Not everyone knows the name of the King of Thailand. This is due to the fact that the exotic country is located quite far from our Motherland, and not many compatriots are interested in the situation in it. Currently, the head of the country is Rama 9. The King of Thailand is an interesting person. Let's follow his biography in detail.
Origin
First, let's find out the origin of the family in which the future king of Thailand was born. Let's also dwell on the nuances of his birth.
The father of Rama 9 Mahidola Adulyadej was a representative of the ruling dynasty of Thailand - Chakri. This glorious family began to rule in Thailand since 1782, when Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, also known as Rama 1, ascended the throne. He founded the kingdom, which became known as Rattanakosin.
Mahidola Adulyadej was the son of King Chulalongkorn, also known as Rama 5. This monarch is the greatest king of Thailand. No wonder he was given the nickname "Royal Buddha". Rama 5 managed to modernize the country's government and economy in a Western manner, but at the same time, unlike other countries in Indochina, he managed to maintain the sovereignty of his state, and it did not turn into a colony.
Since Mahidola Adulyadej was not the eldest son in the family, after the death of Rama 5 in 1910, his brothers Vchiravudd (Rama 6) and Prachadipok (Rama 7) alternately inherited the throne of Thailand. The Siamese Revolution of 1932, as a result of which Thailand was transformed from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional one, belongs to the reign of the latter. And three years later, Rama 7 completely abdicated in favor of the eldest son of Mahidol Adulyadej - Anand Mahidon.
Mahidola Adulyadej was married to Sangwan Talaphat, born in 1900, who later took the name Sinakharinthra. She did not come from a noble family. The couple lived abroad for a long time: in Germany, France, Switzerland, the USA. In particular, Mahidola Adulyadej was studying medicine in the United States, at Harvard University, at the time when the third child in the family, the future King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, was born. In addition to him, Mahidol Adulyadej had another son (future Rama 8) and a daughter.
Birth of Rama 9
Bhumibol Adulyadej, namely the name of the King of Thailand Rama 9 before his accession to the throne, was born in 1927 in the American city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the family of Mahidol Adulyadej and Sangwan Talaphat.
The birthday of the King of Thailand Rama 9 falls on December 5th. Nowadays, this is not just an ordinary date. The national holiday is the birthday of the king in Thailand. How it is celebrated here, probably, the birthdays of monarchs are not celebrated anywhere in the world. Officially, it is called Father's Day and is non-working. In addition, on the birthday of the King of Thailand, constantlyNumerous celebrations and themed events take place. It is noteworthy that the celebration sometimes even temporarily unites political opponents.
Thus, King's Day in Thailand is truly a national holiday.
Childhood and youth
So, the future King of Thailand Rama 5 spent the first year of his life in the USA. After completing his father's studies at Harvard University, the family returned to Thailand in 1928. A year later, she suffered great grief. In 1929, due to a serious liver disease, Mahidola Adulyadej died, who at that time was only 37 years old. Thus, at the age of two, Bhumibol Adulyadej was left without a father. The whole burden of raising three children was placed on the shoulders of the mother - Sangwan Talaphat. In the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, Bhumibol Adulyadej received his primary education.
After the 1932 revolution, little Bhumibol Adulyadej took refuge with his family in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the insistence of his grandmother Savang Vadhana (the widow of the great Rama 5), who feared for the life of her heirs in the light of revolutionary events. It was here that he received his secondary education. But in 1935, King Prachadipok of Thailand abdicated in favor of his seven-year-old nephew Anand Mahidon, Bhumibol Adulyadej's older brother. After that, Anand Mahidon took the name of Rama 8, and Bhumibol Adulyadej became the actual heir to the throne and received, together with his sister, the highest title of prince - Chao Fa.
But even after that, Anand Mahidon, Bhumibol Adulyadej and other membersfamilies continued to live in Switzerland. Thailand Rama 8, together with his brother and mother, visited only three years after his accession to the throne. All this time the country was ruled by regents on behalf of the king. However, even after the return of Rama 8, he actually did not take part in the government of Thailand, without becoming an officially crowned monarch.
Meanwhile, Bhumibol Adulyadej continued his studies in Lausanne, where he began to study political science and law at the local university, which was considered a very prestigious educational institution.
Ascension to the Throne
The accession to the throne of Thailand by Bhumibol Adulyadej is connected with very tragic circumstances. In June 1946, his brother King Rama 8 was found dead in his bedroom. The cause of death was a gunshot to the head. To investigate this incident, a commission was created, which managed to determine that the death did not occur from an accident. But whether it was murder or suicide, it was not possible to establish. Later, after the reopening of the investigation, three people were found guilty of the murder, who were executed in 1955. But many researchers consider this sentence politically motivated, and the real reasons for the death of the king have not been disclosed.
Be that as it may, but in 1946 the brother of the deceased monarch of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej, who took the name of Rama 9, became the king of Thailand.
First years of reign
How did Rama 9, the king of Thailand, begin to rule? It should be noted that although the legislative power of the monarch in the country was severely limited, but Bhumibol Adulyadej, inunlike his brother, from the very first days of his reign, he showed interest in the political and economic situation in the country. True, due to the fact that at that time Rama 9 was completing his studies in Switzerland, he had to be away from Thailand for some time and could not take a direct part in the government of the kingdom.
Rama 9 had an accident in 1948 on the Geneva-Lausanne highway in 1948. The king of Thailand received a serious back injury and numerous cuts as a result of this car accident. Photos of Bhumibol Adulyadej at that time were often taken only when he was wearing tinted glasses to hide his injuries.
However, the injuries went away, and after completing his studies, the king returned to Thailand in 1951.
