Mongkut, who had in the interim remained in ecclesiastic status to avoid the intrigues of royal politics.

Western contacts

The reign of Nangklao (as he was posthumously known) saw the renewal of Western contacts. In 1822, British East India Company agent John Crawfurd's mission to Siam laid the groundwork for a British request for Siamese support in the First Anglo-Burmese War, which broke out in