Cancer Ward, novel by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Though banned in the Soviet Union, the work was published in 1968 by Italian and other European publishers in the Russian language as Rakovy korpus. It was also published in English translation in 1968. Solzhenitsyn based Cancer Ward on his own

rakshasa, in Hindu mythology, a type of demon that figures prominently in Hindu epic and Puranic literature. Rakshasas have the power to change their shape at will and appear as animals, as monsters, or, in the case of the female demons, as beautiful women. The mythology of Hinduism includes a wide

rakshasa, in Hindu mythology, a type of demon that figures prominently in Hindu epic and Puranic literature. Rakshasas have the power to change their shape at will and appear as animals, as monsters, or, in the case of the female demons, as beautiful women. The mythology of Hinduism includes a wide

Raksha Bandhan, joyful family holiday in late summer observed predominantly but not exclusively among Hindus of north India that celebrates the bond between sisters and brothers. In a ceremony, a sister ties a string bracelet or amulet, usually of red or yellow thread, called a rakhi on the right

rakshasa, in Hindu mythology, a type of demon that figures prominently in Hindu epic and Puranic literature. Rakshasas have the power to change their shape at will and appear as animals, as monsters, or, in the case of the female demons, as beautiful women. The mythology of Hinduism includes a wide

Kali: Mythology and forms: …Durga to slay the demon Raktabija (“Blood-Seed”). During the struggle a new demon emerges from each drop of Raktabija’s blood as it hits the ground; to prevent this, Kali laps up the blood before it can reach the ground, allowing Durga’s warrior form, Chandi, to destroy Raktabija. However, Kali’s rampage…

raku ware, Japanese hand-molded lead-glazed earthenware, originally invented in 16th-century Kyōto by the potter Chōjirō, who was commissioned by Zen tea master Sen Rikyū to design wares expressly for the tea ceremony. Quite distinct from wares that preceded it, raku represents an attempt to arrive

Rokkaku Shisui: …in the excavation of Korean rakurō—artifacts brought to Korea by Chinese conquerors during the Han dynasty (206 bc–ad 220). He was elected to the National Art Academy in recognition of the quality of his research on lacquer ware.

Mukai Kyorai was a Japanese haiku poet of the early Tokugawa period (1603–1867) who was one of the first disciples of the haiku master Matsuo Bashō. Kyorai first trained as a samurai, but at age 23 he gave up martial service and turned to the writing of poetry. In 1684 he made the acquaintance of

Islam: Prayer: …to four genuflection units (rakʿah); each unit consists of a standing posture (during which verses from the Qurʾān are recited—in certain prayers aloud, in others silently), as well as a genuflection and two prostrations. At every change in posture, “God is great” is recited. Tradition has fixed the materials…

Madagascar: The colonial period (1896–1945): In 1920 a teacher, Jean Ralaimongo, launched a campaign in the press to give the Malagasy “subjects” French citizenship and to make Madagascar a French département. When France failed to respond to the demand for assimilation, the movement turned toward nationalism. In 1940 Madagascar, though hesitant at first, rallied…

Khmer literature: French influence: Mao Somnang’s prizewinning Ralak pok khsac (1996; “The Waves”), for example, in which the poor, orphaned heroine eventually overcomes a succession of obstacles, to find love and happiness, is typical of the kind of plot that had been popular almost half a century earlier; where it differs, is…

Levi ben Gershom was a French Jewish mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and Talmudic scholar. In 1321 Levi wrote his first work, Sefer ha-mispar (“Book of the Number”), dealing with arithmetical operations, including extraction of roots. In De sinibus, chordis et arcubus (1342; “On Sines,

cardiovascular disease: Myocardial infarction: …by subtle evidence such as rales (abnormal respiratory sounds) in the lungs or a gallop rhythm of the heartbeat may the evidence of some minor degree of heart failure be detected. In a small percentage of cases, the state of shock occurs, with pallor, coolness of the hands and feet,…

Romanian literature: After World War II: …and criticism were written by Mihai Ralea, who also published travel books and philosophical and psychological works, and by Tudor Vianu, who revealed in his writings a materialistic and methodological approach after first having adhered to the aesthetic school.

