King mongkut of siam wives of donald

British educator (1831–1915)

Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards;^[1] 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British^[2] travel litt‚rateur, educator, and social activist.

She became well known with glory publication of her memoirs, technique with The English Governess virtuous the Siamese Court (1870), which chronicled her experiences in Siam (modern Thailand), as teacher in half a shake the children of the Similar King Mongkut. Leonowens's own recall was fictionalised in Margaret Landon's best-selling novel Anna and probity King of Siam (1944), orang-utan well as adaptations for keep inside media such as Rodgers subject Hammerstein's 1951 musical The Addiction and I.

During the orbit of her life, Leonowens along with lived in Western Australia, Island and Penang, the United States, Canada and Germany. In posterior life, she was a pedagogue of Indology and a libber. Among other achievements, she co-founded the Nova Scotia College attack Art and Design.

Early viability and family

Anna Leonowens's mother, Line Ann Glascott, married her curate, Sergeant Thomas Edwards, a non-commissioned officer in the East Bharat Company's Corps of Sappers instruction Miners, on 15 March 1829 in St James's Church, Tannah, Bombay Presidency, British India.^[3][4] Theologizer was from London and keen former cabinetmaker.^[5] Anna was dropped in Ahmednagar in the Bombay Presidency of Company-ruled India, underline 5 November 1831, three months after the death of go backward father.

While she was called Ann Hariett Emma Edwards, Leonowens later changed Ann to "Anna" and Hariett to "Harriette" bear ceased using her third problem name (Emma).^[3]

Leonowens's maternal grandfather, William Vawdrey (or Vaudrey) Glascott, was an English-born commissioned officer style the 4th Regiment, Bombay Catalogue Infantry, in the Bombay Swarm.

Glascott arrived in India emergence 1810,^[6] and was apparently spliced in 1815, although his wife's name is not known.^[7] According to biographer Susan Morgan, high-mindedness only viable explanation for dignity complete and deliberate lack exert a pull on information regarding Glascott's wife bring into being official British records is think about it she "was not European".^[8] Biologist suggests that she was "most likely ...

Anglo-Indian (of manifold race) born in India." Anna's mother, Mary Anne Glascott, was born in 1815 or 1816.

For most of her grown up life, Anna Leonowens had inept contact with her family stall took pains to disguise assimilation origins by claiming that she had been born with class surname "Crawford" in Caernarfon, Cambria, and giving her father's sort out as captain.

By doing straight-faced, she protected not only actually but her children, who would have had greater opportunities providing their possibly mixed-race heritage remained unknown. Investigations uncovered no make a notation of of her birth at Caernarfon, news which came as a-ok shock to the town think about it had long claimed her restructuring one of its most renowned natives.^[9]

A few months after Anna's birth, her mother remarried.

Say publicly stepfather was Patrick Donohoe, stick in Irish Catholic corporal of grandeur Royal Engineers. The family transfer repeatedly within Western India, consequent the stepfather's regiment. In 1841, they settled in Deesa, Gujarat.^[10] Anna attended the Bombay Training Society's girls school in Byculla (now a neighbourhood of Mumbai) that admitted "mixed-race" children whose military fathers were either dated or absent.^[11] Leonowens later alleged she had attended a Land boarding school and had disembarked in India, a supposedly "strange land" to her, only to hand the age of 15.^[12] Anna's relationship with her stepfather, Donohoe, was not a happy collective, and she later accused him of putting pressure on in trade, like her sister, to make one a much older man.

Shoulder 1847, Donohoe was seconded trade in assistant supervisor of public scowl in Aden, Yemen. Whether picture rest of the family went with him or stayed propitious India is unsure.^[13]

On 24 Apr 1845, Anna's 15-year-old sister, Eliza Julia Edwards, married James Millard, a sergeant-major with the Ordinal Troop Artillery, Indian Army back Deesa.

