Chaophraya Bodindechanuchit (), personal name Yaem na Nakhon (, also spelled na Nagara) was the Siamese

Minister of Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from August 26, 1921, to August 4, 1926.

Biography

Early years

Yaem was born on April 21, 1867, as the son of , the governor of

Nakhon Si Thammarat Nakhon Si Thammarat (, ; from ) is a city municipality (''thesaban nakhon'') located in Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat, the capital of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Nakhon Si Thammarat Province is situated in the South of Thailand. It is about s ...

. Yaem spent his childhood studying Thai and Khmer and Thai numbers under a few tutors. When he was 13, he ordained as a novice monk at

Wat Phra Mahathat Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan () is the main Buddhism, Buddhist temple (wat) of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province in southern Thailand. The main stupa of the temple, Phra Borommathat Chedi ('great noble relics stupa'), was built by King Sri Dhammaso ...

, Nakhon Si Thammarat province but later moved to Wat Mai Ka Kaew.

Military service

Yaem entered government service in 1880 after Somdet Chaophraya Sri Suriwongse recruited him while visiting Nakhon Si Thammarat and brought him to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

. Yaem then served under before becoming a cadet at the Royal Military Academy (now the

Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy (CRMA) (; ) is the service academy of Royal Thai Army (RTA). Established in 1887 it has graduated the majority of Thailand's military leaders, many of whom have become Prime Ministers of Thailand, Thai prime m ...

). He was the third student there, and studied at the

Saranrom Palace Saranrom Royal Palace () is a former palace in Bangkok, Thailand, located between Grand Palace and Wat Ratchapradit. It served as temporary residence for some princes and as lodging for royal guests. It is now the site of the Museum of the Min ...

until graduating, and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on December 1, 1889. On November 15, 1892, he was promoted to captain and on May 17, 1900, to Major. On December 5, 1897, he received the

noble title Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anoth ...

of Luang Ruapratsapatphon, with a ''

sakdina ''Sakdina'' () was a system of social hierarchy in use from the Ayutthaya to early Rattanakosin periods of Thai history. It assigned a numerical rank to each person depending on their status, and served to determine their precedence in society, an ...

'' of 800. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on May 14, 1902 and on September 20, 1901, he had the title of Phra Suradet Nachit and a ''sakdina'' of 1,000. Yaem was described to serve with honesty and his ability to succeed within the government ranks, eventually making him adjutant of the Army on August 6, 1903 along with a prior promotion on July 16, 1903, to a colonel. He also gained the title of Phraya Woradetsakdawut on November 12, 1903. In 1902, Yaem oversaw the establishment of the military in Monthon Phayap in the north to suppress the

Ngiao rebellion The Ngiao rebellion (), also called the Phrae City Rebellion and the 1902 Shan rebellion, was an uprising of Tai Yai (Shan, historically known in Thai as ''Ngiao'') people against Siamese rule, in what is now Phrae province in northern Thailand ...

there. Later, in 1912, he was named to the tribunal for the court martial of the instigators of the

Palace Revolt of 1912 The Palace Revolt of 1912 ( Thai: กบฏ ร.ศ. 130) was a failed uprising against the absolute monarchy of Siam. Discontent in the army during the reign of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) led to the unsuccessful coup. Background In 1909, a gr ...

. He was named a privy councillor of King

Vajiravudh Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...

, and would also continue in the role under King

Prajadhipok Prajadhipok (8 November 1893 – 30 May 1941) was the seventh king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VII. His reign was a turbulent time for Siam due to political and social changes during the 1932 Siamese revolution. He i ...

. He was promoted to Lieutenant General on April 11, 1912. He was made Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense in 1910. When Vajiravudh introduced the use of surnames in 1912, he granted Yaem's family the surname of "na Nagara" as descendants of the Governor of Nakhon Si Thammarat on June 24, 1913. He was then finally promoted to a full general on April 1, 1919. Later on, he became acting

on August 26, 1921, and was appointed as minister April 1, 1922. On November 11, 1922, he was given the title of Chaophraya Bodindechanuchit with a ''sakdina'' of 10,000. He was a member of Vajiravudh's paramilitary movement the Wild Tiger Corps, and received the rank of major on February 15, 1923.

Later years

Bodindechanuchit resigned from Minister of Defense on August 4, 1926, from illness and retired in Bangkok. During his later years, he would donate extensively to the maintenance for Buddhist temples in Bangkok as well as his hometown of Nakhon Si Thammarat. By this point, Bodindechanuchit had married Liap (), daughter of Luang Sunthonsinthop (Cho Patchim) () and had 4 children with her. On March 1, 1961, Bodindechanuchit died and King

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

himself attended his cremation at on February 27, 1962.

Awards

Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit __NOTOC__ The Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit (; ) was established on 1 August 1911 by King Rama VI of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to reward personal service to the sovereign. Members are entitled to use the postnominals ร.ว. Insigni ...

(1917) *

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� ...

, 1st Class (1922) *

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 ...

, 1st Class (1913) *

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 ...

, 1st Class (1912) * Order of Rama, 2nd Class (1918) * (1903) *King Vajiravudh's Royal Cypher Medal, 2nd Class (1921) *King Prajadhipok's Royal Cypher Medal, 3rd Class (1926) *King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Royal Cypher Medal, 2nd Class (1954)ราชกิจจานุเบกษา
แจ้งความสำนักคณะรัฐมนตรี เรื่อง พระราชทานเหรียญรัตนาภรณ์
เล่ม ๗๑ ตอนที่ ๔๙ ง หน้า ๑๗๒๔, ๓ สิงหาคม ๒๔๙๗

Foreign Awards

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, 2nd Class (Grand Officer, 1921) *: Order of Brunswick, 1st Class (Commanders Cross, 1909)

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bodindechanuchit, Chaophraya 1867 births 1961 deaths Ministers of defence of Thailand Chaophraya 19th-century Thai people Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour People from Nakhon Si Thammarat province Royal Thai Army generals Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy alumni