Prince Damrong
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Prince Tisavarakumara, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab (; Full transcription is "Somdet Phrachao Borommawongthoe Phra-ongchao Ditsawarakuman Kromphraya Damrongrachanuphap" (สมเด็จพระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าดิศวรกุมาร กรมพระยาดำรงราชานุภาพ)) (21 June 1862 – 1 December 1943) was the founder of the modern Thai educational system as well as the modern provincial administration. He was an autodidact, a (self-taught) historian, and one of the most influential Thai intellectuals of his time. Born as ''Phra Ong Chao Tisavarakumara'' (พระองค์เจ้าดิศวรกุมาร; "Prince Tisavarakumarn"), a 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 ...
with Consort Chum (เจ้าจอมมารดาชุ่ม; Chao Chom Manda Chum), a lesser royal wife; he initially learned Thai and
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 ...
from private tutors, and English at the Royal School with Mr. Francis George Patterson. At the age of 14, he received his formal education in a special palace school created by his half-brother, 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 ...
. He was given posts in the royal administration at an early age, becoming the commander of the Royal Guards Regiment in 1880 at age 18, and after several years, he worked at building army schools as well as modernizing the army in general. In 1887, he was appointed as grand-officer to the army (commander-in-chief). At the same time, he was chosen by the king to become the Minister of Education in his provisional cabinet. When King Chulalongkorn began his administrative reform program in 1892, Prince Damrong was chosen to lead the Ministry of the North (''Mahatthai''), which was converted into the Ministry of the Interior in 1894. In his time as minister, he completely overhauled provincial administration. Many minor provinces were merged into larger ones, the provincial governors lost most of their autonomy when the post was converted into one appointed and salaried by the ministry, and a new administrative division—the ''
monthon ''Monthon'' (), also known as ''Monthon Thesaphiban'' (; Mṇṯhl Theṣ̄āp̣hibāl; , ), were Administrative divisions of Thailand, administrative subdivisions of Thailand at the beginning of the 20th century. The Thai word ''monthon'' is a tr ...
'' (circle) covering several provinces—was created. Formal education of administrative staff was introduced. Prince Damrong was among the most important advisors of the king, and considered second only to him in power.


Political climate in Siam (1855–1893)

Legal traditions made little if any sense to foreigners. Nor did they have knowledge of the ancient political climate. Nor aware that the Bowring Treaty, which nearly all considered a significant advancement, had accomplished none of its objectives and had been set-back for the Siamese for the ensuing decades. Monthon reforms met with resistance, complicated by French interference in Siamese authority.


Foreign advisers

Prince Damrong went to Europe in search of a European general advisor for the king by way of the
Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...
. In December 1891, during a lunch hosted by the British ambassador to Egypt, Damrong met Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, who had edited the first issue of ''Revue de Droit International et de Législation Comparée'' ("Review of International Law and Comparative Legislation"), which had appeared late-1868 with contributions from many noted scholars. Following a hasty correspondence with Bangkok, the prince was able to offer Rolin-Jaequemyns an annual salary of £3,000. Among his successors were Edward Strobel, the first American adviser in foreign affairs, followed by Jens Westengard, after whose tenure the position was downgraded to Adviser in Foreign Affairs, then Wolcott Pitkin, Eldon James, and Francis B. Sayre. After Damrong recruited Rolin-Jaequemyns, however, the advisers worked under Foreign Minister Devawongse Vaprokar and were recruited principally by their predecessors through Harvard connections. Strobel, Westengard, James, and Sayre were all Harvard law professors.


Minister of the Interior

The King had been impressed by the way Damrong organized the re-equipment of Thai artillery in his military capacity and how he successfully managed three schools and then the education ministry. Consequently, he promoted Damrong over the heads of the prince's older half brothers. Prince Damrong was appointed Minister of the North in 1892 as part of a larger reform of the government. In 1894 the Southern and Western provinces were transferred to Damrong's ministry, which became the Ministry of Interior. Damrong changed the character of the department by retiring older officials and replacing them with men loyal to him, more formally training hereditary provincial nobles for their administrative responsibilities, and taking a meritocratic approach to promotion, insisting that paths of promotion should be open to clerks. He also reorganized the ministry into a superintending Central Department, a Legal Department to deal with border incidents and extraterritoriality, and a Department of Provincial Administration. He attempted to prune the ministry of departments that were not relevant to provincial administration. However, the ministry soon took over functions normally assigned to other ministries because their operations required the cooperation of Interior staff and because of Damrong's reputation for competence. Examples included Provincial Revenue, Irrigation, Forestry, Mines, and a provincial Gendarmerie. Damrong's most important reform, however, was the creation of the ''thesaphiban'' system by which the provincial administration was professionalized and made responsible to and dependent on the central government. The system was named after the ''thesaphiban'' or superintendent commissioners who exercised authority over in which groups of provinces called ''monthon'' or circles. An 1892 tour of northern provinces convinced Damrong that the provincial government was almost completely decoupled from the central government and in desperate need of reform. Through the 1890s, he created ''monthon'' and appointed ''thesaphiban''. Administration was divided into judicial, financial, and administrative spheres and each ''thesaphiban'' had a commissioner for each of these divisions. Damrong and the ''thesaphiban'' also attacked the independence of provincial nobility by taking over their sources of revenue, such as judicial fees and transit duties, then using some of this money to pay them salaries. These provincial notables were then taken into the provincial administration and frequently transferred to other provinces, severing traditional local ties. Damrong and his ministry also sought to appoint Interior officials to run districts (the administrative division below provinces) and to have locally elected elders take responsibility for keeping the peace and collect taxes at the commune and village levels. These changes were formalized countrywide in the Ministry of Interior regulations of 1899, turning provincial governors from semi-independent nobles to officials of the central government. These reforms resulted in doubling of state revenue, the extension of some social services, and increased security in the provinces.