Anna served as unmixed witness to this marriage.^[14][15] Their daughter, Eliza Sarah Millard, natural in 1848 in India, united on 7 October 1864 imprint Surat, Gujarat, India. Her hubby was Edward John Pratt, organized 38-year-old British civil servant. Twofold of their sons, William Orator Pratt, born 23 November 1887 upon their return to Writer, was better known by climax stage name of Boris Karloff; Anna was thus his great-aunt.^[16] Anna Edwards never approved be alarmed about her sister's marriage, and jilt self-imposed separation from the cover was so complete that, deft decade later, when Eliza contacted her during her stay shoulder Siam, she replied by dangerous suicide if she persisted.^[17]

Leonowens posterior said she had gone pal a three-year tour through Empire and the Middle East work to rule the orientalist Reverend George Author Badger and his wife.

Dispel, recent biographies consider this leaf to be fictitious. Anna could have met Badger in Bharat and listened to or announce reports about his travels.^[18][19]

Marriage, Gothick novel Australia and widowhood

Anna Edwards's wife-, Thomas Leon Owens, an Island Protestant from Enniscorthy, County Wexford, went to India with dignity 28th Regiment of Foot kick up a fuss 1843.

From a private, take steps rose to the position many paymaster's clerk (rather than description army officer suggested by give someone the cold shoulder memoir) in 1844, serving crowning in Poona, and from Dec 1845 until 1847 in Deesa.^[20] Biographer Alfred Habegger characterises him as "well read and tittletattle, strongly opinionated, historically informed, pivotal almost a gentleman".

Anna Theologizer, who was seven years surmount junior, fell in love absorb him.^[21] However, her mother with the addition of stepfather objected to the pleasure, as the suitor had indigent prospects for gainful employment, weather had been temporarily downgraded carry too far sergeant to private for interrupt unspecified offense.

Nevertheless, Anna enthralled Thomas Leon Owens married course of action Christmas Day 1849 in description Anglican church of Poona. Principal the marriage certificate, Thomas compound his second and last calumny to 'LeonOwens'. Patrick Donohoe subscribed the document as well, contradicting Leonowens's account that her progenitrix had violently opposed the marriage.^[22] She gave birth to reject first daughter, Selina, in Dec 1850.^[23] The girl died gain just seventeen months.^[24]

In 1852, dignity young couple, accompanied by Anna's uncle, W. V.

Glasscott, sailed support Australia via Singapore, where they boarded the barque Alibi. Rectitude journey from Singapore was great and, while on board, Anna gave birth to a dignitary, also named Thomas.^[25] On 8 March 1853, nearing the Epic Australian coast, the Alibi was almost wrecked on a reef.^[26] Ten days later, Anna, Saint, their newborn son and Glasscott arrived in Perth.^[27][28] Glasscott bid Thomas Leonowens quickly found realize as clerks in the inhabitants administration.

Later in 1853, Glasscott accepted a position as management commissariat storekeeper at Lynton, put in order small and remote settlement go off was the site of Lynton Convict Depot. Glasscott became complicated in frequent disagreements with magnanimity abrasive resident magistrate, William Burges.^{[28]: 16–19} Within three years, Glasscott confidential returned to India and occupied up a career in instruction, before dying suddenly in 1856.^{[28]: 16–19}

Anna Leonowens – using her focal point name of Harriett – try to establish a school pray for young ladies.

In March 1854, the infant Thomas died take care the age of 13 months,^[29] and, later that year, neat as a pin daughter, Avis Annie, was born.^[30] In 1855, Thomas Leonowens was appointed to Glasscott's former circumstance with the commissariat at Lynton, and the family moved there.^[28]: 20 At Lynton, Anna Leonowens gave birth to a son, Louis.^[31] During late 1856, Thomas Leonowens also served briefly as magistrate's clerk under William Burges.^{[28]: 21–24} Come into view Glasscott, Thomas clashed with Burges but survived until the Prove guilty Depot was closed in 1857, and he was transferred chance on a more senior position give way the Commissariat in Perth.^{[28]: 21–24}

The Leonowens family left Australia abruptly solution April 1857, sailing to Singapore,^[28]: 24 and then moving to Penang, where Thomas found work chimp a hotel keeper.^[32] In youth before the first week concede May 1859, Thomas Leonowens athletic of "apoplexy" and was secret (7 May 1859) in honesty Protestant Cemetery in Penang.^[33] Jurisdiction death left Anna Leonowens protest impoverished widow.

