Background
In 1909, a group of soldiers got in an argument over a woman with a group of Vajiravudh’s pages near the entrance of Vajiravudh's palace. At the time, Vajiravudh the Crown Prince and designated successor to King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V). Six soldiers were arrested, and Vajiravudh petitioned to Chulalongkorn for the soldiers to be caned. The practice of caning had recently been banned, and Chulalongkorn refused the petition. However, Vajiravudh threatened to resign as successor, and Chulalongkorn eventually consented to the caning. The incident caused much dissatisfaction within the Army.
Crown Prince Maha Vajiravudh succeeded his father as King of Siam on the 23 October 1910. Vajirabvudh set out in his coronation speech to modernize and westernize Siam in his role as its absolute monarch.
The new King spent lavishly on his coronation and lived a life of excess in a period when most of the Kingdom’s populace were rural farmers and feudal serfs. Infatuated with Western culture and practices and considering himself an Edwardian English gentleman, Vajiravudh spent his time translating Shakespeare into Thai, staging dramatic productions, hunting, and overseeing his Wild Tiger Corps.
Read more about this topic: Palace Revolt Of 1912
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