The Chakri Dynasty of Thailand Quiz

Answer: Rama VI - Vajiravudh

Rama VI was the King of Siam from 1910 to 1926. (Thailand was known as Siam until 1939 and then again from 1946 to 1949.) His full name and title was Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthra Maha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua, but this is generally shortened to Vajiravudh. The naming conventions for Thai monarchs are complex and the names of the earlier monarchs have been changed posthumously on several occasions. Vajiravudh noted that this caused significant confusion for foreigners and as a result instituted a new policy of referring to the monarchs of the Chakri dynasty as 'King Rama' with an appropriate regnal number; a decision designed to imitate the European style of naming kings and queens.

Siam entered the First World War in July 1917 when it declared war on Germany and joined forces with the Allies. It was the only south-east Asian country to maintain its independence during the 19th and 20th centuries and Vajiravudh's main aim in entering the war was to cement the country's status as an independent nation and to regain the territory it had lost in the process of avoiding colonisation by various European nations.

Answer: Rama III - Nangklao

Nangklao was the third monarch of the Chakri Dynasty, and has posthumously become known as King Rama III. When his reign began in 1809, the reign of his grandfather (Rama I) was known as the "First Reign" and the reign of his father (Rama II) was known as the "Middle Reign". Logically speaking, his reign was therefore set to be known as the "Late Reign" or "Last Reign" - neither of which was a very auspicious name. As a result he provided new names for both Rama I and Rama II based on the names given to two statues of the Buddha that he commissioned for the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, but left his own to be determined by his successors. The name Nangklao was given to him after his death in 1851 as part of the longer title Phrabat Somdet Phra Paramathiworaset Maha Chetsadabodin Phra Nangklao Chao Yu Hua.

Anouvong's Rebellion - also known as the Lao Rebellion of 1826-28 - was an uprising against Siamese control of the Kingdom of Vientiane (part of modern day Laos). Anouvong was the last King of Vientiane and his defeat by Nangklao's forces in 1828 resulted in his city being razed to the ground and its population scattered across the region. Vientiane was later rebuilt by the French as part of their colonisation of Laos and became the capital of the modern day country.

Answer: Rama X - Vajiralongkorn

King Vajiralongkorn - Rama X - spent nearly 44 years as Crown Prince of Thailand after being awarded that title by his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1972 at the age of 20. The title of crown prince had only been used intermittently since it was first created for the eldest son of King Rama V in 1886. As a result Vajiralongkorn was only the third official crown prince in the nation's history and the second - after King Rama VI - to go on to take the throne. As heir apparent he spent much of his life in the armed forces, qualified as a military pilot and served in both the Royal Thai Army and Royal Thai Air Force.

While Vajiralongkorn's reign is officially listed as starting at the point of his father's death on October 13th, 2016, he didn't actually formally accept the position until December 1st of the same year after having requested a delay in order to mourn for his father. On his eventual acceptance his coronation was also delayed until after the end of a year-long national period of mourning.

Answer: Rama VIII - Ananda Mahidol

King Ananda Mahidol reigned as King Rama VIII from 1935 till his death in 1946. He was appointed to the throne after the abdication of his uncle King Prajadhipok. His father, Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, was one of King Prajadhipok's many half-brothers but as he was born to King Chulalongkorn's second-ranked queen, he and his sons were highest in the line of succession. King Ananda Mahidol was born in Heidelberg, Germany while his father was being treated there for the kidney disease that eventually claimed his life in 1929 and left his eldest son as the next heir to throne. He was educated in Switzerland, which is where he was living when he was proclaimed king, and he did not return permanently to Thailand until just six months before his death.

On June 9th, 1946 the young king was found dead in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head. Initially it was announced that he had died as a result of the gun being accidentally discharged. However, an inquiry ruled shortly afterwards that the death could not have been accidental and in 1948 (after a military coup of the government) three of the king's aides were charged with conspiracy to murder. After a trial that lasted nearly three years the court found one of the three guilty, and after a series of further appeals all three had convictions upheld and were executed. However, despite this outcome the exact circumstances of his death remain a mystery.

Answer: Rama IV - Mongkut

King Mongkut - otherwise known as Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthra Maha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua or King Rama IV - reigned from 1851 to 1868. He was the eldest surviving son of King Rama II's highest ranked consort, Queen Sri Suriyendra, and therefore expected to succeed his father on the throne. However, on his father's death in 1824, senior officials instead elected his elder half-brother as king because of his greater military and political experience. By comparison, Mongkut was only 19 years old and had just become a Buddhist monk. He then spent the 27 years of his brother's reign as a monk.