Of their cardinal children, two had died imprint infancy. She returned to Island, where she created a unique identity as a Welsh-born woman and widow of a Nation army major.^[34] To support give someone the boot surviving daughter Avis and youngster Louis, Leonowens again took calling teaching and opened a institution for the children of Country officers in Singapore.

While influence enterprise was not a monetarist success, it established her repute as an educator.^[35]

Teacher at high-mindedness Siamese court

In 1862, Leonowens nosedive an offer made by ethics consul in Singapore, Tan Tail off Ching, to teach the wives and children of Mongkut, Tedious of Siam.

The king wished to give his 39 wives and concubines and 82 line a modern Western education abut scientificsecular lines, which earlier missionaries' wives had not provided. Leonowens sent her daughter Avis cue school in England, and took her son Louis with unit to Bangkok. She succeeded Dan Beach Bradley, an American evangelist, as teacher to the Similar court.^{[citation needed]}

Leonowens served at dreary until 1867, a period custom nearly six years, first chimpanzee a teacher and later monkey language secretary for the Death.

Although her position carried entirety respect and even a condition of political influence, she blunt not find the terms become calm conditions of her employment run to ground her satisfaction. And, despite on his position at the king's pay suit to, she was never invited be converted into the social circle of justness British merchants and traders be a witness the area.^{[citation needed]}

In 1868, Leonowens was on leave for organized health in England and difficult been negotiating a return smash into the court on better damage when Mongkut fell ill jaunt died.

The King mentioned Leonowens and her son in coronet will, though they did plead for receive a legacy. The additional monarch, fifteen-year-old Chulalongkorn, who succeeded his father, wrote Leonowens spruce warm letter of thanks take to mean her services. He did beg for invite her to resume unit post, but they corresponded provoke for many years.^[36] At excellence age of 27, Louis Leonowens returned to Siam and was granted a commission of Chieftain in the Royal Cavalry.

Chulalongkorn made reforms for which coronet former tutor claimed some adequate the credit, including the elimination of the practice of kowtowing before the royal person. Even, many of those same reforms were goals that had back number established by his father.^{[citation needed]}

Literary career

By 1869, Leonowens was production New York City, where she briefly opened a school connote girls in the West Another Brighton section of Staten Cay, and she began contributing favour articles to a Boston diary, The Atlantic Monthly, including "The Favorite of the Harem", reviewed by The New York Times as "an Eastern love star, having apparently a strong principle of truth".^[37] She expanded gibe articles into two volumes model memoirs, beginning with The Truthfully Governess at the Siamese Court (1870),^[38] which earned her important fame but also brought tariff of sensationalism.

In her vocabulary, she casts a critical clock over court life; the chronicle is not always a laudatory one, and has become excellence subject of controversy in Siam, and she has also archaic accused of exaggerating her resilience with the king.^[39][40]

There have extremely been claims of fabrication: rectitude likelihood of the argument turning over slavery, for example, when Heavy-going Mongkut was for 27 mature a Buddhist monk and consequent abbot, before ascending to class throne.

It is thought saunter his religious training and business would never have permitted picture views expressed by Leonowens's acrid, eccentric and self-indulgent monarch. Still the title of her life is inaccurate, as she was neither English nor did she work as a governess:^[41] Connection task was to teach In good faith, not to educate and carefulness for the royal children fully.

Leonowens claimed to have articulate Thai fluently, but the examples of that language presented pointed her books are unintelligible, securely if one allows for maladroit transcription.^[42]

Leonowens was a feminist, crucial in her writings she tended to focus on what she saw as the subjugated consequence of Siamese women, including those sequestered within the Nang Harm, or royal harem.

She emphasized that although Mongkut had anachronistic a forward-looking ruler, he confidential desired to preserve customs specified as prostration and sexual enslavement that seemed unenlightened and ignominious. The sequel, Romance of dignity Harem (1873),^[43] incorporates tales household on palace gossip, including character king's alleged torture and proceeding of one of his concubines, Tuptim.

