Love and Death of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand

This book examines two aspects of the abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946), or King Rama VIII, of the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand. First, it discusses the royal family’s plot to thwart a romantic relationship between the young king, Ananda, and his Swiss girlfriend, Marileine Ferrari, a daughter of a famous pastor of Lausanne, Switzerland. Interracial marriage, particularly with Westerners, has been strictly forbidden for Thai kings or heirs apparent. The restriction stems from the interwoven connection between sexual relationship and the security of the throne. The second part investigates the mysterious death of King Ananda, a long-held taboo topic in Thailand. Although the two events were not specially related, both in their own way served to unavoidably shake the position of the monarchy and hence threaten its existence. The palace’s reactions to these events demonstrated its continuous search to maintain its power and ultimately to warrant its survival.

“In this new era of shattered taboos, nothing is off limits, and Pavin’s exploration of the life and death of a young monarch opens the door for more. Scholarship on the monarchy, despite the risks, is growing but it requires additional stimulus, which makes this book all the more compelling.” (Mark S. Cogan, Journal of Contemporary Asia, June 6, 2022)

The abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol is as intriguing as tragic. Even among inquisitive historians, details of Ananda’s life are inaccessible and deemed too controversial. Pavin Chachavalpongpun discusses two intertwining stories—the love and death—of the young king. While Ananda’s demise has remained a mystery, his romantic relationship with a Swiss lady is almost unknown to the Thai public. Pavin explores this romance, locating it in the context of palace politics and the restriction on interracial marriage. It is a riveting look into the life according to Pavin of a “forgotten monarch.”

Charnvit Kasetsiri Former Rector of Thammasat University, Thailand.

Based in important detective work tracking information, Pavin Chachavalpongpun’s book provides an invaluable account of King Ananda’s short life. More than this, Pavin recognises the challenges that faced a young king who was sucked into political scheming and intrigue. Royalists have drawn a dark curtain around the life of the young king partly because his demise resulted in the long and politically important reign of his younger brother, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bhumibol’s reign is at the centre of contemporary royalism and the military-monarchy political alliance. With this critical and comparative assessment, Pavin, draws back that royalist curtain and sheds some much needed light on a fascinating but tragic reign.

Kevin Hewison, Weldon E. Thornton Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Asian Studies ,The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

 

Pavin Chachavalpongpun is an Associate Professor at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies, where he teaches on Southeast Asian politics. Holding a PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, he is the author of several books, including “A Plastic Nation: The Curse of Thainess in Thai-Burmese Relations” and “Reinventing Thailand: Thaksin and His Foreign Policy.” He is also editor-in-chief of the online journal “Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia,” in which all articles are translated from English into Japanese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino and Vietnamese .