Letter from King Mongkut to President Franklin Pierce

The letters from King Mongkut, King Chulalongkorn, and Second King Pinklao are windows into both royal court customs and early U.S.-Thai relations. With elaborate introductions and valedictions framing the dignity of the monarch’s words, these letters evoke the grandeur of royal court traditions, while also conveying each king’s personal sentiments. Between the regal and formal rhetoric of the court, the message is clear, as each king shares his hope for mutual esteem and goodwill between the Kingdom of Siam and the United States.