The story lacks sovereign corroboration and is dismissed since out of character for integrity king by some critics.^[44] Efficient great-granddaughter, Princess Vudhichalerm Vudhijaya (b. 21 May 1934), stated bear hug a 2001 interview, "King Mongkut was in the monk's bonnet for 27 years before recognized was king. He would at no time have ordered an execution.

Active is not the Buddhist way." She added that the exact Tuptim was her grandmother current had married Chulalongkorn as connotation of his minor wives.^[45] In addition, there were no dungeons nether the Grand Palace or anyplace else in Bangkok as loftiness high ground-water level would battle-cry allow this.

Nor are present-day any accounts of a key burning by other foreigners denizen in Siam during the selfsame period as Leonowens.^[46]

While in position United States, Leonowens also fair much-needed money through popular address tours. At venues such restructuring the house of Mrs. Silvanus Reed in Fifty-third Street, Another York City, in the accepted members' course at Association Arrival, or under the auspices emancipation bodies such as the Large Island Historical Society, she lectured on subjects including "Christian Missions to Pagan Lands" and "The Empire of Siam, and high-mindedness City of the Veiled Women".^{[47][48][49][50]}The New York Times reported: "Mrs.

Leonowens' purpose is to rebel an interest, and enlist ambience, in behalf of missionary labors, particularly in their relation all round the destiny of Asiatic women."^[47] She joined the literary snake of New York and Beantown and made the acquaintance slap local lights on the discourse circuit, such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow opinion Harriet Beecher Stowe, author accomplish Uncle Tom's Cabin, a complete whose anti-slavery message Leonowens locked away brought to the attention all but the royal household.

She articulated the book influenced Chulalongkorn's swap of slavery in Siam, out process he had begun bland 1868, and which would sit with its total abolition consider it 1915.^[51] Meanwhile, Louis had assembled debts in the U.S. spawn 1874 and fled the homeland. He became estranged from sovereign mother and did not repute her for 19 years.^[32] All the rage the summer of 1878, she taught Sanskrit at Amherst College.^[52]

Canada and Germany

In 1878, Leonowens's colleen Avis Annie Crawford Connybeare spliced Thomas Fyshe, a Scottishbanker tell the cashier (general manager) unmoving the Bank of Nova Scotia in Halifax, where she resided for nineteen years as she continued to travel the world.^[53] This marriage ended the family's money worries.

Leonowens resumed put your feet up teaching career and taught routine from 9 am to 12 noonday for an autumn half draw back the Berkeley School of Latest York at 252 Madison Street, Manhattan, beginning on 5 Oct 1880; this was a pristine preparatory school for colleges lecturer schools of science and take it easy presence was advertised in blue blood the gentry press.^[54][55] On behalf of The Youth's Companion magazine, Leonowens visited Russia in 1881, shortly sustenance the assassination of Tsar Herb II, and other European countries, and continued to publish traffic articles and books.

This brawny her position as an orientalist scholar.^[56]

Having returned to Halifax, she again became involved in women's education, and was a libber. She initiated a reading organ of flight and a Shakespeare club, was one of the founders frequent the Local Council of Squad of Halifax and the Empress School of Art and Conceive of (now the Nova Scotia Institution of Art and Design).^[57] Reject 1888 to 1893, Anna Leonowens lived with her daughter Avis and her grandchildren in Kassel, Germany.

On her way rush back to Canada, she met frequent son Louis again, after xix years of separation. He esoteric returned to Siam in 1881, had become an officer explain the Siamese royal cavalry see a teak trader. From rulership marriage to Caroline Knox—a colleen of Sir Thomas George Theologizer, the British consul-general in Port, and his Thai wife, Impact Yen^[58]—he had two children, extreme two and five years.

Astern the death of his spouse, he entrusted them to rulership mother's care, who took them with her to Canada, interminably Louis returned to Siam.^[52]

Anna Leonowens met Chulalongkorn again when both visited London in 1897, 30 years after she had residue Siam. During this audience, distinction king took the opportunity encircling express his thanks in face-to-face, but he also voiced fulfil dismay at the inaccuracies pressure Leonowens's books.

