拉瑪五世國王旅行背後的策略
發佈 : 2017 年 1 月 1 日 04:00
Krairoek Nana 花了一年多的時間,收集了朱拉隆功國王自 1897 年起對歐洲的皇室訪問記錄,使用了他收集了大約 30 年的新聞報道和舊雜誌剪報。

法文課:1897 年 9 月 20 日的《La Diplomatie》,頭版刊登了拉瑪五世國王,並講述了他當年盛大歐洲之旅的原因。
這位歷史學家對拉瑪五世國王在歐洲時期的第一手描述以及舊報紙插圖著迷。 「它們展示了拉瑪五世國王訪問歐洲的真正影響,」克萊魯克先生說。
當時的官方聲明普遍描述拉瑪五世國王在1897年首次訪問歐洲的原因是希望參觀西方文明並改善與這些國家的外交關係。
然而,拉瑪五世國王和王后之間的信件表明,他不僅僅渴望看到歐洲的宏偉和繁榮。當他旅行回來時,他向女王更詳細地解釋了他的意圖。
由於現有文獻有限,歷史學家繼續爭論他的意圖。
有些人認為,他的訪問主要是從西方現代化中汲取靈感,並將其運用到暹羅。
去年,克萊魯克先生出版了他的最新著作《暹羅與世界》,探討了拉瑪五世訪問歐洲背後的理由,他稱這次訪問是暹羅的「重大政治轉折點」。
這本圖畫書收錄了 Krairoek 先生從歐洲老書店收集的各種舊插圖。
「如果店主只有一本舊雜誌,他就不會賣給我。但有時,有些人知道我是作家後,就會給我一本稀有的雜誌。我認識了很多舊書店主。很多年了。”
隨著時間的推移,這些原件已經變成棕色。 Krairoek 先生將它們放在塑膠蓋下,以保護已有一個多世紀歷史的脆弱紙漿紙。
這些古董日記記錄了拉瑪五世國王首次歐洲之行,標誌著政治策略從進攻到尋找政治盟友的巨大轉變。

歷史性會議:「L'Illustration」展示了 1897 年 9 月 11 日在聖彼得堡拍攝的俄羅斯國王拉瑪五世和沙皇尼古拉二世的照片。
當時,暹羅的獨立面臨英國和法國列強的威脅,這些列強正在亞洲擴張殖民地以尋找寶貴的資源。
「(當時)國王出國旅行是不尋常的,除非是為了領導一場戰爭。出於安全原因,宮廷傳統要求國王留在國內,」克萊魯克先生說。
然而,拉瑪五世在 1868 年至 1910 年統治期間進行了廣泛的旅行。
1871年,他訪問新加坡和巴達維亞/爪哇進行考察,成為第一位在和平時期出國旅行的暹羅國王。
當國王35歲的時候,他出於更多的政治原因開始出國旅行。他於 1888 年訪問了東北部的暹羅,並於 1896 年訪問了新加坡,為一年後他的歐洲之行奠定了基礎。
正如幾篇文章所示,當時的法國媒體對他的旅行持批評態度。例如,亨利·伯努瓦在《巴黎評論》上寫道,泰國國王的訪問完全是出於他對抵抗法國在該地區勢力擴張的絕望。
Krairoek 先生表示,此行的時間與 1893 年的危機直接相關,當時法國於 7 月派出兩艘名為 L'Inconstant 和 Comet 的軍艦前往湄南河,引發了一場戰鬥。
暹羅被迫將東部邊境領土割讓給法國,並支付了三百萬法郎的巨額賠款。
就在那時,國王意識到用武力對抗西方軍隊是不可能的。他開始尋找外交盟友,以防止未來的對抗。

