Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai ( th, พระพุทธเลิศหล้านภาลัย, 24 February 1767 – 21 July 1824), personal name Chim ( th, ฉิม), also styled as Rama II, was the second
monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...
of
Siam under the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...
, the founder of
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 ...
, as Loetlanaphalai the
King of Siam
The monarchy of Thailand (whose monarch is referred to as the king of Thailand; th, พระมหากษัตริย์ไทย, or historically, king of Siam; th, พระมหากษัตริย์สยาม) refers to the c ...
. His reign was largely peaceful, devoid of major conflicts. His reign was known as the "Golden Age of Rattanakosin Literature" as Loetlanaphalai was patron to a number of poets in his court and the King himself was a renowned poet and artist. The most notable poet in his employ was the illustrious
Sunthorn Phu
Phra Sunthorn Vohara (Phu) ( th, พระสุนทรโวหาร (ภู่), , ; 26 June 1786 – 1855), known as Sunthorn Phu ( th, สุนทรภู่, , ), is Thailand's best-known royal poet. He wrote during the Rattanakosin pe ...
, the author of ''
Phra Aphai Mani
Phra Aphai Mani is a 48,700-line Epic poetry, epic poem composed by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu ( th, สุนทรภู่), who is known as "the Bard of Rattanakosin" ( th, กวีเอกแห่งกรุงรัตนโกสินท ...
''.
Early life
![King Rama II's Privy Seal at Wat Arun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/King_Rama_II%27s_Privy_Seal_at_Wat_Arun.jpg)
Chim was born in 1767 during the
Ayutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...
in
Amphawa District, Samut Songkram. Chim was a son of Luang Yokkrabat of
Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi ( th, ราชบุรี, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in western Thailand, capital of Ratchaburi Province.
Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''tambon'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of Mueang ...
and Nak of Samut Sakorn, as his father and mother was then known. They would later become King
Rama I
Phra Phutthayotfa Chulalok Maharaj (, 20 March 1737 – 7 September 1809), personal name Thongduang (), also known as Rama I, was the founder of the Rattanakosin Kingdom and the first monarch of the reigning Chakri dynasty of Siam (now Tha ...
and Queen
Amarindra
Amarindra ( th, อมรินทรา, , ; 15 March 1737 – 25 May 1826) was the Queen Consort of King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the founder of the Chakri dynasty. Her birth name was Nak (นาค). She was a daughter of a wealthy Mo ...
, respectively.
In 1767, Ayutthaya fell to
Konbaung Burmese invaders. His father, Phraya Ratchaburi, joined
Taksin
King Taksin the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าตากสินมหาราช, , ) or the King of Thonburi ( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้ากรุงธนบุรี, ; ; Teochew dialect, Teochew: Dên ...
's forces to recapture the city. Under King Taksin, Chim's father rose rapidly to high rank as a military leader and was assigned with the campaigns to subjugate
Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
. In 1782, his father crowned himself King of Siam (later named Rama I) and Chim himself was raised to the title of Prince Itsarasunthon of Siam.
Loetlanaphalai, with his concubine
Sri Sulalai
Sri Sulalai ( th, ศรีสุลาลัย; ; 1770–1837), née Riam ( th, เรียม), was the wife of Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai, Rama II of Siam and was the mother of Nangklao, Rama III.
She was of Persian descent and her famil ...
, fathered Prince Tub ( – later
Rama III
Nangklao ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระนั่งเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว, ; 31 March 1788 – 2 April 1851), birth name Thap ( th, ทับ), also styled Rama III, was the third king of Siam ...
) in 1787. Prince Itsarasunthon then had a secret affair with his own cousin,
Princess Bunrod. In 1801, Rama I then found out that Princess Bunrod had been pregnant for four months and banished her out of the palace to live with her brother. Itsarasunthon, however begged his father to forgive him and the princess was reinstated and became his consort through the negotiation by concubine
Khamwaen Princess Khamwaen or Concubine Waen ( th, เจ้าจอมแว่น) was a daughter of King Bunsan of Vientiane and a concubine (''Chao Chom'') to King Rama I of Bangkok. She was known for her prominent role in the Siamese court as a favori ...
. Unfortunately, the baby died just after its birth.
With Princess Bunrod, Loetlanaphalai also fathered
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 ...
(1804) and
Pinklao
Pinklao ( th, ปิ่นเกล้า) (September 4, 1808 – January 7, 1866) was the viceroy of Siam. He was the younger brother of Mongkut, King Rama IV, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor to himself.
Early life
Prince Chutaman ...
