worshipped as gods and admired by all people. Although King Rama IV Mongkut did not become the "Great", he left a glorious page in thai history. His story was once written into the Broadway classic "The King and Me" and later adapted into the Hollywood film Anna and the King.
In 1851, King Mongkut ascended the throne as the fourth king of the Rattanakosin Dynasty (or Chokri Dynasty, Bangkok Dynasty). He was a monk for twenty-seven years before ascending the throne, and his long career as a monk provided Mongkut with an excellent opportunity to meet the Siamese people. He traveled to almost every corner of Siam, contacting all strata of Siamese society, from the lower classes to the upper nobility, Mongkut interacted as equals, so the information obtained became more and more truthful. Through equal contact and interaction with them, Mongkut has mastered first-hand precious information about Siamese society and has a clear understanding of siam's shortcomings. This also provided material for King Menggu to prescribe the right medicine and carry out social reforms.
King Rama IV Mongkut
At the same time, during his monasticism, he became acquainted with many missionaries from Western countries who came to Siam, such as the French Catholic missionary Bishop Parigova, the American Christian missionary Caswell, Bradley and Haus. Meng Gu established a friendship with them and learned english from them as well as Western science and culture. Menggu was the first king in An Asian country to be able to converse and write in English. English opened the door to the Western civilized world for Meng gu, who read a large number of Western English works, including modern science, politics, geography, history, and mathematics. Through the study of the West, Menggu has been able to broaden his horizons and enrich his connotations. At the same time, the simple democratic ideas and reform spirit have also taken root in his mind.
In the modern history of Thailand (known as Siam before 1939), the 17 years of King Menggu's reign (reigned from 1851 to 1868) were the critical period of Siam's survival, with hardships in people's livelihood and coveting by strong enemies on the outside. In the face of the harsh internal and external environment, King Menggu changed the legacy of the previous king, implemented a series of reform measures, adjusted the foreign policy, eliminated siam's old shortcomings, enabled Siam at that time to maintain its sovereign independence and inviolability, and began the transition to the capitalist mode of production under the influence of Western countries. King Mengku's reforms occupy a very important position in the history of Siam, and have a positive significance and far-reaching impact on the development of Siam. One of the most important points is that the reform of King Mongkut made a necessary and effective preparation for the reform of Chulalongkorn the Great (reigned 1868-1910), and without the reform of King Menggu, the reform of Chulalongkorn the Great could not have been smooth and smooth.
From the seventeenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century, it was the major countries in Europe and the United States that experienced the bourgeois revolution and the first industrial revolution, and their strength increased greatly. They actively pursued the policy of colonial expansion and opened the doors of the eastern countries with their guns. The countries of the East became their competitors for the origin of raw materials, investment sites, commodity markets, and division of spheres of influence. The countries around Siam have successively become the sphere of influence of the Western powers, and Siam is gradually surrounded by Western powers.
Burma, bordering Siam in the west, was defeated in two Anglo-Burmese wars, and british power was directly approaching Siam, and it was eyeing Siam. China, Asia's largest feudal empire, also lost its role as a barrier to the European and American powers. In 1839, the First Opium War broke out as a result of the British forcibly provoking a dispute in order to maximize the legalization of the opium trade in their country. In 1842, the Qing government announced its surrender and signed the Treaty of Nanking, which humiliated the country. China was reduced to a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society. West of Siam, India was completely reduced to a British colony. From 1845 onwards, the Activities of the British fleet based in Penang were intensified. The mighty British army almost surrounded Siam in a half-moon shape. The security environment around Siam is extremely harsh, and the threat of aggression it faces is increasing day by day. The foreign policy adopted by the Siamese rulers at that time was also very easy to attract invasion by the West.
The Siamese kings before Mongkut had a wary and indifferent attitude towards Westerners, and basically adopted a traditional closed policy in their dealings with Western countries. "Ever since the failure of Louis XIV to control the ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya in the seventeenth century, the Siamese have had an unusual and all possible restriction on the Europeans' trade." In order to open the door to Siamese trade, Western countries have sent envoys to Siam for diplomatic negotiations, but due to the vigilance and indifference of the Siamese rulers, they have either returned in vain or made little progress.
In 1820, Dutch emissaries attempted to establish trade relations with Siam, but were brutally and bluntly treated by Rama II. In 1822, John Crawford was sent to Siam by Marquis Hastings, the British governor in India, to negotiate trade and Penang with Rama II, but no major progress was made.
