Prince Raphi Phatthanasak, Prince of

Ratchaburi Ratchaburi (, ) or Rajburi, Rat Buri) is a town ('' thesaban mueang'') in western Thailand, capital of Ratchaburi Province. Ratchaburi town covers the entire ''tambon'' Na Mueang (หน้าเมือง) of Mueang Ratchaburi District. As o ...

(; ), (21 October 18747 August 1920) was a 14th son 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 Chao Chom manda Talab. He had one full sister, Princess Ajrabarni Rajkanya. A key figure in Thai legal reform, he graduated from

Faculty of Law, University of Oxford The University of Oxford Faculty of Law is the law school of the University of Oxford. It has a history of over 800 years in the teaching and learning of law. Along with its counterpart at Cambridge, it is unique in its use of personalised Tut ...

. In 1892, the

Ministry of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

was established and Prince Raphi was appointed as Head Minister to unify the judiciary. In 1897, he set up the first law school in Thailand. He also reorganized the Thai court system under the 1908 Law on Organization. During his tenure as the Minister of Justice, his attempts to increase the independence of the Thai judiciary from the executive led to tensions with the king's absolutist outlook. This would eventually culminate in his resignation in 1910, precipitated by a legal dispute with Prince

Narathip Praphanphong Prince Vara Varnakara, the Prince Naradhip Prabandhabongse (20 November 1861 – 11 October 1931) was a Prince of Siam (later Thailand). He was a member of Siamese royal family is a son of King Mongkut and Chao Chom Manda Khian. His mother was ...

over Narathip's play ''Phraya Raka''. Following their mentor, 28 senior judges also resigned from the judiciary in a show of loyalty, though all but one were summoned by the king to resume their position. Prince Raphi would later return to the bureaucracy in 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 ...

, serving as the Minister of Agriculture. Prince Raphi died in Paris on 7 August 1920 at 21:00. He died of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

and kidney complications at the age of 45 years, 9 months, 17 days.

King Rama VI Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth 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 promote Siamese national ...

asked the Siamese ambassador to France to organize a royal cremation ceremony in Paris, in accordance with Prince Raphi's wishes. After that, Prince Kaiseang-raphi Rabhibhat came to pick up and summon the Royal Regiment of Prince Raphi Phatthanasak to Thailand on 1 December 1920.

Family

Wives # HRH Princess Orabhatra Prabai Rabībadhana (née Chakrabandhu), daughter of HRH Prince Chaturonrasmi, the Prince Chakkrabatradipongse # ''Mom'' On Rabībadhana na Ayudhya # ''Mom'' Daeng Rabībadhana na Ayudhya # ''Mom Rajawongse'' Sa-eng Rabībadhana (née Pramoja)

Ancestry

References

1874 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Thai people Thai male Phra Ong Chao Chakri dynasty Ministers of justice of Thailand Ministers of agriculture and cooperatives of Thailand Privy councillors under Rama V 19th-century Chakri dynasty 20th-century Chakri dynasty Sons of Chulalongkorn Krom Luang {{Thailand-royal-stub