Mongkut

This article is about the king. For Thai crowns, see Chada and mongkut. For the road, see Rama IV Road.
Not to be confused with Vajiravudh (reigning title Phra Mongkut Klao Chaoyuhua).

  • Mongkut
  • มงกุฎ
King Rama IV
Portrait by John Thomson, c. 1865
King of Siam
Reign2 April 1851 – 1 October 1868
Coronation15 May 1851
PredecessorNangklao (Rama III)
SuccessorChulalongkorn (Rama V)
ViceroyPinklao (1851–1866)
Born(1804-10-18)18 October 1804
Bangkok, Siam
Died1 October 1868(1868-10-01) (aged 63)
Bangkok, Siam
Spouse
Issue
more...
HouseChakri dynasty
FatherPhutthaloetlanaphalai (Rama II)
MotherSri Suriyendra
ReligionTheravada Buddhism
Signature
Portrait of King Mongkut at Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, The Grand Palace.

Mongkut (Thai: มงกุฏ; 18 October 1804 – 1 October 1868) was the fourth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV.[1] 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).[2]

The reign of Mongkut 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 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 is known in the West primarily through the lens of the 1951 musical The King and I and its 1956 film adaptation.

  1. ^ "The real 'King and I' – the story of new Thai king's famous ancestor". Reuters. 3 May 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  2. ^ "In Remembrance of His Majesty King Mongkut (King Rama IV), 1 October – Assumption University of Thailand". www.au.edu. Retrieved 12 November 2023.