ID - 131869605 TI - Love and Death of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand PY - 2021 SN - 9789811652899 9789811652905 9789811652912 9789811652882 PB - Singapore Springer, Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan DB - UniCat KW - International relations. Foreign policy KW - History KW - History of Asia KW - internationale politiek KW - wereldgeschiedenis KW - geschiedenis KW - Southeast Asia KW - Asia KW - Political science. KW - Ananda Mahidol, KW - Death and burial. KW - Thailand KW - Kings and rulers. UR - https://www.unicat.be/uniCat?func=search&query=sysid:131869605 AB - 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. ER -