(1808). Prince Itsarasunthon was appointed to the
Front Palace
Krom Phra Ratchawang Bowon Sathan Mongkhon , colloquially known as the Front Palace ( th, วังหน้า, ), was the title of the ''uparaja'' of Siam, variously translated as "viceroy", "vice king" or "Lord/Prince of the Front Palace", as ...
as Lord of the Front Palace or
Uparaja
Uparaja or Ouparath, also Ouparaja ( my, ဥပရာဇာ ; km, ឧបរាជ, ; th, อุปราช, ; lo, ອຸປຮາດ, ''Oupahat''), was a royal title reserved for the viceroy in the Buddhist dynasties in Burma, Cambodia, and ...
in 1807 to succeed his uncle
Maha Sura Singhanat
Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sura Singhanat ( th, สมเด็จพระบวรราชเจ้ามหาสุรสิงหนาท; , lit: ''His Royal Highness, Maharurasinghanat, Prince of Front Palace'') (1 November 1744 – ...
who had died in 1803, though he continued to stay at the Thonburi Palace. Among his many other children was Prince
Wongsa Dhiraj Snid
Wongsa Dhiraj Snid (; 9 July 1808 – 14 August 1871) was a Thai physician and diplomat, as well as a member of the reigning Chakri dynasty. An early adopter of Western-style medicine, he was the court physician for much of his life, and was know ...
, who was a royal physician for many years as well as a field commander and diplomat.
[Harper, Tim, Amrith, Sunil G]
"Histories of Health in Southeast Asia"
pp. 23-26
Ascension
As the eldest surviving legitimate son of Rama I, Prince Itsarasunthon succeeded to throne when Buddha Yotfa Chulaloke died in 1809. No royal naming system was established at the time Rama II was crowned. He was later named by his son Nangklao as Loetlasulalai but changed to Loetlanaphalai by his another son Mongkut and by the
Rama convention, called Rama II. His consort, Princess Bunrod, was raised to Queen
Sri Suriyendra
Sri Suriyendra ( th, ศรีสุริเยนทร, , ; 1767–1836) was the queen of Siam, wife of Phutthaloetla Naphalai, who was her cousin, and mother of Mongkut and Pinklao. She was later named, upon the coronation of her son Mongkut, ...
.
As soon as Loetlanaphalai ascended the throne, Prince Kshatranichit, the surviving son of Taksin, rebelled as
pretender
A pretender is someone who claims to be the rightful ruler of a country although not recognized as such by the current government. The term is often used to suggest that a claim is not legitimate.Curley Jr., Walter J. P. ''Monarchs-in-Waiting'' ...
to the throne. Loetlanaphalai's son, Prince
Tub effectively crushed the rebellion, proving himself to be competent, thus gaining his father's favor. Prince Tub was raised to
Kromma Muen, given the
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 ...
-derived name ''Jessadabodindra'', and made
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
.
Countering the Burmese invasions
The Konbaung king
Bodawpaya
Bodawpaya ( my, ဘိုးတော်ဘုရား, ; th, ปดุง; 11 March 1745 – 5 June 1819) was the sixth king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma. Born Maung Shwe Waing and later Badon Min, he was the fourth son of Alaungpaya, fou ...
, seeing that Rama I was dead, marched an army into
Chumphon
Chumphon ( th, ชุมพร, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in southern Thailand, capital of the Chumphon Province and Mueang Chumphon District. The city is about 463 kilometers (288 miles) from Bangkok. As of 2005 it had a population of ...
and conquered Thalang (
Phuket City
Phuket ( ; or , ) is a city in the southeast of Phuket Island, Thailand. It is the capital of Phuket province. the city had a population of 79,308. It covers the subdistricts (''tambons'') Talat Yai () and Talat Nuea () of Mueang Phuket distri ...
) in the same year. Loetlanaphalai sent his brother
Maha Senanurak
Maha Senanurak ( th, สมเด็จพระบวรราชเจ้ามหาเสนานุรักษ์; March 29, 1773 – July 16, 1817) was a Front Palace, Viceroy appointed by Buddha Loetla Nabhalai as the titular heir ...
the Front Palace to recapture Thalang, which had been razed to the ground. This "
Thalang campaign" was the last invasion by the Burmese into Thai territory.
Culture and literature
![View of the city of Bangkok 1822](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/View_of_the_city_of_Bangkok_1822.jpg)
It was said that during Rama II's reign, if one could write a refined piece of poetry, then one would be able to become a royal favorite, as Loetlanaphalai himself was a poet. The reign was a cultural renaissance after the massive wars that plagued the First Reign; particularly in the fields of arts and literature. Poets employed by Rama II included
Sunthorn Phu
Phra Sunthorn Vohara (Phu) ( th, พระสุนทรโวหาร (ภู่), , ; 26 June 1786 – 1855), known as Sunthorn Phu ( th, สุนทรภู่, , ), is Thailand's best-known royal poet. He wrote during the Rattanakosin pe ...
the drunken writer (''Phra Aphai Mani'') and
Narin Dhibet (''Nirat Narin''). His sons, Jessadabodindra and
Paramanuchitchinorot
Paramanuchitchinorot ( th, ปรมานุชิตชิโนรส, or ; also spelt ''Paramanujita Jinorasa'', ''Paramanujit Jinoros'', etc.; 11 December 1790 – 9 December 1853) was a Buddhism, Buddhist writer and a prince of the Chakri ...
, were encouraged to excel in poetry. Poramanuchit later became a ''Sangharaj'' (Buddhist hierophant) and was well known for his religious works.