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English adventurer and writer, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1585. Accused of treason by Elizabeth’s successor, James I, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually put to death. Raleigh was a younger son of Walter Raleigh (d. 1581) of

Battle of Manila Bay: Composition of forces: … (his flagship), USS Boston, USS Raleigh, and USS Baltimore—the gunboats USS Concord and USS Petrel, the armed revenue cutter USS Hugh McCulloch, and a pair of locally purchased British supply steamers. Dewey gathered his force at Mirs Bay (Dapeng Wan), northeast of Hong Kong, on April 27 and arrived off…

Raleigh, city, capital of North Carolina, and seat (1771) of Wake county, central North Carolina, U.S. It lies roughly 25 miles (40 km) southeast of both Chapel Hill and Durham, the three cities forming one of the state’s major urban areas—the Research Triangle. The site was selected in 1788, and

Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh’s 2025 season is one for the history books. In order to understand what the stocky slugger has done, it helps to understand those whose history he has rewritten. That 2025 marked Raleigh’s fourth full season in the major leagues indicates the potential for

Seattle Mariners star catcher Cal Raleigh’s 2025 season is one for the history books. In order to understand what the stocky slugger has done, it helps to understand those whose history he has rewritten. That 2025 marked Raleigh’s fourth full season in the major leagues indicates the potential for

Sir Walter Raleigh was a Scottish man of letters and critic who was a prominent figure at the University of Oxford in his time. He held the chair of modern literature at Liverpool (1889–1900) and of English at Glasgow and was appointed Oxford’s first professor of English literature in 1904. Raleigh

Sir Walter Raleigh was an English adventurer and writer, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1585. Accused of treason by Elizabeth’s successor, James I, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually put to death. Raleigh was a younger son of Walter Raleigh (d. 1581) of

Sir Walter Raleigh was a Scottish man of letters and critic who was a prominent figure at the University of Oxford in his time. He held the chair of modern literature at Liverpool (1889–1900) and of English at Glasgow and was appointed Oxford’s first professor of English literature in 1904. Raleigh

Marshall Islands: …to the east and the Ralik, or Sunset, to the west. The chains lie about 125 miles (200 km) apart and extend some 800 miles northwest to southeast.

Günther Rall was a German World War II combat pilot, the third highest scoring fighter ace in history. He flew more than 600 combat missions, scored 275 victories (mostly against Soviet aircraft), and was shot down eight times. He was one of the founders of Germany’s postwar air force, serving as

Battles of Trenton and Princeton: The British campaign of 1776: Johann Rall at Trenton, New Jersey, with about 1,400 men.

Rallidae, the rail family, a bird family that includes the species known as rail, coot, crake, and gallinule

water rail, (Rallus aquaticus), slender marsh bird of the family Rallidae (order Gruiformes), native to most of Europe and Asia. Its length is about 28 cm (11 inches), and it has a moderately long beak. The sides of the bird have black and white bands. The name water rail also is used as a general

rail: longirostris), a grayer form; the Virginia rail (R. limicola), reddish brown and about 25 cm (10 inches) in length; and the sora (see crake). The little yellow rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) and the American black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis) are too scarce and too small (about 15 cm [6 inches]) to be…

rally, automobile competition over a specified public route with a driver and navigator attempting to keep to a predetermined schedule between checkpoints. The course is generally unknown to contestants until the start of the rally. Such competition began in 1907 with a Beijing-to-Paris event of

Max Shulman: …Shulman served as scriptwriter, and Rally Round the Flag, Boys! (1957), which was filmed in 1958 and featured Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Joan Collins. Shulman also wrote the Broadway play The Tender Trap (1954), which comically portrayed the pitfalls of marriage and in 1955 was made into a motion…

Rally for the Republic, former French political party formed by Jacques Chirac in 1976 that presumed to be heir to the traditions of Charles de Gaulle. It was the direct successor to the Gaullist coalitions, operating under various names over the years, that had dominated the political life of the

dog sports: Obedience and rally (rally-o): …trials and often called “rally obedience.” As in obedience trials, heelwork and basic commands (such as sit, stay, and come) are key, but many more skills are tested in rally. Additionally, instead of taking directions from a judge, competitors (animal and handler) navigate a preset course on their own,…

