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| Seized by religious delusions, he apparently went completely mad, was beaten to death by sandalwood clubs in a velvet bag, and one of his generals, Chao Phya Chakri, proclaimed himself king and founded a new capital – Bangkok was born. | Seized by religious delusions, he apparently went completely mad, was beaten to death by sandalwood clubs in a velvet bag, and one of his generals, Chao Phya Chakri, proclaimed himself king and founded a new capital – Bangkok was born. | ||
| + | ===== Rattankosin or Bangkok Period (1782 until today) ===== | ||
| + | The Chakri Dynasty has reigned in Thailand since 1782. | ||
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| + | Because of French diplomatic intrigues, foreign diplomats were barred from Thailand from 1688. King Rama II reopened treaty relations with the West in the early 19th century. | ||
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| + | King Mongkut, or Rama IV, was one of the greatest of Thai monarchs, indeed one of the most enlightened and able in the world. His reign has been likened to a bridge spanning 'the old and the new': he was the first Thai monarch to be well-versed in technology. | ||
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| + | And his was a world where many countries were being won and lost in a series of wars. But he kept Siam out of others' ambit's, and his son, Rama V, abolished slavery, improved the public welfare and administration system, and Thailand prospered. | ||
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| + | In the reign of Kind Rama VII, Thailand changed from being an Absolute to a Constitutional Monarchy. It occurred in 1932. | ||
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| + | The country's present King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, became Thailand's longest reigning monarch and is also the worlds longest reigning monarch. He and his wife, Queen Sirikit, are revered by the Thais not least for their interest in, and funding of countless projects to assist them, and well-known throughout the world. | ||
