Info on King Vajiravudh (Rama VI)

King Vajiravudh was the sixth ruler of Thailand under the Chakri Dynasty. He was born in Bangkok on 1st January 1881, the son of King Chulalongkorn by Queen Saovabha. Following the death of his elder half-brother Crown Prince Maha Vajirunhus, in 1895, he was appointed Crown Prince, and he eventually succeeded his father King Chulalongkorn on 23rd October 1910. He was educated in England and his great love for literature and poetry in both Thai and English together with his scholastic abilities was later to manifest itself during his reign.

When King Vajiravudh ascended to the throne, he was the only hope for the people of the famine and plague stricken country. However, some were disappointed to see that the new king could barely manage the tasks that were essential for the country. Among his lasting achievements were devising a system of transliteration of Thai into English and of translating William Shakespeare’s works into Thai. Vajiravudh continued to modernize the country by laying the foundations for self-government and establishing Thailand’s first university. He also established the 1924 Palace Law of Succession, which governs succession to the Thai throne to this day. However his most notable contribution was the focus on nationalism. King Vajiravudh is considered the father of Thai nationalism, which was later built upon by Field Marshall Phibunsongkhram and Sarit Dhanarajata. He introduced the practice of using the name Rama for the Chakri kings in deference to foreign practice.

Besides being a well-renowned poet, Vajiravudh was also known to be a great warrior; he had led the Thai troops to fight alongside the Allied Forces against the German troops during the latter part of World War I. He died of gustatory disease in Bangkok on 25th November 1925 at the early age of 44, just 2 hours after the birth of his daughter. Without a direct male heir, King Vajiravudh's younger brother Prajadhipok became the new monarch.