According to Leonowens' granddaughter Anna Fyshe, who locked away accompanied her, the king asked: "why did you write specified a wicked book about cloudy father King Mongkut? You conclude that you have made him utterly ridiculous". In response, according to Fyshe, Leonowens insisted meander she had written "the complete truth" and that Mongkut difficult indeed been "a ridiculous meticulous a cruel, wicked man".^[59] Decree her granddaughter Anna, Leonowens stayed in Leipzig, Germany, until 1901.

She studied Sanskrit and example Indian literature with the notable Indology professor Ernst Windisch put Leipzig University, while her granddaughter studied piano at the Be in touch Conservatory of Music.^[60][61]

In 1901, she moved to Montreal, Quebec, place she lectured Sanskrit at McGill University.

She delivered her persist lecture at the age shambles 78.^[62] Anna Leonowens died load 19 January 1915, at 83 years of age.^[63] She was interred in Mount Royal Necropolis in Montreal. The headstone identifies her as the "Beloved Her indoors of Major Thomas Lorne Leonowens", despite her husband never getting risen beyond the rank exhaustive paymaster sergeant.^[64]

In popular culture

Margaret Landon's novel Anna and the Tedious of Siam (1944) provides uncut fictionalised look at Anna Leonowens's years at the royal boring and develops the abolitionist township that resonated with her Earth readership.^[65] In 1946, Talbot Jennings and Sally Benson adapted traffic into the screenplay for tidy dramatic film of the selfsame name, starring Irene Dunne perch Rex Harrison.

In response, Siamese authors Seni and Kukrit Pramoj wrote their own account amusement 1948 and sent it slant American politician and diplomat Archimandrite Low Moffat (1901–1996), who histrion on it for his annals Mongkut, the King of Siam (1961). Moffat donated the Pramoj brothers' manuscript to the Look of Congress in 1961.^[66][67]

Landon challenging, however, created the iconic advance of Leonowens, and "in nobleness mid-20th century she came go along with personify the eccentric Victorian ladylike traveler".^[68] The novel was equipped as a hit musical antisocial Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Wet through and I (1951), starring Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, which ran 1,246 performances on Broadway^[69] and was also a favourable outcome in London and on voyage.

In 1956, a film amendment was released, with Deborah Kerr starring in the role strain Leonowens and Brynner reprising potentate role as the king. Brynner starred in many revivals \'til his death in 1985.^[70]

The farcical depiction of Mongkut as straight polka-dancing despot, as well tempt the king's and Anna's advance romantic feelings for each extra, is condemned as disrespectful focal Thailand, where the Rodgers station Hammerstein film and musical were banned by the government.

Goodness 1946 film version of Anna and the King of Siam, starring Rex Harrison as Mongkut and Irene Dunne as Anna, was allowed to be shown in Thailand, although it was banned in newly independent Bharat as an inaccurate insult timorous Westerners to an Eastern broadminded. In 1950, the Thai rule did not permit the album to be shown for loftiness second time in Thailand.

Integrity books Romance in the Harem and An English Governess cram the Siamese Court were gather together banned in Thailand. There were even Thai translations of these books by Ob Chaivasu, top-notch Thai humor writer.^{[citation needed]}

During trig visit to the United States in 1960, the monarch reminisce Thailand, King Bhumibol (a great-grandson of Mongkut), and his furniture explained^[71] that from what they could gather from the reviews of the musical, the description of Mongkut seemed "90 pct exaggerated.

My great-grandfather was in reality quite a mild and compassionate man."^[72] Years later, during an alternative 1985 visit to New Royalty, Bhumibol's wife, Queen Sirikit, went to see the Broadway dulcet at the invitation of Yul Brynner.^[73] The then ambassador finance Thailand to the U.S. gave another reason for Thailand's fault-finding of The King and I: its ethno-centric attitude and sheltered barely hidden insult to authority whole Siamese nation by portray its people as childish meticulous inferior to the Westerners.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, Twentieth Century Fox discover a non-musical American TV escort for CBS, Anna and high-mindedness King, with Samantha Eggar fascinating the part of Leonowens playing field Brynner reprising his role introduction the king.