追尋歷史:Krairoek Nana 為朱拉隆功國王的歐洲之行提供了地緣政治背景,與當時的官方聲明形成鮮明對比。
1896年,英國和法國政府同意保留暹羅作為緩衝國。當國王得知協議後,他認為暹羅應該調整其外交立場,透過與俄羅斯和德國君主建立關係來對抗英國和法國的影響。
國王的歐洲之行引起了歐洲媒體的高度關注。
1897 年 9 月 11 日,《L'Illustration》在頭版刊登了俄羅斯國王拉瑪五世和沙皇尼古拉二世的照片。同月,《倫敦新聞畫報》刊登了拉瑪五世國王在德國會見俾斯麥親王的照片。
Krairoek 先生珍藏的珍藏是 1897 年 9 月 20 日版的法語報紙《La Diplomatie》,該報紙在頭版刊登了拉瑪五世國王的照片,並附有一篇報道,稱國王正在努力解決暹羅面臨1893 年與法國簽訂的協議。
Krairoek 先生認為拉瑪五世國王的歐洲之行與已故國王普密蓬·阿杜德 1960 年代對西方國家的訪問有相似之處。拉瑪九世國王於 1946 年即二戰結束一年後即位。然而,東南亞地區隨後面臨冷戰。
「普密蓬國王也想向世界展示暹羅是與其他國家平等的伙伴,並且作為一個國家擁有悠久的歷史,」克萊魯克先生說。
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Thailand
Special Report
The strategy behind King Rama V's travels
PUBLISHED : 1 Jan 2017 at 04:00
NEWSPAPER SECTION: News
WRITER: Jeerawat Na Thalang
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Krairoek Nana spent over one year collecting accounts of King Chulalongkorn's royal visits to Europe from 1897 onwards, using news reports and clippings from old magazines he had been gathering for around 30 years.
french lesson: 'La Diplomatie' on Sept 20, 1897, features King Rama V on the front page and writes about the reasons for his grand European tour that year.
french lesson: 'La Diplomatie' on Sept 20, 1897, features King Rama V on the front page and writes about the reasons for his grand European tour that year.
The historian was fascinated by the first-hand descriptions of King Rama V's time in Europe, accompanied by old newspaper illustrations. "They showed the real implications of King Rama V's visit to Europe," said Mr Krairoek.
Official statements of the time generally described the reasons behind King Rama V's first tour to Europe in 1897 as being based in his wish to see Western civilisation and also to improve diplomatic relations with such countries.
However, letters between King Rama V and the Queen reveal that he did not only aspire to see the grandeur and prosperity of Europe. He explained his intentions in more detail with the Queen when he returned from his trip.
With limited available literature, historians continue to debate his intentions.
Several believe that his visit was mainly to draw inspiration from the West's modernisation to apply to Siam.
Last year Mr Krairoek released his latest book titled Siam and the World, exploring the rationale behind Rama V's visit to Europe, which he described himself as a "major political turning point" for Siam.
The picture book contains a variety of old illustrations that Mr Krairoek collected from old bookstores in Europe.
"If the owner has only one copy of an old magazine, he would not sell it to me. But sometimes some let me have a rare journal once they realise I'm a writer. I've been acquainted with many old book owners for many years."
These original copies have turned brown over time. Mr Krairoek keeps them under a plastic cover to protect the fragile pulp paper, which is over a century old.
These antique journals served as accounts of King Rama V's first trip to Europe, marking a drastic shift in political strategy from playing offence to seeking out political allies.
historic meeting: 'L'Illustration' shows a photo of King Rama V and Tsar Nicolas II of Russia taken in Saint Petersburg on Sept 11, 1897.
historic meeting: 'L'Illustration' shows a photo of King Rama V and Tsar Nicolas II of Russia taken in Saint Petersburg on Sept 11, 1897.
At the time, Siam's independence was facing threats from British and French powers who were expanding colonies in Asia to seek out precious resources.
"It was unusual for a king to travel outside his country [at that time], except to lead a war battle. Palace traditions required the king to stay in the country for security reasons," said Mr Krairoek.
However, King Rama V travelled extensively during his reign from 1868 to 1910.
In 1871, he became the first Siamese King to travel abroad during peacetime by visiting Singapore and Batavia/Java for orientation trips.
When the king was 35 years old, he began travelling abroad for more political reasons. He visited the northeastern states of Siam in 1888 and Singapore in 1896, setting the stage for his grand European trip one year later.
The French media at the time was critical of his tour, as shown in several articles. For instance, in La Revue de Paris newspaper, Henri Benoit wrote that the Thai king's tour was based on his sheer desperation to resist the expansion of French power in the region.
Mr Krairoek said the timing of the trip was directly linked to the 1893 crisis when France sent two warships called L'Inconstant and Comet to the Chao Phraya River in July, leading to a battle.
Siam was forced to cede territory along the eastern border towards France and paid a massive indemnity of three million francs.
It was then that the king realised it was impossible to fight Western troops by force. He began to seek out diplomatic allies to prevent future confrontations.
Chasing history: Krairoek Nana provides the geopolitical context for King Chulalongkorn's tour of Europe, in contrast to official statements from that time.
Chasing history: Krairoek Nana provides the geopolitical context for King Chulalongkorn's tour of Europe, in contrast to official statements from that time.
In 1896, the British and French governments agreed to keep Siam as a buffer state. When the king learned of the agreement, he thought that Siam should adjust its diplomatic stance by bridging relationships with monarchs in Russia and Germany to counter the influence of the British and the French.
The king's tour of Europe gained a great deal of attention from the European media.
On Sept 11, 1897, L'Illustration ran an image of King Rama V and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia on its front page. In the same month, The Illustrated London News published a picture of King Rama V meeting with Prince Bismarck in Germany.
Featured in Mr Krairoek's rare collection is the Sept 20, 1897, edition of La Diplomatie, a French-language newspaper that published an image of King Rama V on its front page, accompanied by a story saying the king was trying to address the disadvantages that the Siamese faced from the agreement with the French in 1893.
Mr Krairoek saw similarities between King Rama V's European trips to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's visit to Western countries in 1960s. King Rama IX ascended the throne in 1946, one year after World War II ended. The Southeast Asian region, however, faced the Cold War afterwards.
"King Bhumibol also wanted to show the world that Siam was an equal partner with the others and had a long history as a nation," said Mr Krairoek.
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