Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 1927 – 13 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 9 June 1946 until his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any Thai monarch, the longest on record of any independent Asian sovereign, and the third-longest of any sovereign state.

Born in the United States, Bhumibol spent his early life in Switzerland, growing up in the aftermath of the 1932 Siamese revolution which toppled Thailand's centuries-old absolute monarchy, ruled at the time by his uncle, King Prajadhipok (Rama VII). He ascended to the throne in June 1946 succeeding his brother, King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), who had died under mysterious circumstances.

During the course of his rule, Bhumibol presided over Thailand's transformation into a major US ally and regional economic power. Between 1985 and 1994, Thailand was the world's fastest-growing economy according to the World Bank, and in the 1990s was predicted by many international journalists to be the next "Asian Tiger". During this period, the country also saw the emergence of an urban middle class as well as mass political participation in its electoral politics. However, this rapid economic growth came to an end with the 1997 Asian financial crisis which triggered political instability in Thailand during the 2000s and 2010s. Bhumibol's reign was characterized by several periods of gradual democratization punctuated by frequent military coups. The 2014 coup, the last coup during Bhumibol's reign, ended 20 years of civilian government and saw the return of the Thai military's influence within Thai politics.