Raphi Phatthanasak

Raphi Phatthanasak
Prince of Ratchaburi
Born(1874-10-21)21 October 1874
Grand Palace, Bangkok, Siam
Died7 August 1920(1920-08-07) (aged 45)
Paris, France
Spouse
  • Princess Orabhatra Prabai
  • Mom On Rabibadhana Na Ayudhya
  • Mom Duaeng Rabibadhana
  • Mom Rajawongse Sa-ang Pramoj
Issue13 sons and daughters
Names
His Royal Highness
Prince Rabibadhanasakdi
HouseRabhibhat family (Chakri Dynasty)
FatherChulalongkorn (Rama V)
MotherChao Chom Manda Talab

Prince Raphi Phatthanasak, Prince of Ratchaburi (Thai: รพีพัฒนศักดิ์; RTGS: Raphi Phatthanasak), (21 October 1874 – 7 August 1920) was a son of king Chulalongkorn and Chao Chom manda Talab. He had one full sister, Princess Ajrabarni Rajkanya.[1]

A key figure in Thai legal reform, he graduated from Faculty of Law, University of Oxford. In 1892, the Ministry of Justice was established and Prince Raphi was appointed as Head Minister to unify the judiciary.[2] In 1897, he set up the first law school in Thailand. He also reorganized the Thai court system under the 1908 Law on Organization.[3]: 66  During his tenure as the Minister of Justice, his attempts to increase the independence of the Thai judiciary from the executive led to tensions with the king's absolutist outlook.[4] This would eventually culminate in his resignation in 1910, precipitated by a legal dispute with Prince Narathip Praphanphong over Narathip's play Phraya Raka.[5] Following their mentor, 28 senior judges also resigned from the judiciary in a show of loyalty, though all but one were summoned by the king to resume their position.[4][3]: 22  Prince Raphi would later return to the bureaucracy in the reign of King Vajiravudh, serving as the Minister of Agriculture.[5]

Prince Raphi died in Paris on 7 August 1920 at 21:00. He died of prostate cancer and kidney complications at the age of 45 years, 9 months, 17 days. King Rama VI asked the Siamese ambassador to France to organize a royal cremation ceremony in Paris, in accordance with Prince Raphi's wishes. After that, Prince Kaiseang-raphi Rabhibhat came to pick up and summon the Royal Regiment of Prince Raphi Phatthanasak to Thailand on 1 December 1920.[6][7]

  1. ^ https://www.coj.go.th/th/day/rapee/rapee.html [dead link‍]
  2. ^ "พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้ารพีพัฒนศักดิ์ กรมหลวงราชบุรีดิเรกฤทธิ์". Sanook.com. 26 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Loos, Tamara (2006). Subject Siam: Family, Law, and Colonial Modernity in Thailand. Cornell: Cornell University Press.
  4. ^ a b Mead, Kullada Kesboonchoo (2004). The rise and decline of Thai absolutism. London: RoutledgeCurzon. pp. 112–114. ISBN 0-203-64430-1. OCLC 61451201.
  5. ^ a b ปรีชาศิลปกุล, สมชาย (2020-08-06). "'ประวัติศาสตร์ตาบอด' ของบิดาแห่งกฎหมายไทย" [The 'blind history' of the father of Thai law]. The 101 World. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  6. ^ เสมียนอัคนี (21 October 2021). "21 ตุลาคม วันคล้ายวันประสูติ กรมหลวงราชบุรีดิเรกฤทธิ์ "พระบิดาแห่งกฎหมายไทย"" [21 October, birthdate of Prince Ratchaburi, father of the modern Thai legal system]. Art & Culture.
  7. ^ "อ่านอีกครั้งในความเงียบ: พระองค์เจ้ารพีฯ เป็นบิดาแห่งกฎหมายไทยจริงหรือ ?" [Is Prince Raphi really the father of Thai law?]. The101.world. 7 August 2018.