Buddha Loetla Nabhalai

Infobox Monarch
name =Buddha Loetla Nabhalai
Rama II of Siam
title =King of Siam


caption =HM King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai
reign =1809 – 1824
coronation =
othertitles =Prince Issara Sundhorn , Chim (birth name)
full name =HM King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai ( King Rama II )
predecessor =King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke
successor =King Jessadabodindra
suc-type =
heir =
queen =Queen Srisuriyendra (Phra Phanwasa)
issue =73 sons and daughters
dynasty =Chakri Dynasty
royal anthem =
father =King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke
mother =Queen Amarindra
date of birth =birth date|1767|2|24|df=y
place of birth =Amphawa, Samut Songkhram Province
date of death =death date and age|1824|7|21|1767|2|24|mf=y
place of death =|

Posthumously; Poramen Maha Isarasundhorn, Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai (1767 - 1824) was the second monarch of the Chakri dynasty of Siam (1809 - 1824). Buddha Loetla Nabhalai succeeded his father Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the founder of Chakri dynasty, as the king of Siam. His reign was quite peaceful without major conflicts, and was also known as the "Golden Age of Rattanakosin Literature" as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai hosted a number of poets in his court and the king himself was a renowned poet. His most notable poems included Sunthorn Phu, the author of "Phra Abhay Mani".

Early Life

Chim was a son of Luang Yokbat of Ratchaburi and Nak of Samut Sakorn. Chim was born in 1767 (Ayutthaya period) in Amphoe Amphawa, Samut Songkram. In 1767, Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese invaders. His father, Phraya Ratchaburi, joined Phraya Wachira Prakarn's forces to recapture the city. Under king Taksin, Chim's father rose to the high rank and was assigned the campaigns to subjugate Laos and Cambodia. In 1782, his father then crowned himself as the king of Siam (later named Buddha Yotfa Chulaloke) and Chim himself was raised to Prince Isarasundhorn.

Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, with his concubine Chao Chom Manda Riam, fathered Prince Tub (later Jetsadabodin) in 1787. Prince Isarasundhorn had secret affairs with his own cousin, Princess Bunrod. In 1801, Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke then found out that Princess Bunrod had been pregnant for four months and banished her out of the palace to live with her brother. Isarasundhorn, however, pledged his father to forgive him and the princess was reinstated and became his consort.

Unfortunately, the baby died just after the birth. With Princess Bunrod, Buddha Loetla Nabhalai also fathered Prince Mongkut (1804) and Prince Chutamani (1808). Prince Isarasundhorn was appointed the Front Palace in 1807 to succeed his uncle Sura Singhanat who had died in 1803.

Ascension

As the eldest surviving son of Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, Prince Isarasundhorn was crowned when Buddha Yotfa Chulaloke died in 1809. No royal naming system was established at the time Rama II was crowned. He was later named by his son Jetsadabodin as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai and, by convention, he was usually called Rama II. His consort, Princess Bunrod, was raised to Queen Srisuriyendra.

As soon as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai ascended the throne, Prince Kshatranichit, the surviving son of Taksin, began the rebellion to reclaim his legitimacy. Buddha Loetla Nabhalai had his son Prince Tub crushed the rebellion, in which Prince Tub managed to do so effectively. Prince Tub gained the king's favor as he was proved to be competent and was trusted to handle some of the state affairs. He served as a superintendent in the Ministry of foreign affairs and trade. [cite book|title=The Emergence Of Modern Southeast Asia|author=Norman G. Owen|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_R5IwRJBhkEC|year=2005|pages=95|publisher=National University of Singapore Press|isbn=9971693283]

Bodawpaya, seeing that Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke was dead, marched into Chumporn and conquered Thalang (Phuket) in the same year. Buddha Loetla Nabhalai sent his brother Maha Senanurak the Front Palace to recapture Thalang, which had been razed to the ground. This "Thalang campaign" was the last invasion by the Burmese as they were dragged into conflicts with the British Empire.

Culture and Literature

It was said that, during Rama II's reign, if you could write a refined poetry, you would become the royal favorite. Buddha Loetla Nabhalai himself was a poet. His reign was a cultural renaissance after the massive wars. Poets employed by Rama II included Sunthorn Phu the drunken writer ("Phra Abhay Mani") and Narin Dhibet ("Nirat Narin"). His sons, Prince Jessadabodindr and Prince Poramanuchit, were encouraged to be excelled in poetry. Prince Poramanuchit later became a "Sangharaj" (Buddhist hierophant) and was well-known for his religious works.

Rama II's reign saw the reconstruction of Siamese culture and royal traditions. In 1811, the royal funeral was held for Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke. In the same year, an cholera epidemic broke out in Bangkok. Buddha Loetla Nabhalai ordered the "Apat Pinat" or sickness-repelling ceremonies to be performed. He also established the education and the examination system of Buddhism divided into nine levels. In 1817, the Vesak festival was restored.

Foreign Relations

In 1810, the first Rattakosin-to-China mission was sent to Jiaqing Emperor.

Since the coup of 1688 the Western presence in Siam had been reduced to a small scale as the Siamese kings pursued seclusive policies and the Europeans were plunged in their own wars.

However, the Napoleonic Wars caused the subsequent changes observed in Southeast Asia. The British interest in Malaya increased as their trade with China increased. The Sultan of Kedah, a Siamese vassal, gave Penang off to the British without consulting Siam in 1786, followed by the British acquisition of Province Wellesley. The British replaced the Dutch as the dominating naval power south of Siam.

The mission of the Portuguese governor of Macau in 1818 was the first formal Western contact since the Ayutthaya times. The British founded Singapore in 1819 and Jaslis, the missionary from Rangoon, introduced the printing press to Siam in the same year. The Portuguese established the first western consulate in Siam in 1820. The first renewed formal British visit was made by Sir John Crawford in 1822.

Death and Succession

Buddha Loetla Nabhalai's reign was uneventful and he died in 1824. According to the succession rule, the throne would go to Prince Mongkut. However, the nobility gave the throne to the competent Prince Jessadabodindr who had served Rama II in "Krom Tha" (Ministry of Trade and Foreign Relations).

References

s-ttl|title=King of Siam
years=1809–1824s-ttl|title=Front Palace
years=1808–1809