Côte d’Ivoire: Return to normalcy: Also in 2018, Ouattara’s RDR and most of the other parties in the ruling RHDP coalition agreed to transform the coalition into a new party. Bédié’s PDCI rejected the proposal, however, largely because the RDR had dismissed the PDCI’s insistence that it was the PDCI’s turn to field the…

Rally for the Republic: …when de Gaulle organized the Rally of the French People (Rassemblement du Peuple Français; RPF), originally conceived as a means by which de Gaulle might regain office without having to participate in party politics. It was thus at first organized as an extraparliamentary body in the hope that it might…

Guinea: Conté’s death, 2008 military coup, and 2010 elections: …leader Alpha Condé of the Rally of the Guinean People (Rassemblement du Peuple Guinéen; RPG), who received 18 percent—progressed to a runoff election. After some delay, the second round of voting was finally held on November 7, 2010. Provisional results, which were announced more than a week later, indicated that…

Togo: Togo under Étienne Gnassingbé Eyadéma: …by President Eyadéma and the Rally of the Togolese People (Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais; RPT). Legislative elections were held again in 1985.

Stephen Colbert: The Colbert Report: …Colbert and Stewart hosted the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear at the Mall in Washington, D.C. More than 200,000 people attended the nationally televised rally, which was a satirical response to the “Restoring Honor” rally held by conservative media personality Glenn Beck the previous August. Although it was primarily…

dog sports: Obedience and rally (rally-o): …trials and often called “rally obedience.” As in obedience trials, heelwork and basic commands (such as sit, stay, and come) are key, but many more skills are tested in rally. Additionally, instead of taking directions from a judge, competitors (animal and handler) navigate a preset course on their own,…

rally, automobile competition over a specified public route with a driver and navigator attempting to keep to a predetermined schedule between checkpoints. The course is generally unknown to contestants until the start of the rally. Such competition began in 1907 with a Beijing-to-Paris event of

Kirsten Ralov was a Danish dancer, ballet teacher, and, from 1978 to 1988, associate artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Ralov began studying in Vienna but soon moved with her Danish parents to Copenhagen, where she was accepted (1928) into the Royal Danish Ballet School with her brother,

Kirsten Ralov was a Danish dancer, ballet teacher, and, from 1978 to 1988, associate artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Ralov began studying in Vienna but soon moved with her Danish parents to Copenhagen, where she was accepted (1928) into the Royal Danish Ballet School with her brother,

antiestrogen: (SERMs), such as tamoxifen and raloxifene, produce estrogen action in those tissues (e.g., bone, brain, liver) where that action is beneficial and have either no effect or an antagonistic effect in tissues, such as the breast and uterus, where estrogen action may be harmful. Tamoxifen is used in the prevention…

Hugo Gernsback: …that later became the novel Ralph 124C 41+ (1925). Set in the 27th century, its plot is a rather formulaic pulp adventure, but the book’s richly imagined future, filled with fantastic inventions and spaceship travel, established many of the conventions that came to characterize science fiction.

Gal Gadot: …of Shank in the animated Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018). Gadot returned to the action and thriller genre playing a world-class art thief in Red Notice (2021). She also starred in a film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s mystery Death on the Nile, directed by Kenneth Branagh and…

Ranulf de Blundeville, 6th earl of Chester was the most celebrated of the early earls of Chester, with whom the family fortunes reached their peak. Ranulf succeeded his father Hugh de Kevelioc (1147–81), son of Ranulf, the 4th earl, in 1181 and was created Earl of Lincoln in 1217. He married

Ranulf de Gernons, 4th earl of Chester was the 4th earl of Chester and a key participant in the English civil war (from 1139) between King Stephen and the Holy Roman empress Matilda (also a claimant to the throne of England). Initially taking Matilda’s part, he fought for her in the Battle of

Ralph Of Coggeshall was an English chronicler of the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Ralph was a monk of the Cistercian abbey at Coggeshall, Essex, and abbot there from 1207 until 1218, when he resigned because of ill health. The abbey already possessed its own Chronicon Anglicanum, beginning

