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Thailand: King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Siam with the Crown Prince, c.1890

Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua, or Rama V (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri.

He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam. His reign was characterized by the modernization of Siam, immense government and social reforms, and territorial cessions to the British Empire and French Indochina. As Siam was threatened by Western expansionism, Chulalongkorn, through his policies and acts, managed to save Siam from being colonized. All his reforms were dedicated to Siam’s insurance of survival in the midst of Western colonialism, so that Chulalongkorn earned the epithet Phra Piya Maharat ( Great Beloved King).

He is seen here with the Crown Prince, the future King Vajiravudh (1881-1925).