Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909

The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 or Bangkok Treaty of 1909 was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Siam signed on 10 March 1909, in Bangkok. Ratifications were exchanged in London on 9 July 1909.

The Kingdom of Siam operated under the command of a monarchy. Siam’s ability to maintain its independence from British and French colonizers has often been accredited to the ruling family, the Chakkri dynasty. Although there were many previous monarchs within the Chakkri dynasty, the prominent figure in maintaining independence in Siam begins with Rama I, who ruled from 1782-1809. Unlike previous rulers, Rama I followed a technocratic ruling style which often involved the consultation of social elites on political matters and Sangha (Buddhist Monks) on religious matters. His consultations with the Siamese elites became a political necessity within his successors. Rama I was succeeded by Rama II, who ruled from 1809-1824. Rama II greatest accomplishment was the establishment of a government of ministers. It is towards the end of his reign, in 1820, that the British enter into the scene seeking control of Penang. Siam’s negotiations with the United Kingdom were made possible by the geographic location between British Burma and French Indochina, as Siam served as a buffer state between the two. Rama II was followed by Rama III, whose reign lasted from 1824-1851. During his reign, he began the process of allowing British concessions in exchange for support, and later the same would be done with the French. In 1826, in an effort to establish independence, Rama III and British officials signed the Burney Treaty. The Burney Treaty stated that Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Terengganu were Thai provinces while Penang and Province Wellesley belonged to the British while Thailand would not interfere with British trade in Kelantan and Terengganu. After Rama III’s reign came to an end, a succession crisis brought Mongkut to power, who reigned from 1851-1868. Under Mongkut’s leadership the Bowring Treaty of 1855 was signed. The Treaty provided British citizens living in Siam with extraterritoriality which meant that British individuals would have their own country’s laws applied to them rather than Siam’s. Mongkut constantly made concessions to the British and French to maintain independence in Siam until, in 1868, he was succeeded by Chulalongkorn, who ruled from 1868 to 1910. Chulalongkorn was a moderniser, similar to his predecessors, in such that he abolished slavery, centralised revenues, created a national educational system, and maintained Siam’s independence to concessions such as the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909.

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