Fully aware of the changing
nature of life, the monarchy in
Thailand is constantly adapting itself to ensure that it fits in
with the modern world and is able to respond to the needs of the
people and society. The Thai monarchy has a unique quality, and
that is its adaptability to change, which has enabled it to
flourish to this day. It has always shown exceptional compassion,
relevance and vitality, particularly in the contemporary world.
The first Thai kings ruled over Sukhothai, the first integrated
Thai kingdom founded almost 800 years ago. It was during the
reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great [1275-1317] that the ideal
of a paternalistic ruler originated. Markedly different from the
concept of divine right practised by the Khmers of that time, the
ideal implies that the ruler be alert to the needs of his people
and aware of the fact that this duty was to guide them. This
paternalistic ideal was at times lost during the long Ayutthaya
period, when Khmer influence regarding kingship reappeared and
the monarch became a lofty, inaccessible figure, rarely seen by
most citizens. Nevertheless, the four-century era witnessed the
reigns of some remarkable rulers, whose achievements were
far-reaching. With the founding of the Royal House of Chakri
(Chakri Dynasty), in 1782, and the establishment of Bangkok as
the capital, kingship was based primarily on adherence to the
Buddhist concept of virtue. The Bangkok period produced a
succession of unusually able rulers, capable of meeting a variety
of challenges both to the country and to the monarchy itself.
Though it had lasted longer than most others in the world,
largely due to wise rule by Chakri kings, the country's absolute
monarchy finally came to an end on June 24, 1932, when a small
group of civil servants and military officers staged a bloodless
coup and demanded a constitution. King Prajadhipok (Rama VII),
who in any case was already thinking along such lines himself and
had already drafted a constitution which had been debated in the
Supreme Council of State, agreed an d thus became the first
constitutional monarch. Three years later, unhappy with some of
the results, he decided to abdicate; his nephew Prince Ananda
Mahidol (Rama VIII), then a 10-year-old student in Switzerland,
was chosen to follow him as eighth in the Chakri line.