Rama II's reign saw the reconstruction of Thai culture and royal traditions. In 1811, the grand
royal funeral was held for King Rama I. In the same year, a
cholera epidemic
Seven cholera pandemics have occurred in the past 200 years, with the first pandemic originating in India in 1817. The seventh cholera pandemic is officially a current pandemic and has been ongoing since 1961, according to a World Health Organizat ...
broke out in Bangkok. Loetlanaphalai ordered ''Apat Pinat'' or sickness-repelling ceremonies to be performed. He also established the education and the examination system of Buddhism by dividing it into nine levels. In 1817, the
Vesak
Vesak (Pali: ''Vesākha''; sa, Vaiśākha), also known as Buddha Jayanti, Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day, is a holiday traditionally observed by Buddhism, Buddhists in South Asia and Southeast Asia as well as Tibet and Mongolia. The festival ...
festival was restored.
Foreign relations
![Statue of King Rama II at Wat Arun](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Statue_of_King_Rama_II_at_Wat_Arun.JPG)
In 1810, the first Rattanakosin-to-China mission was sent to the
Jiaqing Emperor
The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...
.
Since the
Siamese revolution of 1688
The Siamese revolution of 1688 was a major popular uprising in the Siamese Ayutthaya Kingdom (modern Thailand) which led to the overthrow of the pro-French Siamese king Narai. Phetracha, previously one of Narai's trusted military advisors, took a ...
, Western presence had been reduced to a small scale as the Thai Kings ceased to encourage foreign influence. This, coupled with the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, meant there was little contact between Thailand and foreigners.
However, the wars caused many subsequent changes, which were observed in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. The British interest in
Malaya
Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia:
Political entities
* British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
increased as their trade with
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
increased. The Sultan of
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
, a Siamese vassal, gave
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
off to the British without consulting Siam in 1786, followed by the British acquisition of
Seberang Perai
Seberang Perai is a city in the Malaysian state of Penang. It is situated on the Malay Peninsula opposite Penang Island, bordering Kedah to the north and east and Perak to the south. Its city centre is located in Butterworth, while its local ...
. Soon the British replaced the Dutch as the dominating naval power south of Siam.
The mission of the Portuguese governor of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
in 1818 was the first formal Western contact in Siam since the Ayutthaya times. The British founded
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
in 1819 and
Jaslis, a missionary from
Yangon
Yangon ( my, ရန်ကုန်; ; ), formerly spelled as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar (also known as Burma). Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government ...
, introduced the
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
in the same year. The Portuguese established the first western
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...
in 1820. The first renewed formal British visit was made by
John Crawfurd
John Crawfurd (13 August 1783 – 11 May 1868) was a Scottish physician, colonial administrator, diplomat, and author who served as the second and last Resident of Singapore.
Early life
He was born on Islay, in Argyll, Scotland, the son of S ...
in 1822.
Death and succession
In July 1824, he died "very suddenly". It was said to be caused by
strangury
Strangury (or stranguria) is the symptom characterized by painful, frequent urination of small volumes that are expelled slowly only by straining and despite a severe sense of urgency, usually with the residual feeling of incomplete emptying. The ...
, but rumours were not without strong suspicions of his being poisoned.
According to the succession rule then theoretically in force,
the throne would go to the son of Queen
Sri Suriyendra
Sri Suriyendra ( th, ศรีสุริเยนทร, , ; 1767–1836) was the queen of Siam, wife of Phutthaloetla Naphalai, who was her cousin, and mother of Mongkut and Pinklao. She was later named, upon the coronation of her son Mongkut, ...
, Prince
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 ...
; however, his elder half-brother
Jessadabodindra succeeded the same day. Though only the son of a concubine, he had served their father in putting down a revolt and then as ''
Kromma Tha
Chatusadom or Catustambha ( th, จตุสดมภ์ , literally "Four Pillars" from Sanskrit ''Catur'' "Four" + ''Stambha'' "Pillars") was the Thai system of central executive governance during the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Thonburi Kingdom and Ra ...
'' (Ministry of Trade and Foreign Relations.) The elder brother's experience counted for more than the theoretical claim of the much younger and inexperienced brother, who nevertheless did succeed his elder brother much later, and sired many sons but raised none of their mothers to the rank of queen, thus technically none of his sons had claim to the throne over their half-uncle whose mother was a Rama II's principal consort.
Ancestry
References
See also
*
List of people with the most children
This is a list of mothers said to have given birth to 20 or more children and men said to have fathered more than 25 children.
Mothers and couples
This section lists mothers who gave birth to at least 20 children. Numbers in bold and ''italics'' ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rama 02
Monarchs of Thailand
Thai people of Mon descent
Rattanakosin Kingdom
18th-century Chakri dynasty
19th-century Chakri dynasty
19th-century Thai monarchs
1767 births
1824 deaths
Front Palaces
Thai poets
Thai-language poets
People from Samut Songkhram province
1800s in Siam
1810s in Siam
1820s in Siam
19th-century monarchs in Asia
Thai male Chao Fa
18th-century Thai people
19th-century Thai people