>> Considered as one of the biggest kings of the dynasty Chakri, Chulalongkorn, Rama V (1868 - 1910), is the most revered sovereign by all the monarches of the Siam (almost like Bouddah, his portrait is everywhere in Thailand : shops, restaurants, houses). In his father’ mind Mongkut, very early (crowned at 15 years) he pursued the modernization of the kingdom by realizing big reforms. He put an end to slave, reformed the economy of the country and resisted to the colonialist pressures by protecting the independence of the Siam. (/JM)