The enigmatic sister-queens of Thailand

...and, the woman who outwitted an army

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Left to right: Queen Sunanta, Queen Sawang and Queen Saowabha

Dear NE-One

If you’ve ever been to Bangkok – and I’m guessing you might have, as it regularly tops the world’s-most-visited-city list – you probably noticed that someone has done a pretty impressive job of honouring Thailand’s kings. Around the city there are monuments and landmarks that carry the image – or at least the name – of the various monarchs who’ve reigned since Bangkok was founded back in the late 1700s. But – politics aside (although if you’re interested, you really should read

Secret Siam

) – where are the monuments that celebrate the women who’ve influenced Thai history?

It was a question Mark and I kept front of mind when we were worked on Secret Bangkok, and I’m proud to say that through all the research and reading and exploring we did, we tracked down quite a few places – little-known by travellers –that pay tribute to various Thai women. Here are six of the women you’ll find in our book – and, where you can find them in Bangkok.

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Thao Suranari (1771–1852)

This starts with a short history lesson but it’s a good one, so please – bear with me. In 1825 Prince Anuwongse, ruler of Vientiane (which at that time was a vassal of Siam – as Thailand was known before 1939), travelled to Bangkok for the cremation of the second king of Siam, Rama II. The prince’s relationship with Siam became strained, however, when Rama III refused the prince’s request for a troupe of dancers to be sent to him for his personal entertainment (the new king, it’s said, didn’t like dancing). Also, Rama III refused to return the descendants of Vientiane families who had been captured 50 years earlier.

So, fast-forward a year, and the prince planned a revolt. En route to Bangkok his army destroyed the town of Korat and took thousands of people – including a woman named Thao Suranari – hostage. The men were held in captivity but the women were ordered to tend the needs of the army – one of which was to provide meals. Thao Suranari convinced their captors that the women would need knives if they were to prepare food… they then fed the army and gave them plenty to drink – and while the soldiers slept off the night’s feast, the women gave the “cooking knives” to their men. There are a few variations to this story but all concur: it was due to Thao Suranari’s foresight and leadership that the people of Korat were freed.