ABSTRACT

The objectives of this research were: 1) to examine the factors affecting political stability of King Mongkut and 2) to investigate how his majesty King Mongkut had established his political stability establishment during the influence of colonialism. This is a qualitative research gathering data from documentary researching and in-depth interviews. The documents consisted of primary documents which included chronicles, royal documents and announcements, and the secondary documents which included research, book and articles. In-depth interview had been conducted with 10 informants which were historians and political scientists. The data were interpreted and analyzed descriptively.

 The results revealed that: 1) the factors affecting political stability of King Mongkut included external and internal factors. The external factor was the spread of British and French influence into the regions and territories which affected the stability of the Kingdom of Siam and the king. The internal factors included the outdated governance which the feudal social system made the ineffective manpower control weakening the royal power of the monarch, the power and influence of the nobility especially members of Bunnag family who controlled a large amount of people and forces, and the royal power of his younger brother who was popular for Siamese citizens and foreigners. 2) His majesty King Mongkut had implemented strategies and conducts to establish his political stability which consisted of building political acceptance to gain civil supports and international credit, and creating effectiveness in politics and tensions management by implementing coordinating policy towards western demands and threats. As a result of the royal conducts, the Kingdom of Siam was able to maintain its independence without being occupied by Western powers, and the king securely reigned the country until the end of his life.

Keywords: political stability, colonialism, King Mongkut