Lone Umbrella

Today: Bhumibol’s Ascent To The Throne

Yusoof Monawvil

When LIFE Photographed Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1960 http://time.com/4526648/thailand-king-bhumibol-1960/ Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died at 88, the palace announced Oct. 13, bringing an end to the rule of the world’s longest-reigning monarch. The incredible longevity of his reign, which began in 1946, meant that he came to represent a number of different roles in the lives of his subjects. More recently, he had been the steadying force in a nation that seemed sometimes to teeter on a political edge. But in 1960, as he and Queen Sirikit of Thailand prepared for an official state visit to the United States, he was an image of vitality and new hope for the future in a country that had only been called Thailand for about a decade. When the royal couple gave LIFE Magazine’s John Dominis an invitation to photograph them at home, those images offered American readers a glimpse at the royal couple in the prime of life. Dominis spent time with them at their daughter’s birthday party, followed the Queen on official business and also saw the King—who had a passion for music, specifically jazz—playing the clarinet. Soon after, TIME reported on how the U.S. visit progressed: The most influential man in Siam, namely its king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, 32, and his svelte, archfeminist queen, Sirikit, 27, dropped into Washington for a friendly visit. They were well received—what with some of the rebuffs that the personalized spearheads of U.S. foreign policy have suffered in the Far East lately. In fact, the capital was delighted with the wide-eyed couple and their unabashed liking for the U.S. At National Airport, Bhumibol, born in the environs of Harvard University, where his father studied medicine, paid tribute to his “two motherlands.” That evening at the White House, the King swapped recipes with Dwight Eisenhower for Thailand noodle soup and Ike’s ice cream. While the cookery talk went on, the U.S. Marine Band orchestra accommodated its listeners with

Today marks the day Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej ascended to the throne upon his brother’s death in 1946. With his death marking the end of the world’s longest reigning monarch, the seventy years of his reign have been marked with both controversy and esteem.

Bhumibol’s reign saw Thailand’s monarchy survive tumultuous decades of conflict and war in the greater Mekong region⁠. Through socialist revolutions nearby and coups at home and abroad, Bhumibol’s reign was a constant throughout.

Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram.jpg
Military Dictator Plaek Phibunsongkhram presided until 1957, overseeing the Thai Cultural Revolution.

Ascending the throne during the military dictatorship of Plaek Phibun, the monarchy held little to no political power. Thailand’s ancient tradition of absolute monarchy had been abolished by Phibun a decade prior, and the duties of the king were now mostly ceremonial. With Phibun’s ultranationalist policies and aggressive modernization, Thailand’s life expectancy jumped ten years in the four years following Phibun’s reinstatement. Phibun’s government, was however structured largely in the mold of Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italy and collaborated with Imperial Japan during the war, guaranteeing the safe passage of Japanese troops invading Malaya.

Eleven years into Bhumibol’s reign, Phibun faced pressure to step down during accusations of lèse-majesté⁠—the crime of disrespecting royalty. With Phibun refusing to step down against the advice of the king, Sarit Thanarat⁠—a rising general⁠—seized power later that day. Bhumibol declared martial law a few hours later, proclaiming Sarit the capital’s guardian.

Bhumibol’s role and powers under Sarit grew tremendously, with the king representing the nation on trips abroad and once more performing some of the duties of state. Rather than the national day of celebration being the anniversary of the 1932 coup that overthrew the absolute monarchy, it was Bhumibol’s birthday. Passersby would often have to crawl in the presence of the king, a practice forgotten for decades.

With Sarit’s death in 1963 and communism taking root to the east, political tensions began to run high. Student protesters and dissident activity grew in urban centers, culminating in the Thammasat University Massacre. Paramilitary, anti-communists, and military forces marched on the university after word spread of a play put on by students which featured a mock hanging of the crown prince. From sunrise to noon forces fired into the university filled with trapped protesters, with reports of 50 to 100+ killed ⁠— forever a stain on the king’s reign.

With the king’s death in 2016, the effects of his reign are still felt in the region. Ruling through dozens and dozens of prime ministers and regional wars and political developments, King Bhumibol’s presence is inextricable from the Thai story⁠—perhaps one of the few constants in the ever so intricate fabric of the land’s history.

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