Dhani Nivat, the Prince Bidyalabh Bridhyakon ( th, พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าธานีนิวัต กรมหมื่นพิทยลาภพฤฒิยากร; 7 November 1885 – 8 September 1974) was a member of the

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty ( th, ราชวงศ์ จักรี, , , ) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the ...

and Thai courtier. Previously known as Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul (หม่อมเจ้าธานีนิวัต โสณกุล), he received princely rank in 1922. Prince Dhani served many Thai monarchs as Minister of Education and as President of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

; in the latter capacity he acted as

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

for King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...

on three separate occasions. The prince was also known for his academic writings on Thai history and culture. He served as president of the

Siam Society The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage ( th, สยามสมาคมในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์) was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts, and natural sciences of Thai ...

for over 20 years.

Biography

Early life

Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul was born on 7 November 1885, the eldest son of Prince Sonabandhit, the Prince Bidyalabh Pruethidhada and Am Sonakul Na Ayutthaya (née Kuntholchinda). Prince Sonabandhit was the 62nd son of King

Mongkut Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...

and Consort Vad. His father was the first Siamese military attaché in London. As Prince Dhaninivat was born right after the end of his father's posting abroad his name meant "Returning to the City" (of Bangkok). The prince was raised in the Inner Court of the Grand Palace, where his grandmother was Mistress of the Robes. In 1898 at the age of 13, Prince Dhaninivat was ordained as a

Samanera A sāmaṇera (Pali); sa, श्रामणेर (), is a novice male monastic in a Buddhist context. A female novice is a ''śrāmaṇerī'' or ''śrāmaṇerikā'' (Sanskrit; Pāli: ''sāmaṇerī''). Etymology The ''sāmaṇera'' is a ...

or novice monk in the Buddhist Sangha, as was customary for all Thai males. However, as a royal prince his ordination service was carried out at the chapel royal (

Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew ( th, วัดพระแก้ว, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex c ...

). In 1909 he became a full fledge

Bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist ...

monk under

Vajirananavarorasa Vajirananavarorasa (also spelled ''Wachirayan, Watchirayanawarorot'', correct Pali spelling: Vajirañāṇavarorasa, th, วชิรญาณวโรรส, full title ''Somdet Phramahasamanachao Kromphraya Vajirananavarorasa'' สมเด� ...

and resided with him at

Wat Bowonniwet Wat Pavaranivesh Vihara Ratchawarawihan ( th, วัดบวรนิเวศวิหารราชวรวิหาร; , ) is a major Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamvar ...

. His father insisted he continued his studies abroad. After leaving the monkhood he went to England and under King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

's sponsorship studied at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

. He then went on to study Oriental Languages at Merton College, Oxford (namely

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

) and graduated with second-class honours.

Government service

The prince returned to Siam and began working at the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

under Prince

Damrong Rajanubhab Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab ( Thai: ; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธ� ...

. He was sent up country and became chief of the administrative bureau of the Circle of Ayutthaya. During the reign of King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

he was appointed Private Secretary to Queen

Saovabha Phongsri Queen Saovabha Phongsri ( th, เสาวภาผ่องศรี; RTGS: Saowapha PhongsiPronunciation) was an agnatic half-sister and queen of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Thailand, and mother of both King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) and King Pr ...

, the mother of the king. After the queen mother's death in 1919, he became the king's secretary of foreign correspondence, as well as clerk of the Cabinet Council and Secretary of the Privy Council. In 1922 he was elevated to the higher princely rank of ''Phra Ong Chao''; thus becoming Phra Worawongse Ther Phra Ong Chao Dhani Nivat (พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าธานีนิวัต). In the reign of King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

he was appointed acting- Minister of Education after the resignation of

Chaophraya Thammasakmontri Sanan Devahastin na Ayudhya (also spelled Thephasadin among other variants; th, สนั่น เทพหัสดิน ณ อยุธยา, , ; 1 January 1877 – 1 February 1943), better known by his noble title Chaophraya Thammasakmont ...

, afterwards he took over the ministry as its principal minister on 3 August 1926. After the Siamese revolution of 1932, the prince and all members of the extended royal family was removed from the government by the

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon ( th, คณะราษฎร, ), was a Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's government a ...

