Rangsit Prayurasakdi, Prince of

Chai Nat Chai Nat ( th, ชัยนาท, ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in central Thailand, capital of Chai Nat province. It covers the whole ''tambon'' tambon Nai Mueang and parts of Ban Kluai, Tha Chai and Khao Tha Phra, all in Mueang Chai Nat ...

( th, สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้ารังสิตประยูรศักดิ์ กรมพระยาชัยนาทนเรนทร; ; 12 November 1885 – 7 March 1951) was the Thai Founder of the Public Health Ministry and as

Regent of Thailand In Thailand, the regent ( th, ผู้สำเร็จราชการแทนพระองค์) is a person who exercises the official functions of a monarch of Thailand when the monarch is incapable of functioning or during a period o ...

Early life

Prince Rangsit was born as the 52nd child of King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร ...

and the second child of '' Chao Chom Manda'' Mom Rajawongse Nueng (great-granddaughter of King Rama II), the 22nd wife of Chulalongkorn. After the early death of his mother, Prince Rangsit and his elder sister Princess Yaovabha Bongsanid were adopted by Queen Savang Vadhana. As a result, he grew up as a half-brother and childhood friend of Prince Mahidol. He started his education at the Royal School in the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace ( th, พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Royal Institute of Thailand. (2011). ''How to read and how to write.'' (20th Edition). Bangkok: Royal Institute of Thailand. .) is a complex of buildings at the heart of Ba ...

. At the age of 14, he was sent to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

for his education. At first the Martineum gymnasium in

Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bomb ...

where he graduated with

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen ye ...

in 1905 and later Heidelberg-University in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

. Though he was more interested in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, his father insisted on an education in

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning ...

, which he completed at the

Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württember ...

. He additionally studied philosophy in 1908. It was during his study that he met his wife, Elisabeth Scharnberger (15 September 1892 - 29 September 1973), a German woman whom he married in London on 28 August 1912. The couple had two sons and one daughter: *Prince Piyarangsit Rangsit (25 December 1913 - 1 February 1990) *Prince Sanidh Prayurasakdi Rangsit (19 August 1917 - 10 September 1995) *Princess Charulaksana Kalyani Rangsit (7 August 1924 - 3 August 2012). She relinquished her royal title to marry a commoner on 28 June 1945.

Life in Siam

After returning to Siam in 1913, during the reign of his elder brother King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh ( th, วชิราวุธ, , 1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth monarch of Siam under the Chakri dynasty as Rama VI. He ruled from 23 October 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts ...

, Prince Rangsit worked to improve Siam's

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health pr ...

system. Today, a statue of Prince Rangsit stands in front of Thailand's Ministry of Public Health, of which he is the founding father. He also worked to improve the nation's university system, serving as the first director-general of the University Affairs Department, and the chairman of the Committee on Planning and Development of Chulalongkorn University. Following the Siamese Revolution of 1932, Prince Rangsit did not involve himself in politics, but was nevertheless seen as a threat by the Pro-

Fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government i ...

of Major General Phibunsongkhram, which arrested the Prince under charges of treason in 1938. This was possibly due to his position as the most senior prince remaining in the country at the time. In prison he spent much of his time in

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

and in the writing of a

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

which recounts his

childhood A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...

memories and experiences of traveling to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

for the first time in 1899. On 28 September 1943, having been jailed for 4 years and 9 months, Prince Rangsit was released by the Phibun-government (1 year prior to the release of other political prisoners originally on the covert prison of Tarutao Island since 1941 before being relocated to the Island of Koh Tao in 1944). Along with the release of Phibun's other political prisoners, Prince Rangsit's titles were permanently restored to him by the Khuang- Pridi government which came to power following Phibun's forced resignation in May 1944. Prince Rangsit is reputed to have had a significant role in ensuring the continuity of the Thai royal family in its transitory phase from the uncertainties which followed the

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

of (his younger half-brother) King

Rama VII Prajadhipok ( th, ประชาธิปก, RTGS: ''Prachathipok'', 8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941), also Rama VII, was the seventh monarch of Siam of the Chakri dynasty. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and ...

to the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

of his two nephews King

Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

and King Bhumibol Adulyadej. After King Ananda Mahidols mysterious death in the

, Prince Bhumibol, the second child of Rangsit's half-brother Prince Mahidol, was appointed as the new king. Since the new king at first planned to finish his education abroad, Prince Rangsit was appointed

on June 16, 1946, as well as chairman of the Supreme Council of State since 1947.

Honours

Order of the Royal House of Chakri (Thailand) ribbon

Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri * Order of Chula Chom Klao - Special Class (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์จุลจอมเกล้า; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal (Thailand) ribbon

Recipient of the King Chulalongkorn's Royal Cypher Medal

Foreign Honours

*: **

BAD Order of the Lion of Zaeringen ribbon

Grand Cross of the

Order of the Zähringer Lion The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden , house = Zähringen , father = Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden , mother = Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt ...

(1914)

Death

In March 1951, Prince Rangsit died of a heart attack while in bed at Vidyu Palace on Wireless Road in Bangkok. At his death, he was the last surviving son of King

, having lived 65 years and four months. He was also known to be a great collector of Thai antiques and art works. The Rangsit Canal and the outskirts of Bangkok known as

Rangsit Rangsit ( th, รังสิต, ) is a city and neighbourhood in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. Rangsit is a metropolitan city that supports the expansion of Bangkok in the north. Rangsit has become a departure point for travel to provinces i ...

were named in honour of this prince during his lifetime, although the highway in Bangkok known as Vibhavadi Rangsit is named after his daughter in law, Princess

Vibhavadi Rangsit Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit ( th, วิภาวดีรังสิต; ; 20 November 1920 – 16 February 1977), née Princess Vibhavadi Rajani ( th, วิภาวดี รัชนี; ) was a Thai writer and a member of the Thai royal f ...

References