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 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 ...

Early life

Prince Rangsit was born as the 52nd 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 second child of '' Chao Chom Manda'' Mom Rajawongse Nueng (great-granddaughter of King

Rama II Phutthaloetla Naphalai (born Chim; 24 February 1767 or 1768 – 21 July 1824), also known by his regnal name Rama II, was the second King of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, ruling from 1809 to 1824. In 1809, Itsarasunthon succeeded his father R ...

), 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 Sri Savarindira (; , 10 September 1862 – 17 December 1955), also known as Savang Vadhana (; ). She was a half-sister and queen of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). After her first grandson's accession to power in 1935, she became known as Her Ma ...

. 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 (, 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 ...

. At the age of 14, he was sent to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

for his education, at first the Martineum gymnasium in

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

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 year ...

in 1905 and later the Heidelberg-University in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

. Though he was more interested in medicine, his father insisted on an education in jurisprudence, which he completed at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg. 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 (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 ...

, Prince Rangsit worked to improve Siam's

health care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

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 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 ...

, Prince Rangsit did not involve himself in politics, but was nevertheless seen as a threat by the pro-fascist military government of Major General

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Plaek Phibunsongkhram; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964) was a Thai military officer and politician who served as the third prime minister of Thailand from 1938 to 1944 and again from 1948 to 1957. He rose to power as a leading member of the Kh ...

, 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 and in the writing of a journal which recounts his childhood memories and experiences of traveling to Europe for the first time in 1899. On 28 September 1943, having been jailed for four years and nine months, Prince Rangsit was released by Plaek's government (a 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 Plaek'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 of his younger half-brother King

Rama VII 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 Siamese revolution of 1932, 19 ...

to 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 ...

of his two nephews King

Ananda Mahidol Ananda Mahidol (20 September 19259 June 1946) was the eighth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam (later Thailand) from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VIII. At the time he was recognised as king by the National Assembly of Thailand, National ...

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 ...

. After King Ananda Mahidol's 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 16 June 1946, as well as chairman of the Supreme Council of State in 1947.

Honours

* Knight of the Most Illustrious

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 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� ...

* 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 ...

* 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, in memory of the Dukes of Zähringen from whom he was descended. Classes It had five classes: *Grand Cross *Commander, First Class *Commander, ...

(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 (, ) 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 in north, northeast, and ...

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

References