(the People's party). Chaophraya Thammasakmontri took over the Ministry of Education once more under the constitutional government. Prince Dhani then retired from government service.

Courtier

On 25 March 1950 he became a privy councillor to King

. When the king decided to return to Switzerland for further education, he appointed Prince

Rangsit Prayurasakdi Rangsit Prayurasakdi, Prince of Chai Nat ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้ารังสิตประยูรศักดิ์ กรมพระยาชัยนา� ...

, the Prince of Chainat the

Regent of Thailand In Thailand, the regent ( th, ผู้สำเร็จราชการแทนพระองค์) is a person who exercises the official functions of a monarch of Thailand when the monarch is incapable of functioning or during a period ...

, and asked Prince Dhani Nivat to become President of the

Privy Council of Thailand The Privy Council of Thailand ( th, คณะองคมนตรีไทย, khana ongkhamontri thai) is a body of appointed advisors to the Monarchy of Thailand. The council, as the Constitution of Thailand stipulates, must be composed of no ...

in his stead, he was appointed on 4 June 1950. On 8 May 1950, the king in commemoration of his own

coronation ceremony A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of ot ...

, in which Prince Dhani played a major part, granted to the prince a further honour of "Krom" rank retitling him: Phra Worawongse Ther Krom Muen Bidyalabh Bridhyakon (พระวรวงศ์เธอ กรมหมื่นพิทยลาภพฤฒิยากร). On 7 March 1951 Prince Rangsit died. The king again asked Prince Dhani Nivat to succeed him, this time as the regent. He was appointed on 12 March 1951. After the king's permanent return to Thailand in 1952, the prince continued to serve as president of the Privy Council. The prince served as regent twice more, both in 1963. Firstly from 27 May to 6 June, when the king made a state visit to Japan and the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. And from 9 to 14 July during his visit to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Prince Dhani Nivat died on 8 September 1974 at the age of 88. He was married to Prayoon Sonakul na Ayutthaya (née Sukhum), daughter of Phraya Yommarat ( Pun Sukhum). They have three children.

Selected works

* 1954 : "The Date and Authorship of the Romance of Phra Lo" in ''

Journal of the Siam Society The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' (JSS) is a scholarly journal published by the Siam Society in Bangkok since 1904. History The ''Journal of the Siam Society'' is published by The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage in Bangkok, Thailand. At th ...

'' vol. 41 no. 2 * 1955 : "The Reconstruction of Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty" in ''

'' vol. 43 no. 1 * 1958 : "The Age of King Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty" in ''

'' vol. 46 no. 1 * Unknown date : "The Old Siamese Conception Of Monarchy in ''

'' * Unknown date : "King Mongkut Autograph Letter To Pius IX in ''

Titles and honours

Titles

*1885: ''His Serene Highness'' Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul *1922: ''His Highness'' Prince Dhani Nivat *1950: ''His Highness'' Prince Dhani Nivat, Prince Bidyalabh Bridhyakon

Honours

Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand) ribbon

Knight of the

Order of the Royal House of Chakri The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri ( th, เครื่องขัตติยราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติคุณรุ่งเรืองยิ่งมหาจัก� ...

Knight of the

Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit __NOTOC__ The Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ตรารัตนวราภรณ์; ) was established on 1 August 1911 by King Rama VI of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand ...

Order of Chula Chom Klao - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Order of Chula Chom Klao * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

Member of the

Vallabhabhorn Order The Vallabhabhorn Order ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์ตราวัลลภาภรณ์) was established on 22 March 1919 ( B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand T ...

Dushdi Mala Medal for Distinguished Services in Arts and Sciences *

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal 1st Class

Foreign honours

* Grand Commander (Honorary)

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

) (1964)

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * "Dhani Nivas Bidyalabh Bridhyakorn, H.R.H. Prince" in Gerald W. Fry, Gayla S. Nieminen, Harold E. Smith, ''Historical Dictionary of Thailand'', 3a ed. (Scarecrow Press, 2013) p. 136 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhani Nivat 1885 births 1974 deaths Thai male Phra Ong Chao Regents of Thailand Sonakul family Knights of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit Knights Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Members of the Vallabhabhorn Order Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Thai male Mom Chao Ministers of Education of Thailand Members of the Privy Council of Thailand 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty