Front Palace - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol ( (Pronunciation)) or the Front Palace was a royal title granted by the Siamese monarchy until the nineteenth century. The holder of the title of Front Palace was considered the heir to the throne and second only to the King. The title originated in the Ayutthaya period

Ayutthaya kingdom

Ayutthaya was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese , Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the...

and later gained significant powers during the Rattanakosin

Rattanakosin

Rattanakosin may refer to*Rattanakosin Island, the historic center of Bangkokestablishment of Bangkok as capital, and continuing to the present day*Rattanakosin style , a distinct period in the Thai art...

period. The Front Palaces were usually the son or brothers of the monarchs. The title existed until 1885 with the death of Prince Vichaichan

Vichaichan

Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Vichaichan or Phra Ong Chao Yodyingyot was a Siamese Prince and member of the Chakri Dynasty. He was the eldest son of King Pinklao and Princess Aim, and thus nephew to King Mongkut...

, the last Front Palace. King Chulalongkorn

Chulalongkorn

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...

then abolished the title and introduced the Western style of "Crown Prince of Siam

Crown Prince of Thailand

The Crown Prince of Thailand was a title held by the heir apparent to the Thai throne. First created by King Chulalongkorn in 1886, for his son Prince Maha Vajirunhis, the king's eldest son by a royal wife Princess Consort Savang Vadhana. Prior to this the Siamese throne did not have a law or...

" for the heir apparent.

Ayutthaya period

The Uparaja
Uparaja
Uparaja or Ouparath, also Ouparaja , was a royal title reserved for the vice royal in the Buddhist dynasties in Burma, Cambodia, and Laos and Thailand as well as some of their minor tributary kingdoms.-Burma:...

or Vice-King concept was of an Indian origin. In 1448, Trailokanat the king of Sukhothai

Sukhothai kingdom

The Sukhothai Kingdom ) was an early kingdom in the area around the city Sukhothai, in north central Thailand. The Kingdom existed from 1238 till 1438...

was crowned as the king of Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya kingdom

uniting the two kingdoms. During the 15th century, the Kingdom of Sukhothai, which centered on Pitsanulok, served as the seat of most of Uparajas as the Uparajas were also the king of Sukhothai with few exceptions. After the first fall of Ayutthaya in 1569, Maha Thammaracha

Maha Thammaracha

Phra Maha Thammarachathirat or Somdet Phra Sanphet I or formerly known as Khun Phiren Thorathep was the first King of Ayutthaya kingdom of the Sukhothai dynasty. As a powerful Sukhothai noble, Pirenthorathep gradually rose to power...

crowned his son Naresuan

Naresuan

Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat or Somdet Phra Sanphet II was the King of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1590 until his death in 1605. Naresuan was one of Siam's most revered monarchs as he was known for his campaigns to free Siam from Burmese rule...

as the Uparaja and the king of Sukhothai/Pitsanulok, Naresuan then built a palace in front of the Royal Palace to be his place of residence when he visited Ayutthaya - therefore the name "Front Palace" was created. However, in 1583, Naresuan annexed the Sukhothai kingdom to Ayutthaya, thus Pitsanulok ceased to be the seat of Uparaja. Naresuan, after his coronation, appointed his brother Ekathotsarot

Ekathotsarot

Prabat Somdet Phra Sanpet III or Somdet Phra Ekatotsarot was the King of Ayutthaya from 1605 to 1610 succeeding his brother Naresuan. His reign was mostly peaceful as Siam was then a powerful state through the conquests of Naresuan...

to be the Uparaja with equal status to the King staying in the Front Palace.

Phetracha

Phetracha

Phetracha was a king of the Ayutthaya kingdom in Thailand, usurping the throne from his predecessor King Narai and founding the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty, the final one of the Ayutthaya kingdom...

in 1688 appointed his son Luang Sorasak (later Sanpet VIII) as the Uparaja living at the Front Palace. For the first time the term "Krom Phrarajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol" ( (lit. The Great Auspicious Place) was used. The Uparaja was usually the brother of the king, and was the heir to the throne upon the death of the king. When the vice-king died before the king, the title often remained vacant for several years, until the new King decides to appoint his own Uparaja.