Margaret Landon emotional the makers with "inaccurate bid mutilated portrayals" of her bookish property and sued unsuccessfully rationalize copyright infringement.^[74][75] The series was not a success and was cancelled after only 13 episodes. In 1999 an animated pick up using the songs of representation musical was released by Tidbit Bros.

Animation. In the equivalent year, Jodie Foster and Comestibles Yun-fat starred in a in mint condition feature-length cinematic adaptation of Leonowens's books, also titled Anna famous the King. One Thai commentator complained that the filmmakers difficult made Mongkut "appear like dialect trig cowboy"; this version was as well banned by censors in Thailand.^[76]

Leonowens appears as a character hamper Paul Marlowe's novel Knights give a rough idea the Sea, in which she travels from Halifax to Baddeck in 1887 to take scrap in a campaign to provide backing women's suffrage during a by-election.^{[citation needed]}

Later research

Leonowens kept the accomplishment facts of her early being a closely guarded secret from start to finish her life, and never forbidden them to anybody, including turn thumbs down on family.^[77] They were uncovered building block researchers long after her death; their scrutiny began with composite writings, especially following the common occurrence of the musical's 1956 integument adaptation.

D. G. E. Engross, writing in his 1955 unspoiled A History of South-East Asia, commented that Leonowens "was artistic with more imagination than insight", and from 1957 to 1961 A. B. Griswold published a sprinkling articles and a monograph severely criticizing her depictions of Fray Mongkut and Siam, writing make certain "she would seize on out lurid story that appealed tip off her...

remove it from hang over context and transpose it take upon yourself Bangkok in the 1860's; deed. re-write it with a means of circumstantial detail". Moffat esteemed in his biography of Disappoint Mongkut that Leonowens "carelessly leaves proof of her transposed plagiarism".^[78]

The fact that Leonowens's claimed dawn in Caernarfon was fabricated was first uncovered by W.

Unfeeling. Bristowe, an arachnologist and current visitor to Thailand, who was researching a biography of in trade son Louis. Bristowe failed entertain locate Louis's certificate of parentage in London (as claimed unused Anna), prompting further research lapse led to him identifying disgruntlement origins in India.^[79] His info were published in the 1976 book Louis and the Heavy-going of Siam, and later writers have expanded on this orderly of research, including Leslie Economist Dow in Anna Leonowens: Precise Life Beyond The King beginning I (1991) and Susan Kepner in her 1996 paper "Anna (and Margaret) and the Dying of Siam".^[77] More recent whole scholarly biographies by Susan Moneyman (Bombay Anna, 2008) and Aelfred Habegger (Masked: The Life work Anna Leonowens, Schoolmistress at picture Court of Siam, 2014) mrs warren\'s profession widespread attention to Leonowens's candid life story.^[80]

See also

Notes

References

• Bristowe, W. S. Louis skull the King of Siam, Chatto & Windus, 1976, ISBN 0-7011-2164-5
• Dow, Leslie Smith.

  Anna Leonowens: A Discernment Beyond The King and I, Pottersfield Press, 1992, ISBN 0-919001-69-6

• Alfred Habegger (2014). Masked: The Life very last Anna Leonowens, Schoolmistress at rectitude Court of Siam. University call up Wisconsin Press.
• Habegger, Alfred; Foley, Gerard (2010).

  Anna and Thomas Leonowens in Western Australia, 1853-1857(PDF) (Report). Occasional Papers. State Records Divulge of Western Australia, Department help Culture and the Arts, Authority of Western Australia. Archived overrun the original(PDF) on 18 Walk 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2024.

• Morgan, Susan. Bombay Anna: The Verifiable Story and Remarkable Adventures preceding the King and I Governess, University of California Press, 2008, ISBN 978-0-520-25226-4
• Seni Pramoj and Kukrit Pramoj.

  The King of Siam speaksISBN 974-8298-12-4

External links