Page 56 - -25-0508(ALLs)

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

nobles appointed after the first group. These included officials of the rank of Phraya and below,

both in the capital and in the provinces.
The social mobility of nobles remained largely confined to the noble class or those

of noble lineage. Key factors in the consideration included their relationship with the monarch
and His Royal Highness Prince Maha Sura Singhanat, military capability, loyalty and devotion,

contributions to the monarch’s accession to the throne, as well as prior knowledge and experience
in government service. This era provided greater opportunities for individuals to enter government

service and advance socially within the bureaucracy compared to the Ayutthaya period. It is
noteworthy that the monarch employed the practice of forging familial ties through marriage,

similar to Thai kings in the previous age. This approach played a significant role in solidifying
the status and stability of the newly established monarchy and royal family.

1.3 Appointment of Monks
King Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great appointed various royal ecclesiastical

positions according to traditional customs, which held that the monarch would appoint royal
ecclesiastical ranks upon ascending the throne. In the first case, His Majesty graciously reinstated

the ecclesiastical ranks of those who had been removed during the Thonburi period for refusing to
pay respects to King Taksin the Great. These included the Supreme Patriarch, Phra Phutthacharn,

and Phra Phimoltham. They were returned to their previous temples, and His Majesty praised
these ecclesiastics for their integrity in preserving the Buddhist faith.

In the second case, His Majesty graciously elevated the ranks of ecclesiastics,
Phra Rajakana, who had been in office since the Thonburi era, to higher ranks. Nineteen monks

were promoted. Additionally, for the monks of the Mon sect, for whom no suitable candidates
could be found, His Majesty ordered the recruitment of three learned Mon monks versed in

monastic discipline and scriptural knowledge, and appointed them to important monasteries:
Phra Maha Su Metha Chao to take office at Wat Tong Pu, Phra Tri Sorn Raj at Wat Bang Luang,

becoming the ecclesiastical leader in the areas of Nonthaburi and Sam Khok and Phra Sumet
Noi to take office at Wat Bang Yee Ruea Nai.

At the same time, His Majesty also addressed the cases of monks who had violated
monastic rules during the Thonburi period. He reduced their punishments from death penalty

and decrease their ecclesiastical ranks. Any monks who possessed literary knowledge, after being
defrocked, were allowed to serve in the Royal Secretariat.

It can be seen that King Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great carried out
significant tasks in establishing royal families, promoting royal relatives to higher titles,

49

7/7/2568 BE 15:17
-25-0508(001)P5.indd 49 7/7/2568 BE 15:17
-25-0508(001)P5.indd 49