Rattanakosin period

With the foundation of the Chakri dynasty in 1782, Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chakri Borommanat Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke , posthumously titled "the Great", or Rama I , was the founder and the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam . He ascended the throne in 1782, after defeating a rebellion which had deposed King...

made his younger brother Bunma the Front Palace (as Maha Sura Singhanat

Maha Sura Singhanat

Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sura Singhanat was the younger brother of Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the first monarch of the Chakri dynasty of Siam. As an Ayutthayan general, he fought alongside his brother in various campaigns against Burmese invaders and the local warlords...

). Maha Sura Singhanat supervised the construction of Front Palace in Bangkok. Later Front Palaces continued the expansion of the palace. Prince Isarasundhorn was the only Front Palace who did not reside in the Front Palace but instead lived at the Thonburi Palace. Ironically, with the exception of Prince Isarasundhorn (who succeeded to the throne as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai

Buddha Loetla Nabhalai

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Isarasundhorn Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai , or Rama II , was the second monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1809-1824. In 1809, Isarasundhorn succeeded his father Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the founder of Chakri dynasty, as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai...

), none of the Rattanakosin Front Palaces were actually crowned as they were mostly the monarch's siblings. During this time the Vice-King resided in the Front Palace (วังหน้า: Wang Na) north of the Grand Palace, which is now the main building of the National Museum

National Museum (Thailand)

The National Museum in Thailand is the main museum on the history of the Thai culture. The main museum is located in Bangkok on Na Phrathat Road next to the Sanam Luang, not far from Wat Phra Kaew....

.

The Front Palaces during the Rattanakosin period had wielded large amounts of power, with their own private army and even a navy. In 1851, King Mongkut

Mongkut

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut , was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...

made his brother Pinklao

Pinklao

Phrabat Somdet Phra Pinklao Chaoyuhua was the younger brother of King Mongkut and the Second King of Siam, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor to himself.-Early life:...

the Front Palace and then crowned him as a King equaled to himself, like the case of Naresuan and Ekatotsarot. Pinklao also received all the styles and titles usually reserved only for the monarch, to Europeans he refers to himself as the Second King. This greatly expanded the power of the Front Palace. In 1868, after the coronation of young Chulalongkorn

Chulalongkorn

, Sri Suriyawongse his regent arranged the grant of the Front Palace title to Pinklao's son, Prince Yingyot as Front Palace Bovorn Vichaichan.

Somdej Pramahitathibej Adulyadejvikrom Prabarommarajajanok

Mahidol Adulyadej

Mahitaladhibes Adulyadejvikrom, the Prince Father , or officially styled Mahidol Adulyadej, Prince of Songkla was the father of King Ananda Mahidol and King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. He was also regarded as the father of modern medicine and public health of Thailand...

hold his rank equivalent to Front Palace

Front Palace

Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Sathan Mongkol ) or the Front Palace was a royal title granted by the Siamese monarchy until the nineteenth century. The holder of the title of Front Palace was considered the heir to the throne and second only to the King. The title originated in the Ayutthaya period and...

of Chakri Dynasty

End to the system

The conflicts between the reformist King Chulalongkorn and conservative Vice King came to a head in the so-called Front Palace Crisis

Front Palace crisis

The Front Palace crisis or the Front Palace incident was a political crisis that took place in the Kingdom of Siam from 28 December 1874 to 25 February 1875. The crisis was a power struggle between the reformist King Chulalongkorn and the conservative Prince Bovorn Vichaichan the Second King...

in 1874 - a fire in the Grand Palace was attributed to the Vice-King Bovorn Vichaicharn, who sought protection in the British consulate. The crisis started due to the fast-paced reforms started by the young King Chulalongkorn

Chulalongkorn

. As a result the reforms were stalled for several years, and when the Vice-King died in 1885 the whole Uparath system was abolished by the King. Instead he named his son as heir and Crown Prince.

