The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era and the city of Bangkok in 1782; following the end of Taksin Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok. The royal house was founded by Rama I, an Ayutthaya military leader of Sino-Mon descent.
Ananda Mahidol was the eighth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VIII. At the time he was recognised as king by the National Assembly in March 1935, he was a nine-year-old boy living in Switzerland. He returned to Thailand in December 1945, but six months later, in June 1946, he was found shot dead in his bed. Although at first thought to have been an accident, his death was ruled a murder by medical examiners, and three royal aides were later executed following very irregular trials. The mysterious circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject of much controversy.
Bhumibol Adulyadej, posthumously conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great, was the ninth king of Thailand from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IX, from 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest of an independent Asian sovereign and the third longest verified reign of any monarch of a sovereign state in history after Louis XIV and Elizabeth II.
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers to the ceremony which marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special vows by the new monarch, the investing and presentation of regalia him or her, and acts of homage by the new monarch's subjects. In certain Christian denominations, such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism, coronation is a religious rite. As such, Western-style coronations have often included anointing the monarch with holy oil, or chrism as it is often called; the anointing ritual's religious significance follows examples found in the Bible. The monarch's consort may also be crowned, either simultaneously with the monarch or as a separate event.
A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations.
An interregnum is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next, and the concepts of interregnum and regency therefore overlap. Historically, longer and heavier interregna have been typically accompanied by widespread unrest, civil and succession wars between warlords, and power vacuums filled by foreign invasions or the emergence of a new power. A failed state is usually in interregnum.
In the United Kingdom, the Accession Council is a ceremonial body which assembles in St James's Palace in London upon the death of a monarch to make formal proclamation of the accession of the successor to the throne. Under the terms of the Act of Settlement 1701, a new monarch succeeds automatically. The proclamation confirms by name the identity of the new monarch, expresses loyalty to the "lawful and rightful Liege Lord", and formally announces the new monarch's regnal name, while the monarch and others, in front of the council, sign and seal several documents concerning the accession. An Accession Council has confirmed every English monarch since James I in 1603.
Succession to the British throne is determined by descent, sex, legitimacy, and religion. Under common law, the Crown is inherited by a sovereign's children or by a childless sovereign's nearest collateral line. The Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701 restrict succession to the throne to the legitimate Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover who are in "communion with the Church of England". Spouses of Catholics were disqualified from 1689 until the law was amended in 2015. Protestant descendants of those excluded for being Roman Catholics are eligible.
Sri Savarindira, also known as Savang Vadhana. She was a half-sister and one of four principal chief consorts of King Chulalongkorn. After her first grandson's accession to power in 1935, she became known as Her Majesty Queen Sri Savarindira, The Queen Grandmother of Thailand title in Thailand is Somdetch Phra Phan Vassa Ayika Chao. All her children died before her and she lived to see her grandsons Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol Adulyadej take the throne.
The Great Crown of Victory is one of the regalia of Thailand. Made of gold and enamelled in red and green during the reign of King Rama I in 1782, the crown is 66 centimeters high and weighs 7.3 kg. In the reign of King Rama IV, a set of diamonds was added to the crown. Also added was a large cut diamond from India to decorate the top of the crown, called the Great Diamond. The crown is of a distinctive Thai design, being a multi-tiered conical diadem, terminating in a tapering spire.
The Royal Plaza, or formally Dusit Palace Plaza, and also known among Thais as Equestrian Statue Plaza, is an important public square in the palace and government quarter of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
The King Never Smiles is an unauthorized biography of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej by Paul M. Handley, a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Thailand. It is published by Yale University Press and was released in 2006. The book was banned in Thailand before publication, and the Thai authorities have blocked local access to websites advertising the book.
The Sixtieth Anniversary Celebrations of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Accession to the Throne were the celebrations held throughout Thailand in 2006 to celebrate King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne. The celebrations were arranged by the Royal Thai Government with Thaksin Shinawatra as Prime Minister, and joined by representatives of other monarchies.
The Palace Law of Succession, Buddhist Era 2467 (1924) governs succession to the Throne of the Kingdom of Thailand, under the ruling House of Chakri. Succession matters prior to the end of absolute monarchy in 1932 could be contentious, especially during the Ayutthaya period from the 14th to 18th centuries. In 1924, King Vajiravudh attempted to clarify the succession process by laying down the Palace Law of Succession. It was promulgated and came into effect in November 1924 as, in part, an attempt to eliminate the vagueness relating to succession within the Thai monarchical regime and to systematically resolve previous controversies. In 1932, after Siam became a constitutional monarchy, various amendments relating to succession were introduced. The 1997 Constitution of Thailand relied on the law with regards to succession, but the 2006 Interim Constitution made no mention of succession, leaving it to "constitutional practice". The 2007 Constitution again relied on the Palace Law. The preamble of the 2014 interim constitution of Thailand abrogated the 2007 Constitution, with the exception of chapter 2, concerning the monarchy and the succession.
The royal flags of Thailand are personal royal flags that are usually flown in Thailand, along with the national flag, to honor the King and royal family. Unlike the royal standards displayed only in special ceremonies and in particular locations, the royal flags are seen throughout Thailand. They are not commonly seen outside the country.
The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional form of government of Thailand. The king of Thailand is the head of state and head of the ruling Royal House of Chakri.
The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella is considered the most sacred and ancient of the royal regalia of Thailand. A royal umbrella consists of many tiers, five for the prince, seven for the crown prince and unconsecrated king, and nine for a fully sovereign and crowned Thai king. Until the coronation rites are completed, the new king will not be able to sit on the throne under the nine-tiered umbrella.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand died at the age of 88 on 13 October 2016, after a long illness. A year-long period of mourning was subsequently announced. A royal cremation ceremony took place over five days at the end of October 2017. The actual cremation, which was not broadcast on television, was held in the late evening of 26 October 2017. Following cremation his remains and ashes were taken to the Grand Palace and were enshrined at the Chakri Maha Phasat Throne Hall, the Royal Cemetery at Wat Ratchabophit and the Wat Bowonniwet Vihara Royal Temple. Following burial, the mourning period officially ended on midnight of 30 October 2017 and Thais resumed wearing colors other than black in public.
Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand, died on 13 October 2016 at the age of 88 after a long illness, leading to reactions within Thailand and around the world. Many Thais paid tribute to the king and his 70-year reign, as did other world leaders and monarchs who expressed their condolences. Media outlets in Thailand suspended their programming and broadcast tributes to the late king or switched to monochrome.
The banknotes of the Thai baht are part of the physical form of the Thai baht, Thailand's currency. The issuance of the baht banknotes is managed by the Bank of Thailand. Throughout its history, the denominations have ranged from 1 baht to 1,000 baht. The circulating banknotes today in Thailand, however, are ranged from 20 baht, 50 baht, 100 baht, 500 baht and 1000 baht. The currently circulating series are 17th, 16th and 15th series. Thai baht banknotes commonly include the portrait or the picture of the sculpture of its kings. The obverses have been designed with the current king's portrait. Whilst, in the reverses, mostly the picture of notable kings and kings with the title "the great". Some reverses feature the King Bhumibol's sayings.