After finally succeeding to the throne in 1851, Mongkut was particularly noted for having many wives and children - he is believed to have had at least 82 children and had 39 different women as his consort. He employed an English governess, Anna Leonowens, to provide his children (and some of their mothers) with a Western-style education. The story of Anna's experiences at the Siamese royal court was used as the basis of the novel 'Anna and the King of Siam' by Margaret Landon, which was then adapted by Rodgers and Hammerstein into the hit musical 'The King and I' and later made into a film of the same name. 'The King and I' was highly controversial in Thailand and banned by the government.

Answer: Rama I - Chulalok

King Rama I was (somewhat unsurprisingly given his title) the first king of Thailand's Chakri dynasty. He was originally a military leader from a noble family who had achieved great success by conquering Cambodia and the Lao kingdoms as well as leading troops in various wars against Burma. He served at the court of his predecessor King Taksin and took the throne himself in 1782 after Taksin was ousted by a rebellion. The dynasty he founded was named the Chakri dynasty after a name the future king had been granted when he was placed in charge of the country's northern provinces. One of the first acts of his rule was to move Siam's capital to the eastern side of the Chao Phraya river, an area that is now known as Bangkok. He was also responsible for ordering the construction of many of Bangkok's greatest buildings, including the Grand Palace.

The Nine Armies' War - also known as the Burmese-Siamese War of 1785-86 - was an attempt by King Bodawpaya of Burma to invade Siam. The invasion was rapidly repelled by Rama I's forces and ended in a humiliating retreat for the Burmese army.

Rama I's reign lasted until his death in 1809 at which point he was succeeded by his son Rama II - one of his 42 children. The name Chulalok was part of the title conferred on him posthumously by his grandson, King Rama III.

Answer: Rama VII - Prajadhipok

The reign of King Rama VII - 1925 to 1935 - was dominated by political upheaval. Originally he was not expected to succeed to the throne as he was the youngest of King Rama V's 33 sons, but the death of several other siblings left him as the next heir to his eldest brother Vajiravudh (Rama VI). In 1932, following several years of economic difficulties brought on by the Great Depression, a revolution was staged and the plotters gave Prajadhipok the choice between becoming a constitutional monarch or the country becoming a republic. Prajadhipok chose the former option, but continued in the position for less than three years before abdicating because of disagreements with the government over what his role should involve.

Prajadhipok was away on a European tour in 1935 and staying in England for medical treatment at the time of his abdication. After the event, both he and his wife remained in England until his death in 1941.

Answer: Rama IX - Bhumibol Adulyadej

The reign of King Bhumibol Adulyladej (Rama IX) was longer than any of his predecessors of the Chakri Dynasty. He came to the throne after the death of his brother in June 1946 and remained on it until his death in October 2016 at the age of 88. He was also one of the most popular monarchs of the dynasty - although his reign spanned many periods of internal conflict, military coups and political crises he was seen as a stable figurehead and made several important interventions to secure peace despite his position as constitutional monarch. In 1987, he was given the title of King Bhumibol the Great.

The country's name was first changed from Siam to Thailand in 1939 during the reign of Rama IX's brother, Ananda Mahidol. Siam was seen as a Western name for a country that its own inhabitants colloquially referred to as Mueang Thai. However, it reverted back to Siam in the aftermath of the Second World War. This decision was short-lived and the country was officially renamed Thailand in 1949 following a vote in the country's constituent assembly.

Answer: Rama II - Nabhalai

King Rama II occupied the throne of Siam from 1809 to 1824. He was born before his father founded the Chakri Dynasty and was initially named Chim. He later gained the title of Prince Itsarasunthon and went through a couple of other names before being posthumously labelled Phra Bat Somdet Phra Borommarajabongjet Mahesvarasundorn Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai - or Nabhalai for short.

Nabhalai was a devout Buddhist and promoted the religion to his people. He was also noted as a poet and acted as a patron for others, including Sunthorn Phu, who is regarded as one of Thailand's most popular national poets. His reign was largely peaceful - excepting a few skirmishes with the Burmese.

Answer: Rama V - Chulalongkorn

King Chulalongkorn (or Rama V) is largely credited with modernising Siamese society; embracing industrial development, such as the railways; and introducing elements of Western culture, such as local government systems, land ownership rules and bowing (rather than requiring people to prostrate themselves to dignitaries). However, more importantly, it was during his reign that the system of slavery in Siam was gradually reduced and then finally abolished.

Chulalongkorn sat on the throne from 1868 until 1910. At the start of his reign it was estimated that around one third of Siam's population was enslaved, either because poverty had led them to sell themselves into slavery or because they had been born to parents who were enslaved. The king's first step in 1874 was to vastly reduce the prices set for people to buy themselves out of slavery and he then granted freedom from the age of 21 to slaves born during his reign. The Employment Act of 1900 required all workers to be paid, before the Slave Abolition Act of 1905 finally did away with the abhorrent practice.