See also: Crown Prince of Thailand

Crown Prince of Thailand

Ayutthaya

Front Palace	Appointed by	Relation to the monarch	Reign	Ascension or Death
Luang Sorasak	Petracha	Son	1688 - 1703	as Sanpet VIII
Chao Fa Petch	Sanpet VIII	Son	1703 - 1708	as Sanphet IX Sanphet IX Sanphet IX or Tai Sa was the King of Ayutthaya from 1709 to 1732 and the fourth ruler of the Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty.King Tai Sa was born Prince Surindra to King Suriyendra and his principal queen. After the death of his father in 1709 Prince Surindra was crowned as King of Siam and took the...
Chao Fa Porn	Sanphet IX Sanphet IX Sanphet IX or Tai Sa was the King of Ayutthaya from 1709 to 1732 and the fourth ruler of the Ban Phlu Luang Dynasty.King Tai Sa was born Prince Surindra to King Suriyendra and his principal queen. After the death of his father in 1709 Prince Surindra was crowned as King of Siam and took the...	Brother	1708 - 1732	as Boromakot Boromakot Somdet Phra Chaoyuhua Boromakot or Somdet Phra Boromaracha Dhiraj III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1732 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death....
Krom Khun Sena Pithak	Boromakot Boromakot Somdet Phra Chaoyuhua Boromakot or Somdet Phra Boromaracha Dhiraj III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1732 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death....	Son	1732 - 1746	Executed
Krom Khun Pornpinit	Boromakot Boromakot Somdet Phra Chaoyuhua Boromakot or Somdet Phra Boromaracha Dhiraj III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1732 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death....	Son	1757 - 1758	as Uthumporn

Thonburi

Front Palace	Appointed by	Relation to the monarch	Reign	Ascension or Death
Krom Khun Intarapitak	Taksin Taksin Taksin ; was the only King of the Thonburi Kingdom...	Son	1767 - 1782	Executed

Rattanakosin

Front Palace	Appointed by	Relation to the monarch	Reign	Ascension or Death
Maha Sura Singhanat Maha Sura Singhanat Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sura Singhanat was the younger brother of Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the first monarch of the Chakri dynasty of Siam. As an Ayutthayan general, he fought alongside his brother in various campaigns against Burmese invaders and the local warlords...	Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chakri Borommanat Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke , posthumously titled "the Great", or Rama I , was the founder and the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam . He ascended the throne in 1782, after defeating a rebellion which had deposed King...	Brother	1782 - 1803	Died
Isarasundhorn	Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chakri Borommanat Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke , posthumously titled "the Great", or Rama I , was the founder and the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam . He ascended the throne in 1782, after defeating a rebellion which had deposed King...	Son	1806 - 1809	as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai Buddha Loetla Nabhalai Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Isarasundhorn Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai , or Rama II , was the second monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1809-1824. In 1809, Isarasundhorn succeeded his father Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the founder of Chakri dynasty, as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai...
Maha Senanurak Boworn Maha Senanurak Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Senanurak was the Front Palace appointed by Buddha Loetla Nabhalai as the titular heir to the throne as he was the brother to the king...	Buddha Loetla Nabhalai Buddha Loetla Nabhalai Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Isarasundhorn Phra Buddha Loetla Nabhalai , or Rama II , was the second monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1809-1824. In 1809, Isarasundhorn succeeded his father Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, the founder of Chakri dynasty, as Buddha Loetla Nabhalai...	Brother	1809 - 1817	Died
Maha Sakdi Polsep Maha Sakdi Polsep Somdet Phra Bawornrajchao Maha Sakdi Polsep was the Front Palace appointed by Jessadabodindra as the titular heir to the throne as he was the uncle to the king.Prince Arunotai was the son of King Buddha Loetla Nabhalai and his concubine Nuiyai...	Jessadabodindra Jessadabodindra Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Jessadabodindra Phra Nangklao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama III , was the third monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 21 July 1824 to 2 April 1851. He succeeded his father, Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, as the King of Siam...	Uncle	1824 - 1832	Died
Pinklao Pinklao Phrabat Somdet Phra Pinklao Chaoyuhua was the younger brother of King Mongkut and the Second King of Siam, who crowned him as a monarch with equal honor to himself.-Early life:...	Mongkut Mongkut Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramenthramaha Mongkut Phra Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut , was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, ruling from 1851-1868...	Brother	1851 - 1865	Crowned as co-ruler with Mongkut
Vichaichan Vichaichan Krom Phra Rajawang Bovorn Vichaichan or Phra Ong Chao Yodyingyot was a Siamese Prince and member of the Chakri Dynasty. He was the eldest son of King Pinklao and Princess Aim, and thus nephew to King Mongkut...	Chulalongkorn Chulalongkorn Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...	Cousin	1868 - 1885	Died, Title abolished