Australian literature: The century after settlement: James Tucker’s Ralph Rashleigh; or, The Life of an Exile (written in 1844; published in an edited version in 1929 and in its original text in 1952), on the other hand, makes use of all the sensational opportunities at hand. It begins as a picaresque account of…

Nicholas Udall: …be assigned to him is Ralph Roister Doister. This must have been written, and probably was performed, about 1553. The play marks the emergence of English comedy from the medieval morality plays, interludes, and farces. It is modeled on Terence and Plautus: its central idea—of a braggart soldier-hero, with an…

Sultry heat and pelting rain turned the road through the exhibition grounds into “a sea of liquid mud,” marring the 1908 Olympics, according to the The Times of London. A much greater problem, however, was bitter partisanship that had emerged between the United States and Great Britain. The

Ralph Stanley: …he released the solo album Ralph Stanley, a collection of spirituals and murder ballads that featured the production talents of American songwriter and performer T-Bone Burnett. That same year “O Death,” an unaccompanied vocal from the soundtrack for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), won Stanley his first…

Ralston Purina Company, former American manufacturer of cereals, packaged foods, pet food, and livestock feed. A merger with Nestlé in December 2001 created Nestlé Purina PetCare Company. The company—initially called the Robinson-Danforth Commission Company—was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in

Belmont: …known for its association with William C. Ralston, a Bank of California magnate who in 1866 transformed Count Leonetto Cipriani’s hillside villa into an ornate, rambling mansion; Ralston’s home is now the main building of Notre Dame de Namur University (founded 1851 in San Jose, moved 1923). Belmont became a…

Venda: Ralu Vhimba is the deity traditionally recognized.

Melanesian languages: …on Santa Isabel (Ysabel Island); Tolai, a widely used missionary language in New Britain and New Ireland; Yabêm and Graged, lingua francas of the Lutheran Mission in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea; and Mota, a widely used lingua franca and literary language of the Melanesian Mission in northern…

RAM, computer main memory in which specific contents can be accessed (read or written) directly by the central processing unit in a very short time regardless of the sequence (and hence location) in which they were recorded. Two types of memory are possible with random-access circuits: static RAM

sheep: Male sheep are called rams, the females ewes, and immature animals lambs. Mature sheep weigh from about 35 to as much as 180 kg (80 to 400 pounds). To browse sheep by breed, see below.

goat: Male goats, called bucks or billys, usually have a beard. Females are called does or nannys, and immature goats are called kids. Wild goats include the ibex and markhor.

Paul McCartney: Wings and solo career: …solo albums, McCartney (1970) and Ram (1971), before forming the band Wings with his wife Linda (formerly Linda Eastman), an American photographer and musician whom he had married in 1969. He wanted her with him at all times, and having her on stage solved many of the problems that befall…

ram, appurtenance fixed to the front end of a fighting vessel and designed to damage enemy ships when struck by it. It was possibly first developed by the Egyptians as early as 1200 bc, but its importance was most clearly emphasized in Phoenician, Greek, and Roman galleys (seagoing vessels

Aries, in astronomy, zodiacal constellation in the northern sky lying between Pisces and Taurus, at about 3 hours right ascension and 20° north declination. Aries contains no very bright stars; the brightest star, Hamal (Arabic for “sheep”), has a magnitude of 2.0. The first point of Aries, or

Ramallah, town in the West Bank, adjacent to the town of Al-Bīrah (east) and north of Jerusalem. Administered as part of the British mandate of Palestine (1920–48), Ramallah was part of the West Bank territory taken by Arab forces in the first of the Arab-Israeli wars (1948–49) and subsequently

Babur: Victories in India: …garden, now known as the Ram Bagh, by the Yamuna River.

Guru Ram Das was the fourth Sikh Guru (1574–81) and founder of Amritsar, the center of Sikhism and the site of the Sikhs’ principal place of worship—the Golden Temple. Guru Ram Das continued the missionary endeavor begun by his predecessor, Amar Das. On land given to him by the Mughal emperor

Ram Dass was an American spiritual leader, psychologist, and writer who was influential in the New Age movement. Born Richard Alpert, he spent much of his early career developing a reputation as an academic psychologist. In the early 1960s, alongside Timothy Leary, he began to research psychedelic

jet engine: Low-bypass turbofans and turbojets: …as the engine’s working fluid—the ram effect. At transonic flight speed this pressure ratio is almost 2:1, so that the engine’s compressor may be built to provide that much less pressure where peak pressure is otherwise limiting.

