King Chulalongkorn's Shaping of Modern Thai Education

King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) ushered in a transformative era where Thailand, then known as Siam, emerged as a unified nation-state. But like all profound transformations, Siam’s journey had its share of growing pains—none more apparent than the struggle to reform its education system.

Table of Contents

1. Why Dd the Siamese Monarchy View Education as a Tool for Survival?

A. The Royal Experiment: From Anna Leonowens to Palace Schools 

2. What Was King Chulalongkorn’s Initial View on Education?

A. The Success of Suankularb

3.  How Did Siam Attempt to Spread Public Education?

4. What Triggered the Shift Toward Provincial Education?

A. Doubling Down: The 1898 Decree

5. How Was Education Used as a Homogenizing Agent in Siam?

6. What Were the Major Weaknesses of Chulalongkorn's Educational Reforms?

7. Summing Up: A Precise Weapon, Not a General Tool

Mongkut and the Modernization Wave of the 19th Century

A 19th century Thai King, despite lacking youth, embraced modernization and all in the name of his Kingdom's independence. But he did not act alone, across Asia and Africa, many countries, facing the same imperialist threat, undertook the painful decision. This wave of modernization, however, faced mixed results with some success and many failures.

Table of Contents

1. What Reforms did Mongkut Introduced?

2. Wave of Modernization

A. Imperial Playbook and Argument

B. The Counter Argument and Movement

3. Behind Successes and Failures

4. Summing Up

Joseph Stalin - The Price of Success

Everyone knows Hitler as the embodiment of evil with the Allies as the forces of good. But within the ranks of these "good" stood an achiever but also a butcher greater than the defeated German leader. Joseph Stalin propelled the Soviet Union into the position of superpower at a great expense of lives, even larger than that of Hitler. He made planning trending, but also did the same for gulags, slave labor, and famine.

Spain's Controversial Queen Isbella II

While Queen Victoria enjoyed a nation riding high in imperial glory, her contemporary in Spain found her nation in disarray, plagued by political instability. Thrust into the position at a young age, others ruled on her behalf. She  must find her position and role in the country or face dire consequences.

Isabella's Kingdom of Castile

When Isabella took the crown of Castile, what was her kingdom like?

10 Things to Know about Queen Isabella of Castille

A woman that towered over a patriarchal society and period. Isabella of Castille transformed her Kingdom from a divided society into a great power in Europe. Her reign saw the establishment of an Empire where the sun never sets.

Isabella of Castile - the Iron Queen of Spain

Isabella gazed upon the foreign navigator in his presence pondering on the cost and rewards of this person’s proposal, crew and ships for an expedition to China, the Spice Islands and India through a journey via west. Her defined the faith of her beloved kingdom of Castille and its newly formed union with the Kingdom of Aragon.

Darius the Great - the Zenith of Persian Empire

“Darius the King says: Ahuramazda, the greatest of the gods, created me, made me king, bestowed upon me this kingdom, great, possessed of good horses, possessed of good men.” 

– Darius, Palace foundation inscription

Cambyses II and His Controversial Conquest of Egypt

Cambyses II earned his place in the hallmark of Persian history with his push eastwards into North Africa. Under his rule from 530 and 522 BCE, he pushed towards the rich and fertile lands of Egypt.

Cambyses II capturing Pharaoh Psamtik III

Founders: Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire

"Of all the powers in Asia, the kingdom of Cyrus showed itself to be the greatest and most glorious.."

- Xenophon in Cyropaedia

5 Causes of the Tepanec War: The Aztecs Ticket to Empire

The Tepanec War served as the Aztec Empire’s debut as a major player in Mesoamerican politics. It eliminated its rival that created a void which they filled up. But what caused this conflict that the Aztecs’ exploited to their advantage.

Causes of the Tepanec War

The Tepanec War transformed the Aztecs into a major player in the politics of Lake Texcoco then throughout Central America. The War brought together where various tribes and people united to topple down a tyrannical hegemony of the Tepanecs. But what were the causes and tyranny that brought the war in the first place?

Map of Lake Texcoco in Aztec Warfare by Ross Hassig

A Grandfather's Love and the Rise of the Aztecs

Messengers from a nascent city of Tenochtitlan arrived in the sumptuous palace of Tezozomoc in the city of Azcapotzalco, the great power that dominated the lands around Lake Texcoco, the area now known as Mexico City. The messenger brought a request from Tezozomoc’s favorite grandson, the leader of Tenochtitlan, the teenager Chimalpopoca, asking for his grandfather to allow his people to build an aqueduct. Tezozomoc agreed to his grandson’s request, an agreement and a relationship that changed a region’s political landscape.

A Joke that Left Thousands Without a Nose

32,000 Voldemort-like looking people, without a nose and only a hole in the middle of the face thanks to a “jest” by a Nahuatl-King. Such was the sheer result of the Aztecs’ fight for their survival during their migration years. An episode that displayed their ruthlessness, resilience, and martial prowess which later turned them from nomads to overlords.

Xochimilco Prisoners in Aubin Codex

10 Things to Know About the Early Leaders of the Aztecs

Behind the blood curdling stories of sacrifice by the Aztecs lies a story of beating the odds, a rags to riches story. Here are 10 things to know about the early leaders of the Aztecs who faced dangerous odds and built the foundation of a Mesoamerican Empire:

Eagle on top of a cactus, the famous sign
that marked the foundation of Tenochtitlan

Huitzilihuitl - the Second Tlatoani of the Aztecs

What do you search for a date in Tinder?

Is it the face, the body, or hobbies and interest. The 2nd leader of the Aztecs looked beyond this stuff and focused on the political value. Huitzilihuitl combined a heavy dose of marriage diplomacy with a dash of Zeus-like romance giving an entertaining story of skillful diplomacy and betterment of Aztec standard of living.

Patience and Resilience - Early Leaders of the Aztecs

A childhood defines an adult and the same could be said on states, countries and empires. In the case of the Aztec Empire, their early tribulations and resolve to survive shaped them into a formidable people. So, who led these Mesoamerican people during this period of formation?

What does Pope Francis and a French King have in Similar?

In 2013 Pope Francis ascended as a successor of St. Peter and brought awe to many for the simplicity he brought to a position that everyone viewed as majestic and grandiose. Few centuries ago, one man also did the same for the position that held images of palaces and grandeur. How did King Louis-Philippe like Pope Francis bring an image of man of the people to his position?

First King of the World: Who was Naram-Sin?

“Naram-Sin, son of Manistusu, ruled for 56 years” - an entry carved into the Sumerian King List. Naram-Sin (r. 2,255 - 2,218 BCE) ruled over the Akkadian Empire and under his rule the military threats both within and without the Empire grew. He kept his grandfather Sargon the Great’s empire intact and safe, reaching the apex of their power.

Famous image of Naram-Sin wearing a horned hat in his victory stele

Sons of Sargon the Great of Akkad

Establishing an empire is one thing, maintaining it is another. This beset the successors of Sargon the Great after their patriarch passed away, living them with history's earliest known empire. Unprecedented, Sargon's sons and grandson worked extremely hard to follow a tough act.

Akkadians battling the Sumerians (left)