Based on extensive fieldwork, together with documentary and media analysis, this volume presents an account of the Buddhist monarchy in Thailand over the last century, offering a sociology of elites, an analysis of the economic influence of the Crown and an examination of the magic and ritual dimension of kingship.

Part I: Notions of 'Kingship' and 'Monarchy' 1. The Setbacks and Misfortunes of Kingship 2. About Kingship in a Tai Context Part II: Chakri Kingship: In Between Tradition, Nation and Constitution 3. The Modernisation of Siamese Kingship and Its Ups And Downs, 1826-1945 4. Kingship Restoration in The Wake of Urbanisation (1946-1988) 5. The Tentative Merging of Kingship and Democracy (1988-2006) 6. Institutional Melt-Down (2006-2020) Part III: The Crown as Stabilizer? 7. The Privy Council: Its Articulation with Power 8. Royal Finances and Parami 9. Royal Symbolism and Popular Acknowledgement Part IV: Eschatological Anguish, Institutional Unravelling and Royal Advent 10. Mounting Frustration 11. From Eschatological Anguish at The End of the 9th Reign to Chaos 12. Implosion of Consensus Conclusion Appendix A: Lexicon of the Main Siamese, Sanskrit, and Pali Terms Appendix B: Thematic Bibliography