Later years

After the death of King Chulalongkorn in 1910, the relationship with his successor 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 ...
was less productive. Prince Damrong finally resigned in 1915 from his post at the ministry, officially due to health problems, since otherwise the resignation would have looked like an affront to the
monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
. During the brief reign of King Prajadhipok, the prince proposed that the king found the Royal Institute, mainly to look after the National Library and the museums. He became the first president of the Royal Institute of Thailand. He was given the title ''Somdet Phra Chao Borommawong Thoe Krom Phraya Damrong Rajanubhab'' by King Prajadhipok in recognition to his work. This became the name by which he is generally known. In the following years, Damrong worked as a self-educated historian, as well as writing books on Thai literature, culture and arts. Out of his works grew the
National Library A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, ...
, as well as the National Museum. He is considered the father of Thai history. The "Damrong school" has been characterized by Thai historian Nithi Aeusrivongse as combining "the legacy of the royal chronicle with history as written in the West during the nineteenth century, creating a royal/national history to serve the modern Thai state under the absolute monarchy." Although foundational to Thai history, his work is now often seen as overly nationalistic and exclusive of marginalized actors. Being one of the main apologists for absolute monarchy, 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 ...
which introduced
Constitutional monarchy Constitutional monarchy, also known as limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy, is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in making decisions. ...
in the kingdom, Damrong was exiled to
Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
in British
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 ...
. In 1942, after the old establishment had substantially regained power from the 1932 reformists, he was allowed to return to Bangkok, where he died one year later. Prince Damrong is credited as the father of Thai history, the education system, the health system (the Ministry of Health was originally a department of the Ministry of the Interior) and the provincial administration. He also had a major role in crafting Bangkok's anti-democratic state ideology of " Thainess". On the 1962 centenary of his birth, he became the first Thai to be included in the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
list of the world's most distinguished persons. On 28 November 2001, to honour the contributions the prince made to the country, the government declared that 1 December would thereafter be known as "Damrong Rajanupab Day". His many descendants use the royal surname ''Tisakula'' or ''Diskul'' ().


Writings

Prince Damrong wrote countless books and articles, of which only a few are available in English translation: *'' Our Wars with the Burmese: Thai-Burmese Conflict 1539–1767'', *''Journey through Burma in 1936: A View of the Culture, History and Institutions'', *''Stories of Archeology: A Collection of True Stories, (Title in Thai:นิทานโบราณคดี)'', * * for which Prince Damrong offered advice and images


Honours


National honours

Prince Damrong received these honours and medals from the
Honours System An order is a visible honour awarded by a sovereign state, monarch, dynastic house or organisation to a person, typically in recognition of individual merit, that often comes with distinctive insignia such as collars, medals, badges, and sash ...
: *: ** Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri (1886) ** Knight of the
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 ...
(1901) ** Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao (1900) ** Knight of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit (1911) ** Knight Grand Cordon 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 ...
(1913) ** Knight Grand Cordon of the Order of the Crown of Thailand (1923) ** Knight of the Vajira Mala Order (1911) ** Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Services to the Monarch (Military) (1893) ** Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Arts and Science (Military) (1890) ** Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Arts and Science (Civilian) (1890) ** Dushdi Mala Medal Pin of Services to the Monarch (Civilian) (1899) ** Chakra Mala Medal (1893) ** Saratul Mala Medal (1925) ** King Rama IV Royal Cypher Medal (1904) ** King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal (1908) ** King Rama VI Royal Cypher Medal (1910) ** King Rama VII Royal Cypher Medal (1926) ** Queen's Medal (1898) ** Recipient of the King Rama VII Coronation Medal (1926)


Foreign Honours

*: ** Knight 1st Class of the Order of Saint Alexander Nevsky (1892) ** Knight 1st Class of the Order of Saint Anna (1892) *: ** Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle (1892) *: ** 1st Class of the Order of Osmanieh (1892) *: ** Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1892) ** Grand Cross of the
Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy in 1861. It was awarded in five degrees for ...
(1896) *: ** Grand Cross of the Order of Saints George and Constantine (1892) *: ** Grand Cross of the
Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...
(1892) ** 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 ...
(1930) *: ** Grand Officer of the
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 ...
(1892) *: ** Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese honors system, Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge feat ...
(1895)


Tributes to Damrong Rajanubhab

Image:Damrong Rajanubhab.jpg, Royal Monument of Prince Tisavarakumarn, Prince Damrong Rajanubhab at the Ministry of Interior


See also

* Varadis Palace


Notes


References


Further reading


Biography from the Encyclopedia of Asian History
* * * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Damrong Rajanubhab Thai male Phra Ong Chao 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty Diskul family Children of Mongkut 20th-century Thai historians Thai publishers (people) Thai exiles Thai expatriates in Malaysia Refugees in Malaysia Historians of Thailand Knights Grand Cordon of the Order of Chula Chom Klao Knights of the Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit Recipients of the Dushdi Mala Medal, Pin of Arts and Science Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of Vasa 1862 births 1943 deaths Commanders-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army Ministers of interior of Thailand Members of the Privy Council of Thailand 19th-century Thai historians 19th-century military history of Thailand Sons of kings