Si Suriyawongse
Encyclopedia
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
figure and served as the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
during the early years of the reign of 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...
.
A member of a family originally of Persian origin, Si (or Sri) Suriyawongse was born the eldest son of Dis (ดิศ) Bunnag (Prayurawongse
Prayurawongse
Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Prayurawongse or Dis Bunnag was a prominent political figure of Siam during the mid-19th century as a regent for Mongkut kingdom-wide...
, สมเด็จเจ้าพระยาบรมมหาประยูรวงศ์) and Than Phuying Chan. Chuang was well educated for the time. 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 him Samuha Kalahom
Ministry of Defence (Thailand)
The Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom Thailand , is a Cabinet level government department of the Kingdom of Thailand. The Ministry controls and manage the Royal Thai Armed Forces, as well as maintaining national security, territorial integrity and national defence...
(สมุห สะ-ม-ุหะ กลาโหม), one of the two Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
s of old Siam.
Role
Si Suriyawongse, was one of the most important figures in the Mongkut's court. As he was the main supporter of Prince Mongkut to be enthroned, he eventually held the position of the Chancellor, or Samuha Kralahome, or the chief of the armed forces department. He was very well known as a pro-British official, or as a 'new generation' among the court's officials. He was interested in western learning in various fields such as science, engineering and steamship building, He had a very close relation with Prince MongkutMongkut
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...
, the future Rama IV, supporting him to welcome British influence, western learning. He was also the key figure in promoting the Siam-British relationship, culminating in the Bowring Treaty
Bowring Treaty
The Bowring Treaty is the name given to an agreement signed on April 18, 1855 between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam that liberalized foreign trade in Siam....
in 1855, facilitating the economic relationship with Britain.
After the death of 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...
in 1868, his young son Prince 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...
became the new monarch. However, as the new king was underage, Si Suriyawongse was named as regent, a post he held until 1873.
He died in 1883 in Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi
Ratchaburi ) is a town in western Thailand, capital of the Ratchaburi Province. It covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang of Mueang Ratchaburi district. As of 2006 it has a population of 38,208.-External links:*...
. Suriyawongse was also the first Thai to have a life insurance
Life insurance
Life insurance is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person. Depending on the contract, other events such as terminal illness or critical illness may also trigger...
policy, after King Rama V
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...
granted foreign companies permission to extend their insurance business into Siam.
His son Won Bunnag succeeded him as Samuha Kalahom and also held the title Chao Phraya Surawongse.
Royal decorations
Si Suriyawongse received the following royal decorations in the Honours SystemThai Honours Order of Precedence
State decorations awarded by Thailand take the form of orders and medals. This page lists them by order of precedence.-Royal decorations:# Knight and Dame of the Most Auspicious Order of the Rajamitrabhorn...
of Thailand:
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Knight of the Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine GemsOrder of the Nine GemsThe Ancient and Auspicious Order of the Nine Gems was established in 1851 by King Rama IV of The Kingdom of Siam...
- B.E. 2412 (C.E.Common EraCommon Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
1869-70) -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom KlaoOrder of Chula Chom KlaoThe Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao was established in 16 November 1873 by King Rama V of The Kingdom of Siam to commemorate the 90th Jubilee of the Chakri Dynasty, and bears his Name...
- B.E. 2416 (C.E.Common EraCommon Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
1873-74)Highest rank of the order in that era. -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White ElephantOrder of the White ElephantThe Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant is the most awarded order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Rama IV of the Kingdom of Siam.The Order consists of eight classes:...
- circa B.E. 2412-16 (C.E.Common EraCommon Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
1869-1974) -
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Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand - B.E. 2419 (C.E.Common EraCommon Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
1876-77)