In the year 1824 a most interesting succession to the throne took place in the Kingdom of Siam. A young Prince, later well-known in plays and movies as the King who employed Anna Leonowens to tutor his children, entered the monastery for 27 years. His older, more mature half-brother was given the task of ascending to the throne as King Rama III at a most precarious time in Siam’s history.
In 1837 Prince Mongkut (as he was known to foreigners) became the Abbot at Wat Bowonniwet not far from the Grand Palace. By then he was in contact with American missionaries including Dr. Dan Beach Bradley from New York. According to the Dr. Bradley, Prince Mongkut began studying English in 1839. As his language skills progressed he read books in English on the topics of modern science, geography, history, mathematics and astronomy, which was by far his favorite subject.
There was no question that Prince Mongkut was a truly remarkable man. Dr. Bradley, who was his friend and critic for 30 years, describes him as thus: “His memory was very retentive, his mind extremely active and unquestionably of a superior order....His habits were remarkably industrious, probably without parallel among all the preceding monarchs of Siam”.
So exactly how did an American physician and missionary become the friend of a Siamese king? How did Anna Leonowens come to play a role in this story, and why was her relationship with the American missionaries important?
Mrs. Jane Puranananda has lived in Bangkok for 17 years working as an editor, writer and consultant. She regularly lectures about Thai art and culture, and has organized and led visits to many historic sites in Thailand. She presently serves as a consultant to the James H. W. Thompson Foundation, helping to organize conferences and exhibitions at the Jim Thompson Center for the Arts. She holds a degree in history from Barnard College, Columbia University and originally prepared this talk to present to a Doctor’s Alumni Association at the Yale Club in New York.
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