Dhani Nivat, the Prince Bidyalabh Bridhyakon (; 7 November 1885 – 8 September 1974) was a member of the

Chakri dynasty The Chakri dynasty is the current reigning dynasty of the Thailand, Kingdom of Thailand. The head of the house is the Monarchy of Thailand, king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin era and ...

and Thai courtier. Previously known as Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul (หม่อมเจ้าธานีนิวัต โสณกุล), he received princely rank in 1922. Prince Dhani served many Thai monarchs as

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

and as President of the Privy Council; in the latter capacity he acted as

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

for 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 ...

on three separate occasions. The prince was also known for his academic writings on Thai history and culture. He served as president of the

Siam Society The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage () was established in 1904 with a mission to promote knowledge of the culture, history, arts, and natural sciences of Thailand as well as those of neighbouring countries. The premises of the Society in Bangko ...

for over 20 years.

Biography

Early life

Prince Dhaninivat Sonakul was born on 7 November 1885, the eldest son of Prince Sonabandhit, the Prince Bidyalabh Pruethidhada and Am Sonakul Na Ayutthaya (née Kuntholchinda). Prince Sonabandhit was the 62nd son of King

Mongkut Mongkut (18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama IV. He reigned from 1851 until his death in 1868. The reign of Mongkut was marked by significant modernization ini ...

and Consort Vad. His father was the first Siamese military attaché in London. As Prince Dhaninivat was born right after the end of his father's posting abroad his name meant "Returning to the City" (of Bangkok). The prince was raised in the Inner Court of the

Grand Palace The Grand Palace (, 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 Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the officia ...

, where his grandmother was Mistress of the Robes. In 1898 at the age of 13, Prince Dhaninivat was ordained as a

Samanera A (Pali; ), is a novice male monk in a Buddhist context. A female novice nun is in , and in or . In Tibetan Buddhism, a female novice nun is known by the Tibetan language term , and a male novice monk is a .Buddhist Sangha, as was customary for all Thai males. However, as a royal prince his ordination service was carried out at the chapel royal (

Wat Phra Kaew Wat Phra Kaew (, , ), commonly known in English as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and officially as Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred Wat, Buddhist temple in Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings ...

). In 1909 he became a full fledge

Bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok� ...

monk under

Vajirananavarorasa Vajirananavarorasa (also spelled ''Wachirayan, Watchirayanawarorot'', correct Pali spelling: Vajirañāṇavarorasa, , full title ''Somdet Phramahasamanachao Kromphraya Vajirananavarorasa'' สมเด็จพระมหาสมณเจ้ ...

and resided with him at

Wat Bowonniwet Wat Bowaniwet Wihan Ratchaworawihan (; , ) is a major Buddhist temple (''wat'') in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. Being the residence of Nyanasamvara Suvaddhana, the late Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, it is the final resting place of ...

. His father insisted he continued his studies abroad. After leaving the monkhood he went to England and under 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 ...

's sponsorship studied at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

. He then went on to study Oriental Languages at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

(namely

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

) and graduated with second-class honours.

Government service

The prince returned to Siam and began working at the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

under Prince

Damrong Rajanubhab Prince Tisavarakumara, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พ� ...

. He was sent up country and became chief of the administrative bureau of the Circle of Ayutthaya. During the reign 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 ...

he was appointed Private Secretary to Queen Saovabha Phongsri, the mother of the king. After the queen mother's death in 1919, he became the king's secretary of foreign correspondence, as well as clerk of the Cabinet Council and Secretary of the Privy Council. In 1922 he was elevated to the higher princely rank of ''Phra Ong Chao''; thus becoming Phra Worawongse Ther Phra Ong Chao Dhani Nivat (พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าธานีนิวัต). In the reign of 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 appointed acting-

after the resignation of Chaophraya Thammasakmontri, afterwards he took over the ministry as its principal minister on 3 August 1926. After the

Siamese revolution of 1932 The Siamese revolution of 1932 or Siamese coup d'état of 1932 ( or ) was a coup d'état by the People's Party which occurred in Siam on 24 June 1932. It ended Siam's centuries-long absolute monarchy rule under the Chakri dynasty and resulte ...

