Saovabha Phongsri (; RTGS: Saowapha Phongsi
Pronunciation
) was an agnatic half-sister, royal wife and queen consort 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 ...

(Rama V) of Thailand, and mother of both 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 ...

(Rama VI) and 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 ...

(Rama VII). As in accordance with Thai royal tradition, King Vajiravudh later bestowed on his mother the title of "Queen Mother Sri Bajrindra" (; ).

Life

Saovabha was born as a Princess of Siam to 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 ...

(or Rama IV) and Princess Consort Piyamavadi (Piam Sucharitakul). She was the youngest sister of the future Queen Sunanda Kumariratana and 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 ...

. Saovabha became the consort of her half-brother King

sometime in 1878. She gave him 9 children, 5 would survive to adulthood (one died in infancy), two would eventually become King of Siam. In 1897, Queen Saovabha became the first female Regent of Siam, when her husband went on a tour of Europe. When he returned he bestowed upon her the title of "Somdet Phra Nang Chao Saowapha Phongsi Praborommarachininat" (RTGS) () (roughly equivalent to H.M. the Queen Regent). During her time as queen, she took many interests, especially in the issues concerning women. In 1904 she established one of the first schools for girls in Siam; the "Rajini School" or Queen's School in Bangkok. When she died in 1919 at the age of 58, she was given a grand Royal Funeral, attended by all members of the Siamese Royal Family, and the ceremony was presided over by her son King Vajiravudh. She played a prominent posthumous role in the 1924 Palace Law of Succession, in which her son King Vajiravudh stipulated that her children would take precedent among all others over the line of succession. This guaranteed the accession of her youngest son Prince Prajadhipok to the throne in 1925, despite there being more senior and learned sons of Chulalongkorn. The

Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute (QSMI) (; ) in Bangkok, Thailand, is an institute that specialises in the husbandry of venomous snakes, the extraction and research of snake venom, and vaccines, especially rabies vaccine. It houses the sna ...

was named after her.

Children

She had 9 children with King Chulalongkorn: In addition, the queen also adopted one of Savang Vadhana's daughters, Princess Valaya Alongkorn and raised as her own daughter.

Ancestors

External links

The Thai Redcross Society (English)

The Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Saovabha Phongsri 1861 births 1955 deaths Thai queen mothers Regents of Thailand Queens consort of Thailand Daughters of kings 19th-century regents 16th-century women regents 16th-century regents

Life

Children

Ancestors

See also

External links