Hindu Kush: Physiography: …Verān (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), Rām Gol (15,400 feet [4,694 metres]), and Anjoman (13,850 feet [4,221 metres])—are high, making transmontane communications difficult.

India: V.P. Singh’s coalition—its brief rise and fall: …a more ancient Hindu temple, Ram Janmabhoomi, was supposed to have stood. In the fall of 1990 a mass march of Hindus bearing consecrated bricks to rebuild “Rama’s birth temple” won the support of most members of Advani’s BJP, as well as of many other Hindus throughout India. V.P. Singh…

South Asian arts: Folk theatre: In the ramlila and raslila the principal characters—Rama and Krishna—are always played by boys under age 14, because tradition decreed they must be pure and innocent. They are considered representatives of the gods and are worshipped on these occasions. In the ramlila the vyas (“director”), present on…

South Asian arts: Folk theatre: In the ramlila and raslila the principal characters—Rama and Krishna—are always played by boys under age 14, because tradition decreed they must be pure and innocent. They are considered representatives of the gods and are worshipped on these occasions. In the ramlila the vyas (“director”), present on…

Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, a grand Hindu temple inaugurated on January 22, 2024, at a site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. The site is where the Babri Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque, stood until December 6, 1992, when Hindu activists destroyed the

Rama Navami, festival in Hinduism that celebrates the birthday of the god Rama, hero of the Ramayana and seventh avatar of the god Vishnu. Rama Navami (“ninth of Rama”) occurs on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar (March–April on the Gregorian calendar). It is also the

Rama Navami, festival in Hinduism that celebrates the birthday of the god Rama, hero of the Ramayana and seventh avatar of the god Vishnu. Rama Navami (“ninth of Rama”) occurs on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar (March–April on the Gregorian calendar). It is also the

airspeed indicator: …the craft’s forward motion (ram pressure); as speed increases, the difference between these pressures increases as well.

Rām Rāiyā: …Rām Rāiyās are descendants of Rām Rāī, the eldest son of Gurū Har Rāī (1630–61), who was sent by his father as an emissary to the Mughal capital at Delhi. There he won the confidence of the emperor Aurangzeb but the displeasure of his own father, who when choosing the…

Rām Rāiyā, member of a group of dissenters within Sikhism, a religion of India. The Rām Rāiyās are descendants of Rām Rāī, the eldest son of Gurū Har Rāī (1630–61), who was sent by his father as an emissary to the Mughal capital at Delhi. There he won the confidence of the emperor Aurangzeb but the

Ram Singh was a Sikh philosopher and reformer and the first Indian to use noncooperation and boycott of British merchandise and services as a political weapon. As a young man, he became a disciple of Balak Singh, the founder of the austere Namdhari movement, from whom he learned of the great Sikh

Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, a grand Hindu temple inaugurated on January 22, 2024, at a site in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. The site is where the Babri Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque, stood until December 6, 1992, when Hindu activists destroyed the

industrial truck: Ram trucks have a single protruding ram for handling coiled material. The crane truck is a portable boom crane mounted on an industrial truck; it may be used with hooks, grabs, and slings for bundled or coiled material. The straddle truck resembles a gantry crane…

false scorpion: …may show protrusible structures (“ram’s horns”) on the belly.

Jagjivan Ram was an Indian politician, government official, and longtime leading spokesman for the Dalits (formerly untouchables; officially called Scheduled Castes), a low-caste Hindu social class in India. He served in the Lok Sabha (lower chamber of the Indian parliament) for more than 40 years.

air-cushion machine: History: These vehicles are known as ram-wing craft.

Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, considered the epitome of moral virtue and royal conduct. Although there are three Ramas mentioned in Indian tradition—Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramachandra—the name is specifically associated with Ramachandra, the seventh incarnation (avatar)

Central America: Pre-Columbian Central America: Sumo, Rama, and other tribes on the Nicaraguan and Honduran Caribbean shores have survived to the present.