, the prince and all members of the extended royal family was removed from the government by the

Khana Ratsadon The People's Party, known in Thai as Khana Ratsadon (, ), was a Thailand, Siamese group of military and civil officers, and later a political party, which staged a 1932 Siamese coup d'état, bloodless revolution against King Prajadhipok's govern ...

(the People's party). Chaophraya Thammasakmontri took over the Ministry of Education once more under the constitutional government. Prince Dhani then retired from government service.

Courtier

On 25 March 1950 he became a privy councillor to King

. When the king decided to return to Switzerland for further education, he appointed Prince

Rangsit Prayurasakdi Rangsit Prayurasakdi, Prince of Chai Nat (; ; 12 November 1885 – 7 April 1951) was a member of the Thai royal family who founded the Public Health Ministry and served as Regent of Thailand. Early life Prince Rangsit was born as the 52nd ch ...

, the Prince of Chainat the

Regent of Thailand Regent of Thailand () is a person who exercises the official functions of a monarch of Thailand when the monarch is incapable of functioning or during a period of interregnum. Appointment By Old Royal Customs Ancient custom dictates that the Hei ...

, and asked Prince Dhani Nivat to become President of the

Privy Council of Thailand The Privy Council of Thailand () is a body of appointed advisors to the Monarchy of Thailand. The council, as the Constitution of Thailand stipulates, must be composed of no more than eighteen members. The council is led by the President of the ...

in his stead, he was appointed on 4 June 1950. On 8 May 1950, the king in commemoration of his own coronation ceremony, in which Prince Dhani played a major part, granted to the prince a further honour of "Krom" rank retitling him: Phra Worawongse Ther Krom Muen Bidyalabh Bridhyakon (พระวรวงศ์เธอ กรมหมื่นพิทยลาภพฤฒิยากร). On 7 March 1951 Prince Rangsit died. The king again asked Prince Dhani Nivat to succeed him, this time as the regent. He was appointed on 12 March 1951. After the king's permanent return to Thailand in 1952, the prince continued to serve as president of the Privy Council. The prince served as regent twice more, both in 1963. Firstly from 27 May to 6 June, when the king made a state visit to Japan and the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. And from 9 to 14 July during his visit to the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Prince Dhani Nivat died on 8 September 1974 at the age of 88. He was married to Prayoon Sonakul na Ayutthaya (née Sukhum), daughter of Phraya Yommarat ( Pun Sukhum). They have three children.

Selected works

* * * * * * ** (a note to the above)

Co-author

* *

Honours

* Knight of the

Order of the Royal House of Chakri The Most Illustrious Order of the Royal House of Chakri (; ) was founded in 1882 by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of the Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand) to commemorate the Bangkok Centennial. The order is awarded to members of the House of Chakri ...

* Knight of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit * Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the

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� ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

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 ...

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the

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 ...

Member of the

Vallabhabhorn Order The Vallabhabhorn Order () was established on 22 March 1919 (B.E. 2461) by King Rama VI of The Kingdom of Siam (now Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), i ...

* Dushdi Mala Medal for Distinguished Services in Arts and Sciences * King Rama IX Royal Cypher Medal 1st Class

Foreign

* Grand Commander (Honorary)

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm () is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace of God-Defender of the Realm). The o ...

(

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

) (1964)

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * "Dhani Nivas Bidyalabh Bridhyakorn, H.R.H. Prince" in Gerald W. Fry, Gayla S. Nieminen, Harold E. Smith, ''Historical Dictionary of Thailand'', 3a ed. (Scarecrow Press, 2013) p. 136 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dhani Nivat 1885 births 1974 deaths Thai male Phra Ong Chao Regents of Thailand Sonakul family Knights of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit Knights Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Members of the Vallabhabhorn Order Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Thai male Mom Chao Ministers of education of Thailand Members of the Privy Council of Thailand 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century regents