Thread: Memory Lane (In my own language)

A tale from little birds

Historians speculate that ‘royal words’ has started to be used since the 8^th reign in the Ayuthaya Kingdom (circa 1448).

Most words were derived from Khmer language since around that time they always fought with Khmer people and brought them in, royalties and peasantry, as captives and learned how they communicated to each other.

At first there were not many ‘royal words’ and used within close circle. New ones were invented more and more through time...

In the beginning of the Chakri Dynasty who has ruled the Ratanakosin Kingdom, the first king named King Rama I or King Praputtayodfa Chulalok (1782-1809).




In brief because the little birds are not talking about him, the King’s original name was Nai (= Mr.) Tong Duang. He was a close friend to Nai Sin. Together in 1767, the buddies led his people defeating the Burmese who at that time was ruling Siam.

After the conquest, they made declaration of independence and built the new city since the old one, Ayuthaya city was damaged beyond restoration.

Nai Sin was chosen to become the king named King Taksin and his new city, Thonburi was established on the west bank of the Chao Praya River.


“We think you have already told this part”

“Yes, I know. It’s just a prelude. Can I continue?”

“Okay”


As said before, King Taksin had not started the line of his dynasty yet the throne was changed hands to Nai Tong Duang, his close friend who became King Rama I, the first ruler who established the Chakri Dynasty of the new kingdom, Ratanakosin Kingdom. He also built his new city on the east bank of the Chao Praya River and named it Bangkok.

King Rama I had a wife named Nak ...


"Finally..."


... The couple had lived together through thick and thin since the era of the old Kingdom, Ayuthaya.

Nak was born in 1737. Around 1760, She married the King who at that time was a brave soldier with high rank in Ratchaburi Province. The reason was to avoid being taken as a court lady to the last king of Ayuthaya Kingdom.

When King Taksin took the throne and declared the new kingdom as Thonburi Kingdom, Nai Tong Duang was granted a higher title as “Somdet Chao Praya” in 1776.

In 1779, Nai Tong Duang as Somdet Chao Praya went on his campaigns against Vientiane, Laos. There, he took a daughter of the ruler’s as his mistress.

The Princess daughter of the ruler of Vientiane named Kum Waen became Somdet Chao Praya’s favorite, much to the dismay of his ‘through thick and thin’ wife, Nak.

The dissension concerning ‘#1 vs #2’ which had started long back since the two ladies lived together under one roof became worse and worse until, one day, the thin line snapped when Nak beat Kum Waen with a wooden stick. With her head bleeding, Kum Waen ran and cried to Somdet Chao Praya for help.

Enraged with what happened, Somdet Chao Praya threatened to kill Nak with a sword but the tragedy was saved by the help of her son who was to become the future King Rama II.




While Nak was hiding inside a bolted room and her husband was trying to break it, her son sneaked her out of the house through a window and led her to King Taksin’s Palace and stayed there with one of the King’s Royal concubines who was her own daughter.

After the traumatic incident, Nak and Somdet Chao Praya had never come into reconciliation.

After Somdet Chao Praya had become King Rama I and established the new capital, Bangkok, on the opposite site of the Chao Praya River, the east, Nak set her feet into the Royal Palace only to visit her children and would leave before the Palace’s gate closed in the evening.

All of her life, Nak never used royal words to any royalties, not even to her husband, the King. It is not that she was not respectful but she deemed it unnecessary. She had never received any royal titles from her husband during his kingship not even being elevated to his “Queen”.


“Let us add something... Actually, in those ancient times, there were no official royal titles for the wives. Even the title “Queen” was not official but only known among the people.

Those fancy royal titles for wives plus important royalties including those who already passed have started in the reign of King Rama IV and became boomed in the reign of King Rama V.

Because before that it was the time of ‘establishing’ the country which was just liberated from Burma plus wars with neighbors were still on so, they did not have time to take care of those minor things.

Okay… You can go on”

“Thanks”


After her husband died and her son took the throne as King Rama II, Nak was asked to come back and stay at the Grand Palace with him but she refused. Until around the end of her son’s reign, she was softer and agreed to move back.

Queen Amarinta died in 1826 in the reign of her grandson, King Rama III. The first royal title given to her by her son, King Rama II, was the ‘Queen Mother’.

They said her character of being so determined and strong headed is considered the very first woman ever recorded in Thai history that started the “women lib”.