With the death of Vichaichan, Chulalongkorn did not appoint any new Front Palaces. In 1886, Chulalongkorn made his son Prince Maha Vajirunhis

Vajirunhis

Crown Prince Maha Vajirunhis was the first Crown Prince of the Chakri Dynasty. He was the first son of King Chulalongkorn and Queen Savang Vadhana....

, "Crown Prince of Siam", therefore abolishing the title of Front Palace altogether.

Rear Palace

Around the time of Luang Sorasak's appointment King Phetracha also appointed a Krom Phrarajawang Bovorn Sathan Phimuk ( or the Rear Palace (Wang Lang). Nai Chobkojprasit, a commoner was appointed to the position, however sometime during King Phetracha's reign he fell out of favour and was executed. Around 1703 King Sanpet VIII decided to appoint his first son Prince Petch the Front Palace and his younger son Prince Porn the Rear Palace. However because of the inauspicious end of the first Rear Palace the King decided to change the title of the Front and Rear Palaces to Phra Bantoon Yai (พระบัณฑูรใหญ่) and Phra Bantoon Noi (พระบัณฑูรน้อย) respectively. The word Bantoon meant command and the title translates as the great command and the minor command, afterwards the titles were merged.

Only one Rear Palace was appointed during the Rattanakosin period, in 1785 Prince Anurak Devesh

Anurak Devesh

Chaofa Krom Phra Anurak Devesh Krom Phra Rajawang Boworn Sathan Phimuk was a Siamese Prince and military leader. A nephew of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, he was appointed Rear Palace or the Deputy Vice King of Siam...

a nephew of King Rama I was appointed to the office. After his death in 1806 the office went vacant. The site of the Rear Palace (วังหลัง: Wang Lang) in Bangkok is now Siriraj Hospital

Siriraj Hospital

Siriraj Hospital is the oldest hospital in Thailand, located in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, opposite Thammasat University's Tha Phrachan campus...

Ayutthaya

Rear Palace	Appointed by	Reign
Nai Chobkojprasit	Phetracha Phetracha Phetracha was a king of the Ayutthaya kingdom in Thailand, usurping the throne from his predecessor King Narai and founding the Ban Phlu Luang dynasty, the final one of the Ayutthaya kingdom...	circa 1688 - ?
Chaofa Porn Boromakot Somdet Phra Chaoyuhua Boromakot or Somdet Phra Boromaracha Dhiraj III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1732 to 1758. His reign was the last blooming period of Ayutthaya as the kingdom would fall nine years after his death....	Sanpet VIII	circa 1703 - 1708

Rattanakosin

Rear Palace	Appointed by	Reign
Anurak Devesh Anurak Devesh Chaofa Krom Phra Anurak Devesh Krom Phra Rajawang Boworn Sathan Phimuk was a Siamese Prince and military leader. A nephew of King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the founder of the Chakri Dynasty, he was appointed Rear Palace or the Deputy Vice King of Siam...	Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chakri Borommanat Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke , posthumously titled "the Great", or Rama I , was the founder and the first monarch of the reigning House of Chakri of Siam . He ascended the throne in 1782, after defeating a rebellion which had deposed King... (Rama I)	circa 1782 – 1806