This attitude changed after Rama III succeeded to the throne in 1824. Although his time has been described as "a bit stagnant", the changes in the surrounding environment have touched Rama III. The defeat of Burma, the First Anglo-Burmese War, which had always been regarded by Siam as second only to China, led Siam to reflect on its policy toward the West. In 1826, Captain Henry Bernie, the second ambassador of the East India Company to Bangkok, signed a trade treaty with Siam, but the treaty did not satisfy the British's attempt to fully open the doors of Siam, because the Siamese royal family still did not give up its monopoly on commerce and trade.
U.S. President Jackson sent Edmer Roberts to Siam in 1832 to sign a treaty of friendly trade with Siam, but Roberts tried to persuade Rama III to grant permission to establish a consul, but was refused. In 1850, James Brooke came to Siam as Britain's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to request a change in the treaty, but Rama III was seriously ill and did not participate in the negotiations, and Brooke did not return. In the same year, the American Baristier came to Siam and asked for a change in the treaty, but Rama III refused to receive him. Rama III's attitude toward the Western powers led them to believe that only military action could make Siam concessions. Siam had become a thorn in the side of the Westerners at this time, and could be invaded by Western forces at any time.
Anglo-Burmese War
Captain Bernie, who came to Siam in 1826, later wrote in his memoirs, "If the Siamese are so dizzy that they want to insult the british nation at its peak... Siam's relations with a maritime power such as Britain were extremely fragile. Just a little effort with the Malays is enough to cut down Siam." The unfavorable international environment in which Siam was located at that time was evident. If Siam does not adjust its foreign policy, the demands of the powerful West for Siam will not be met, which will inevitably lead to the consequences of Siam's loss of power and humiliation like China and Burma.
Siam in the first half of the nineteenth century was essentially a backward agrarian country dominated by a natural economy. The feudal relations of production in Siam were maintained by the "Sadina" system established by The Ninth King of the Ayutthaya Dynasty, Dailai Luogana. The "Sadina" system bound the peasants to the land, the peasants had no freedom of movement, and the self-sufficient natural economy remained dominant. Slavery still existed in Siamese society and was an important part of the social fabric, where slaves could be bought and sold as commodities. The feudal lord class in Siam had dual ownership of the land and the producers. The "Sadina" system and slavery greatly restricted the development of the productive forces of Siamese society and hindered the transition of Siamese society to higher relations of production.
King of Dalai Luogana
Feudal monopolies also hindered the expansion of the domestic commodity economy. The ban on the export of rice remained unchanged until the 1850s, and the low price of rice in the domestic market was extremely detrimental to the production of rice and the commodity economy in agriculture was not developed at all. Rama III introduced a partial state monopoly on the sugar trade in 1841, which was changed to a complete monopoly in 1843. The monopoly of sugar purchases also hinders the development of the commodity economy. Foreign trade is very little. In 1826, during the time of Rama III, Siam imported only 148696 yuan and exported 218955 yuan. By 1841, the value of imported goods was 409463 yuan and export goods were 229891 yuan. In 15 years, the import and export volume of goods increased by only 272,000 yuan.
Ideologically, Rama III feared the ideological alienation of The Siamese nation by Western thought. In 1848, King III ordered the abolition of all Christian churches, chapels and monasteries throughout the country to prevent the Siamese people from being influenced by foreign ideas. Siam was clearly quite backward in terms of civilization, and in 1822, when John Crawford negotiated with Siam, he was dissatisfied that no Siamese knew English and had to communicate in Portuguese and Malay. Even more displeased was the fact that siamese officials were naked when they received him, and Crawford had a special contempt for the Siamese as uncivilized barbarians.
Rama III of the Bangkok Dynasty
Backward feudal relations of production constrained the development of Siam's commodity economy, and the long-term closure of the country prevented Siam from keeping pace with the times. Siam's self-imposed self-imposed tension is in sharp contrast to the rapid changes in the outside world, and reform is imminent.
Siam has reached a turning point in history, and the invasion of the great powers and the difficulties of national fortunes have forced Siam to carry out reforms in order to achieve the survival and development of the nation. The Siamese reformers, represented by King Menggu, who have the spirit of reform and democratic ideas, in order to seek the survival and development of the country and the nation, are in a dilemma with the great powers externally and implement social reforms internally, leading Siam to embark on a road of development different from other countries in Southeast Asia. (To be continued)