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Thailand: Dressed in a gold embroidered robe, a prince is attended by a servant during the reign of King Mongkut (1851—68).

Thailand: Dressed in a gold embroidered robe, a prince is attended by a servant during the reign of King Mongkut (1851—68).

Rama IV, known in foreign countries as King Mongkut (1804 –68), was the fourth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, and ruled from 1851 to his death in 1868. He was one of the most revered monarchs of the country. Outside of Thailand, he is best-known as the King in the 1951 play and 1956 film The King and I. During his reign, the pressure of Western expansionism was felt for the first time in Siam. Mongkut embraced Western innovations and initiated the modernization of Siam, both in technology and culture—earning him the nickname "The Father of Science and Technology" in Siam.

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