Chakrabongse Bhuvanath (; ; 3 March 1883 – 13 June 1920), was the 40th child of King

Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...

and the fourth child of Queen Sri Bajarindra.

Early life and education

The prince was sent to the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in his teens, where he studied at the Page Corps and became an officer of His Majesty's Hussar Life Guards Regiment.

Family

He returned to Siam with a wife,

Catherine Desnitski Kateryna Desnytska, Duchess of Phitsanulok (; ; 27 April 1886 – 3 January 1960) was a Ukrainian-born nurse who became a princess as wife of the Siamese prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath. She was a participant in the Russo-Japanese War and was a ...

from

Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...

(at that time part of the

, nowadays part of Ukraine), whom he had married in 1906. The Prince and his wife lived with their son, Prince

Chula Chakrabongse Chula Chakrabongse (; ; 28 March 1908 – 30 December 1963), was a member of the family of the Chakri dynasty of Thailand and of the House of Chakkraphong. He was the only child of Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath and his Ukrainian wife Kateryna De ...

, in Paruskavan Palace in Bangkok. They later divorced and he remarried the year before his death.

Royal careers

The prince was a favourite son of both the King and Queen. He travelled extensively, visiting among other countries the US and United Kingdom in 1902. He also represented his father on foreign visits, such as for the funeral of King Umberto I of Italy in 1900, the wedding of Crown Prince Wilhelm and Crown Princess Cecilie of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

in 1905, and the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. 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 v ...

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

and Queen Mary of the United Kingdom in 1911. He and his brother Prince Purachatra, Commander of the Army Engineers, were instrumental in the development of aviation in the Kingdom. Prince Chakrabongse is best remembered today as the father of the army's Royal Aeronautical Service, a forerunner to the

Royal Thai Air Force The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...

. Prince Chakrabongse also served as Chief of Staff of the

Royal Siamese Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...

until his death.

Death

He died from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in 1920 at the age of 37.

Honours

National honours

* Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri (1891) * Knight of the Ancient and Auspicious

Order of the Nine Gems The Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems (; ) was established in 1861 by King Mongkut (Rama IV) of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand). The order is bestowed upon the members of the Chakri Dynasty, Thai royal family and disting ...

(1894) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious

Order of Chula Chom Klao The Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao (; ) was established on 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty and bears his name (จุลจอมเกล� ...

(1900) *

Member of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit (1911) * Order of Rama 1st Class ribbon

Knight Grand Commander (First Class) of the Honourable Order of Rama (1918) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

(1913) * Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand (; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) for Thais, the royal family, governmental employees, and foreign dignitaries for their outstanding serv ...

(1918) * Dushdi Mala Medal ''for Arts'' (1903) * Chakra Mala Medal (1914) * King Rama IV Royal Cypher Medal, 2nd Class (1908) * King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal, 1st Class (1908) * King Rama VI Royal Cypher Medal, 1st Class (1910)

Foreign honours

* : **

Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

(7 August 1911) * : ** Order of the Seraphim - Ribbon bar

Knight of the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

(10 September 1911)

Arms

Ancestry

References

His Royal Highness Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, Prince of Bisnulok
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakrabongse Bhuvanath 1883 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Thai people 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty Thai male Chao Fa Chakrabongse family Field marshals of Thailand Knights Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Knights of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit Knights Grand Commander (Senangapati) of the Order of Rama Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science Deaths from pneumonia in Thailand Children of Chulalongkorn Sons of kings Heirs presumptive