Marriage and coronation
In April 1950, in Thailand, Rama 9 was married to Princess Sirikit. She, unlike the matter of the king himself, came from a very noble family, and her father was an ambassador. At the time of the marriage, Sirikit was not yet 18 years old, so the signature on the marriage certificate instead of the bride was put by her parents.
The future queen was born on August 12, 1932, and after her accession to the throne, her birthday is celebrated annually in Thailand as Mother's Day.
Shortly after their marriage, in May 1950, the King and Queen were formally crowned. Since then, May 5 has been officially celebrated as Coronation Day.
Following reign
After marriage, coronation andAfter graduation, Rama 9 began to take a more active part in the government of the country than before. He began to be active both in the political life of the state and in public, and also influenced the foreign policy of Thailand.
He personally visited the remote rural areas of the country to learn more about the life and needs of ordinary subjects in order to try to improve their well-being. Moreover, Bhumibol Adulyadej allocates assistance for the development of regions not only from the state budget, but also from personal finances, as he is a dollar billionaire. Throughout his life, he took part in the financing of more than three thousand targeted projects. This made Rama 9 quite popular in the country.
In 1956, Bhumibol Adulyadej temporarily became a monk, as required by the Buddhist religion.
He made a lot of efforts to democratize Thai society, which was especially evident in the 90s of the XX century. Even while supporting military coups, Rama 9 did so in the first place so that the political elites could not actually usurp power.
Thus, during the military coup that took place in 2006, the king supported the junta that ousted the current government headed by Thaksin Shinawatra, as it violated the norms of democracy and was involved in corruption schemes. It should be noted that the junta did not usurp power, but already in 2007 transferred it to the legally elected government.
During the 2014 coup, Rama 9, although he did not openly support either the coup orto the current government, as if moving away from political disputes, but by appointing the leader of the junta, General Prayut Chan-Ocha, the de facto leader of the country, the king made it clear whose side he was on.
But still, it should be noted that in recent years, due to his age and he alth problems, Bhumibol Adulyadej is increasingly moving away from public affairs and politics, although he tries to influence the development of Thailand as much as possible in the good of his subjects.
Other occupations
King Bhumibol Adulyadej is a versatile personality, and his interests cover not only the sphere of government.
Monarch has been closely involved in the creation of artificial clouds, and he owns a patent in this field of research. Has Rama 9 achievements in engineering. He himself designed the sailboat, on which he has been sailing ever since. But this is far from the only ship that was built according to the design of the king.
Bhumibol Adulyadej is a professional photographer. It is noteworthy that on the banknote of 1000 baht he is depicted with a camera.
Besides, Rama 9 is a top-notch saxophone player. He also writes compositions with his own hands, which were even shown on Broadway. But this is not surprising, because the great jazz master Benny Goodman himself was his teacher.
One of the inventions of Bhumibol Adulyadej was the creation of a formula for a new type of fuel based on a mixture of diesel fuel and palm oil.
Also known is the book of the king,which became a real bestseller in Thailand, which he dedicated to the description of his dog named Tongdaeng.
But this is only a part of all the achievements of the King of Thailand in various fields of activity.
Family
The royal family, apart from Rama 9 himself and his wife Sirikit, consists of their children and grandchildren.
Maha Vajiralongkorn is the only son in the king's family, so he is the heir to the throne. He was born in 1952, that is, two years after the marriage of Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. He received his higher education in the UK and on the Australian continent. He devoted his life to military service, took part in the fighting against the Vietnamese partisans, has the rank of general and admiral.
Was married three times. In his first marriage, he was with his maternal cousin Soamsawali Kitiyakara. A year after the conclusion of the union, in 1978, their daughter Bajrakitiyabha was born. But this marriage was annulled.
For a long time, Prince Vajiralongkorn lived without an official marriage with actress Yuvadhida Polpraset. They formalized their relationship only in 1994. By that time they already had six children. But two years later, this union also broke up, as the prince accused his wife of treason.
In 2001, Vajiralongkorn married for the third time, to a girl of humble origin Srirasmi Akharaphongpricha. In 2005, she gave him a son, Dipangkorn Rasmichoti, who, after Vajiralongkorn himself, is considered second in line for succession.throne. But in 2014, this marriage also broke up.
Besides his son, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has three daughters: Ubolrotana, Sirindhorn and Chulabhorn Valailak. The last of them in 1982 married Vice Marshal Virayud Tishiasarin. In marriage, they had two daughters: Siribachudabhorn and Aditiadornkitikun. But the family life of Chulabhorn Valailak, like his brother, did not work out, and the marriage was dissolved. However, this princess has earned the love of the people for her achievements in the field of medical development.
The king of Thailand has such relatives. The royal family is loved and respected by the Thai people.
General characteristics
We have studied the biography of King Rama 9 of Thailand, and on its basis we can make some judgments about the monarch as a person.
Bhumibol Adulyadej is a versatile person. The scope of his interests is simply amazing. It extends from the realm of science and art to the realm of international politics. A significant role in such a wide range of interests was played by the quality education that Rama received in his time 9.
In addition, it is worth noting that the king never remained indifferent to the problems of his subjects. He tries to solve them to the best of his ability. This characterizes him as an indifferent person. Rama 9, unlike his brother, actively influences the state policy of Thailand, but at the same time tries to do it democratically, without going beyond his powers.
Trembling attitude tests BhumibolAdulyadej and his family.
At the same time, it is worth noting that in recent years, the king, who is currently the longest-reigning monarch in the world, has worsened he alth problems. In particular, he suffers from such a disease as dropsy of the brain. But let's hope that Rama 9 will please his subjects for a long time, ruling Thailand.