India: Breakup of the empire: …surviving member of the dynasty, Rama Deva Raya, finally ascended the throne in 1617. His reign was marked by factional warfare and the constant struggle to maintain a much-truncated kingdom along the eastern coast. Although some chieftains continued to recognize his nominal suzerainty and that of his successor, Venkata III…

Rama I was a Siamese king (1782–1809) and founder of the Chakkri dynasty (q.v.), which reigns in Thailand. (Read Sir Walter Scott’s 1824 Britannica essay on chivalry.) Rama I was the son of a high court official and his part-Chinese wife. At the time of the Burmese invasion of Siam in 1766–67, he

Rama II was the second ruler (1809–24) of the present Chakkri dynasty, under whose rule relations were reopened with the West and Siam began a forward policy on the Malay peninsula. A gifted poet and dramatist, Rama II wrote a famous version of Inao, a dramatic version of a popular traditional

Rama III was the king of Siam (1824–51) who made Siam’s first tentative accommodations with the West, and under whom the country’s boundaries reached their maximum extent. Rama III was the eldest son of King Rama II by a royal concubine, and in his youth he was given responsibility for overseeing

Mongkut was the king of Siam (1851–68) who opened his country to Western influence and initiated reforms and modern development. Mongkut was the 43rd child of King Rama II, but as the first son to be born of a queen he was favoured to succeed to the throne. When his father died in 1824, however,

Bhumibol Adulyadej ninth king of the Chakkri dynasty (1950–2016), which has ruled or reigned in Thailand from 1782, and Thailand’s longest-serving monarch. He was a grandson of King Chulalongkorn and was born while his father, Prince Mahidol of Songkhla, was studying at Harvard University. His

marsh frog: The pool frog (R. lessonae) is the other species of European aquatic frogs. They may interbreed with marsh frogs to produce a hybrid form called the European edible frog (R. esculenta). Male and female edible frogs may breed with males and females of either R. ridibunda…

Rama Navami, festival in Hinduism that celebrates the birthday of the god Rama, hero of the Ramayana and seventh avatar of the god Vishnu. Rama Navami (“ninth of Rama”) occurs on the ninth day of the month of Chaitra in the Hindu calendar (March–April on the Gregorian calendar). It is also the

N.T. Rama Rao was an Indian actor and director, politician, and government official, popularly called NTR. He founded the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1982 and served three terms (1983–84, 1984–89, and 1994–95) as chief minister (head of government) of Andhra Pradesh state in southeastern India. In

India: Successors to the Bahmanī: …successful interventions by Vijayanagar under Rama Raya, a regent who finally usurped the Vijayanagar throne and played a significant role in Deccan politics. The excesses of Rama Raya, carried out on the pretext of assisting Bijapur against Ahmadnagar in their wars, led to a temporary but fruitful coalition among the…

Ramatirtha was a Hindu religious leader known for the highly personal and poetic manner in which he taught what he styled “Practical Vedanta,” using common experiences to illustrate the divine nature of man. For Ramatirtha, any object whatever could be approached as a “mirror to God.” Educated at

Chulalongkorn was the king of Siam who avoided colonial domination and embarked upon far-reaching reforms. Chulalongkorn was the ninth son of King Mongkut, but since he was the first to be born to a royal queen, he was recognized as heir to the throne. He was only 15 years old when his father died

India: The south: Travancore and Mysore: …large measure by Martanda’s successor, Rama Varma (ruled 1758–98), who was able, moreover, to defend his kingdom successfully against a dangerous new rival power—Mysore.

Vajiravudh was the king of Siam from 1910 to 1925, noted for his progressive reforms and prolific writings. Vajiravudh was educated at the University of Oxford, where he read history and law; he also received military training at Sandhurst and served briefly with the British Army. Having been named

Prajadhipok was the last absolute king of Siam (1925–35), under whose rule the Thai revolution of 1932 instituted the constitutional monarchy. Prajadhipok never expected to succeed to the throne. He was the 32nd and last son of King Chulalongkorn, the youngest of five sons by Queen Saowabha. When