Devawongse Varopakar

Prince Devawongse (left) with his half-brothers, King Chulalongkorn (center) and Interior Minister Prince Damrong (right)

Prince Devawongse Varopakarn ( Thai : สมเด็จ พระเจ้า บรม วงศ์ เธอ กรม พระยา เทวะ วงศ์ ว โร ป การ , RTGS : Somdet Krom Phraya Phrachao Borommawongthoe Thewawong Waropakan , pronunciation: [ tʰeːwáʔwoŋ wáʔroːpàʔkaːn ] * 27. June 1858 in Bangkok , Siam (now Thailand ); † June 27, 1923 ibid) was a member of the Siamese royal family and from 1885 to 1923 Foreign Minister under the kings Chulalongkorn and Vajiravudh .

biography

Prince Devawongse was born as the 42nd child of King Rama IV (Mongkut) and, together with his half-brother and later King Chulalongkorn and the other siblings, received lessons in English from Anna Leonowens . After further training in the early 1870s, he was appointed by his half-brother King Chulalongkorn to work in his personal secretariat.

On June 12, 1885, King Chulalongkorn finally appointed him foreign minister and he kept this office under his successor Vajiravudh until his death. He modernized the ministry based on the western model.

As Foreign Minister, he made a significant contribution to the reorganization of Chulalangkorn's foreign policy , which included opening up to the West, leading the king to longer trips abroad to Europe , and ultimately modernizing the country. In addition to King Chulalongkorn, he worked closely with the Belgian lawyer , politician and diplomat Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns from 1892 onwards.

He made one of his first trips abroad in 1887 to the USA .

Even under Vajirawudh, Siam continued to draw closer to Europe. During World War I , Siam supported the Triple Entente between the United Kingdom , France and Russia with 2,000 elite soldiers. In return, the country received a seat in the League of Nations .

Institute of Foreign Affairs

The Thai Foreign Relations Institute , run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, bears the name of the former minister.

Individual evidence

^ Niels P Petersson: Imperialism and Modernization: Siam, China and the European Powers 1895-1914 (= studies on international history . Volume 11 ). Oldenbourg Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-486-56506-0 , p. 30 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
^ NEW YORK TIMES: “PRINCELY SIGHTSEEING .; DEVAWONGSE VISITS MISS LIBERTY AND THE NAVY YARD "(August 3, 1887)
^ NEW YORK TIMES: “DEVAWONGSE IS GOING .; HE HAS WELL EMPLOYED HIS TIME IN NEW YORK ”(August 10, 1887)
↑ Niels P Petersson: Imperialism and Modernization: Siam, China and the European Powers 1895-1914 (= Southeast European Works . Volume 11 ). Oldenbourg Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-486-56506-0 , p. 426, 427 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

personal data
SURNAME	Devawongse Varopakar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Thewawong Waropakan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	thai prince, politician
DATE OF BIRTH	June 27, 1858
PLACE OF BIRTH	Bangkok
DATE OF DEATH	June 27, 1923
Place of death	Bangkok

[1] Niels P Petersson: Imperialism and Modernization: Siam, China and the European Powers 1895-1914 (= studies on international history . Volume 11 ). Oldenbourg Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-486-56506-0 , p. 30 ( limited preview in Google Book search).

[2] NEW YORK TIMES: “PRINCELY SIGHTSEEING .; DEVAWONGSE VISITS MISS LIBERTY AND THE NAVY YARD "(August 3, 1887)

[3] NEW YORK TIMES: “DEVAWONGSE IS GOING .; HE HAS WELL EMPLOYED HIS TIME IN NEW YORK ”(August 10, 1887)

[4] Niels P Petersson: Imperialism and Modernization: Siam, China and the European Powers 1895-1914 (= Southeast European Works . Volume 11 ). Oldenbourg Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-486-56506-0 , p. 426, 427 ( limited preview in Google Book search).