Abhakara Kiartivongse
Abhakara Kiativong อาภากรเกียรติวงศ์ | |
---|---|
Prince of Siam Prince of Chumphon | |
Minister of Royal Siamese Navy | |
In office | 1 April 1923 – 19 May 1923 |
Acting | 1 October 1922 – 31 March 1923 |
Predecessor | Bhanurangsi Savangwongse as the director-general |
Successor | Asdang Dejavudh as the director-general |
Born | Bangkok, Siam | 19 December 1880
Died | 19 May 1923 Chumphon, Siam | (aged 42)
Spouse | Princess Dibyasambandh and 5 other concubines |
Issue | 11 (including Prince Aditya Dibabha) |
House | Abhakara (Chakri Dynasty) |
Father | Chulalongkorn (Rama V) |
Mother | Mod Bunnag |
Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse, Prince of Chumphon (19 December 1880 – 19 May 1923) (Template:Lang-th, RTGS: Phra Ong Chao Aphakon Kiantiwong, full title: Template:Lang-th), was the 28th child of King Chulalongkorn. He was commonly reveared as "The Father of our Thai Navy". Being born to a non-royal mother, he could not become king.
Initiating the naval force in Thailand, Prince Ap-hakon was highly praised amongst Thai as "Sadej Tia" (Template:Lang-th; lit. Lord Father), "Mor Phon" (Template:Lang-th; lit. Doctor Phon). The Thai Royal Navy officially announced his title as "the Father of our Thai Navy" in 1993.[1]
There are 217 shrines and memorials built to honour him around Thailand.[2] The most famous of which is the Prince of Chumphon Shrine at Hat Ree in Chumphon Province, where he recuperated and rehabilitated from his diseases, before his death on 19 May 1923.
Career
Traveling with his son, Rama V had noticed that this boy was good in navigation. So the king decided to send the prince to England to study naval science. Upon his return to Siam in 1900 the prince began to work with a lot of enthusiasm – he was appointed commander of a ship and his mind was busy with ideas how to develop Royal Siamese navy in order to achieve the highest level, at least on the level of western navies. He was sent to study naval warfare in England.
He returned to Siam to serve in the creation of Royal Siamese Navy and contributed significantly to the advancement and modernization of the navy. In 1922 he saw that Sattahip Bay was a strategic place for the establishment of a naval base and offered royal land in Sattahip in order to build the present-day naval facilities.[3] In honor of his contributions, the prince was proclaimed "The father of the Royal Thai Navy". The Royal Prince Admiral went to England to personally negotiate the purchase of the Phra Ruang destroyer, one of the early ships of the Royal Thai Navy and to command the ship during its subsequent voyage home.[4]
Prince Abhakara Kiartivongse[5] also had muay Thai skills. During King Vajiravudh's reign, he trained many muay Thai boxers, mostly of these turned into named boxer trainers of each provinces.[6] In addition to his career in navy, Prince Abhakara studied medicine. He was particularly interested in the use of herbal medicine in treating his patients.
Death
Not long after being honoured to the title "commander in chief, Admiral and Father" of the Siamese Navy, Abhakara left the office for his health and travelled to Monthon Surat for a month. He rehabilitated from his congenital and chronic diseases at Hat Ree beach in Chumphon province. After his accidental exposure to a cold rain, he was infected with influenza, which worsened his health condition sharply. The Prince Admiral Abhakara died at the age of 42, on 19 May 1923, 11 40 am.[7]
Royal Thai Navy marks 19 May annually as the "Abhakara Memorial Day".
Ancestry
Abhakara Kiartivongse | Father: Chulalongkorn, King Rama V of Siam |
Paternal Grandfather: Mongkut, King Rama IV of Siam |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Buddha Loetla Nabhalai, King Rama II of Siam |
Paternal Great-grandmother: Queen Sri Suriyendra | |||
Paternal Grandmother: Queen Debsirindra |
Paternal Great-grandfather: Prince Sirivongse, the Prince Matayabidaksa | ||
Paternal Great-grandmother: Mom Noi Sirivongs na Ayudhya | |||
Mother: Chao Chom Manda Mohd Bunnag |
Maternal Grandfather: Chao Phraya Suravongs Vaiyavadhana |
Maternal Great-grandfather: Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Sri Suriyawongse | |
Maternal Great-grandmother: Klin Bunnag | |||
Maternal Grandmother: Im Bunnag |
Maternal Great-grandfother: unknown | ||
Maternal Great-grandmother: unknown |
Royal decorations
Domestic
- Order of the Royal House of Chakri
- Order of the Nine Gems
- Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of Order of Chula Chom Klao
- Ratana Varabhorn Order of Merit
- Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of Order of the White Elephant (Highest class at that moment)
- Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of Order of the Crown of Thailand (Highest class at that moment)
- Knight Commander (Second Class) of Order of Rama
- King Rama V Royal Cypher Medal (2nd Class)
- King Rama VI Royal Cypher Medal (1st Class)
- Dushdi Mala Medal [8]
Foreign
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (Kingdom of Italy)
- 1st Class, Grand Cordon of Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)[9]
References
- ^ Thai Royal Navy Announcement of 11 February 1993 (ประกาศกองทัพเรือ 11 กุมภาพันธ์ 2536); in Thai
- ^ เจนจบ ยิ่งสุมล. (October 2010). ๑๓๐ ปี ไม่มีวันตาย พลเรือเอกพระบรมวงศ์เธอ กรมหลวงชุมพรเขตอุดมศักดิ์.DK Publishing. ISBN 978-616-7327-07-5. p. 123 (in Thai)
- ^ Special report: Abhakara Day
- ^ "Thai Naval Force Development". Global Security. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
- ^ "Aphakorn Kiantiwong – the Father of Thai navy | Travel guide". Thailand.FalkTime. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ (in Thai) สมบัติ สวางควัฒน์. (2554). ย้อนตำนานแวดวงมวยไทย จากอดีตถึงปัจจุบัน. สำนักพิมพ์ ก้าวแรก. ISBN 978-616-7446-13-4. หน้า 165–166
- ^ Royal Thai Government Gazette, ข่าวสิ้นพระชนม์, Issue 40, 27 May 1923, p. 561
- ^ ราชกิจจานุเบกษา, พระราชทานเหรียญดุษฎีมาลา, เล่ม ๑๗,ตอน ๑๘, ๒๙ กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. ๒๔๔๓, หน้า ๒๑๔
- ^ พระราชทานเหรียญดุษฎีมาลา, เล่ม ๑๗,ตอน ๑๘, ๒๙ กรกฎาคม พ.ศ. ๒๔๔๓, หน้า ๒๑๔
External links
- HRH Prince of Jumborn: The Man, the Myth and His Many Lives
- Aphakorn Kiantiwong – the Father of Thai navy