Prince Raphi Phatthanasak, Prince of Ratchaburi ( th, รพีพัฒนศักดิ์; ), (21 October 18747 August 1920) was a son of 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� ...

and Chao Chom manda Talab. He had one full sister, Princess

Ajrabarni Rajkanya Princess Ajrabarni Rajkanya or ''Phra Chao Boromwongse Ther Phra Ong Chao Ajrabarni Rajkanya'' ( RTGS: ''Atcharaphanni Ratchakanya'') ( th, พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าอัจฉรพ ...

. A key figure in Thai legal reform, he graduated from

Faculty of Law, University of Oxford The University of Oxford Faculty of Law is the law school of the University of Oxford. It has a history of over 800 years in the teaching and learning of law. Oxford's law school is currently ranked fourth in the world in the 2023Times Higher ...

. In 1892, the Ministry of Justice was established and Prince Raphi was appointed as Head Minister to unify the judiciary. In 1897, he set up the first law school in Thailand. He also reorganized the Thai court system under the 1908 Law on Organization. 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. This would eventually culminate in his resignation in 1910, precipitated by a legal dispute with Prince Narathip Praphanphong over Narathip's play ''Phraya Raka''. 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. Prince Raphi would later return to the bureaucracy in 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 ...

, serving as the Minister of Agriculture. Prince Raphi died in Paris on 7 August 1920 at 21:00. He died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancerous tumor worldwide and is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system that sur ...

and kidney complications at the age of 45 years, 9 months, 17 days.

King Rama VI 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 effort ...

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.

Ancestry

References

1874 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Thai people Thai male Phra Ong Chao Chakri dynasty Children of Chulalongkorn Ministers of Justice of Thailand Ministers of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand Members of the Privy Council of Thailand 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty Sons of kings {{Thailand-royal-stub