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วารสารราชบััณฑิิตยสภา
ปีีที่่� ๔๖ ฉบัับัที่่� ๑ มกราคม-เมษายน ๒๕๖๔
นางสาวกนกวลีี ชููชูัยยะ 53

Abstract: Thai King and Fourfold Praphruettham in Phra Thammasat
Miss Kanokwalee Chuchaiya
Associate Fellow of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences,
The Royal Society of Thailand
The king of Thailand and Fourfold Praphruettham in Phra Thammasat
aims to study the important moral principles for kings. It was formerly understood
that only the “Thotsaphitratchatham”, or Ten Royal Virtues, represented such
principles, but now it has been found that there also exist other important

moral principles for rulers. These were the principles that the Thai Kings
incorporated in Phra Thammasat, or the moral science, the most significant
legal corpus in the Law of the Three Seals, which served as the legal code for
Thailand from the Ayutthaya period to the reign of King Chulalongkorn. Called
Fourfold Praphruettham that kings since the ancient times have abided by
in performing their royal functions, these principles are: 1) punishing those
deserving punishment and rewarding those meriting rewards for their good

deeds, 2) promoting those with scholarly knowledge and good moral conduct,
3) justly accumulating royal properties and wealth, and 4) righteously ruling
the royal kingdom so that the people live in peace and happiness. Studies of
historical evidence regarding the royal duties of Thai kings during the period
of absolute monarchy showed how virtues in Phra Thammasat, including
Thotsaphitratchatham and Fourfold Praphruettham, had been endorsed
despite the absolute power of the kings. Furthermore, albeit Fourfold
Praphruettham was not widely mentioned other than in Phra Thammasat,
it had been resolutely and fully upheld by every king, as it was vital for every

governor to maintain for the sake of justice and his people’s happiness.

Keywords: Phra Thammasat, Thai king, Fourfold Praphruettham

บทนำา

พระมหากษััตริย์์ไทย์ในระบอบสมบ้รณาญาสิทธิราชย์์ ทรงม่พระราชอำานาจส้งสุด
โดย์ไม่ม่สิ�งใดหรือกฎหมาย์ใดจำากัดพระราชอำานาจ แต่ทว่าการใช้พระราชอำานาจในการปกคัรอง

พระราชอาณาจักรนั�น ทรงใช้หลัักราชธรรมต่าง ๆ ในการคัวบคัุมแลัะกำากับการใช้พระราชอำานาจให้