Mongkut

One of the most important historical figures in Thailand is Mongkut. The fourth ruler of Siam (Thailand) of the Chakri family, Rama IV, was Mongkut. From 1851 to 1868, he was in power.

Mongkut is best known outside of Thailand for his roles as the king in the 1951 musical 'The King and I' and the 1956 film 'The King and I', both of which were based on the 1946 film Anna and the King of Siam and, in turn, on a 1944 novel by an American author about Anna Leonowens' years at his court, from 1862 to 1867, which was adapted from Leonowens' memoir.

During Mongkut's rule, Siam first experienced the pressure of Western expansionism. Mongkut adopted Western inventions and started Siam's technological and cultural modernization, garnering the moniker "The Father of Science and Technology" in the process.

Another notable act by Mongkut was to crown his younger sibling, Prince Chutamani, as King Pinklao in 1851, as the Second King. Mongkut said to the nation that Pinklao should be treated with the same respect as himself (as King Naresuan had done with his brother Ekathotsarot in 1583). The House of Bunnag rose to prominence under Mongkut's rule, becoming the most influential noble family in Siam.