King Chulalongkorn
Acting
Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poraminthra Maha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua (Thai: āļāļĢāļ°āļāļēāļāļŠāļĄāđāļāđāļāļāļĢāļ°āļāļĢāļĄāļīāļāļāļĢāļĄāļŦāļēāļāļļāļŽāļēāļĨāļāļāļĢāļāđ āļāļĢāļ°āļāļļāļĨāļāļāļĄāđāļāļĨāđāļēāđāļāđāļēāļāļĒāļđāđāļŦāļąāļ§), or Rama V (20 September 1853 â 23 October 1910), 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(āļāļĢāļ°āļāļļāļāļāđāļāđāļēāļŦāļĨāļ§āļ â The Royal Buddha). His reign was characterized by the modernization of Siam, 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 ensuring Siamâs survival in the midst of Western colonialism, so that Chulalongkorn earned the epithet Phra Piya Maharat (āļāļĢāļ°āļāļīāļĒāļĄāļŦāļēāļĢāļēāļ â The Great Beloved King).
