Constantin Phaulkon

Constantin Gerakis (born Constantinos Gerakis , 1647 - June 5th 1688) was a Greek adventurer , which became the first adviser of the king Narai of the Siam. Phaulkon is a character very discussed in the history of the Thailand.

Born in Céphalonie (Greece), Phaulkon arrived at Siam (today Thailand) in 1675 on an English merchant ship. At the time of a stay with London, it changed its name of Gerakis into Phaulkon; gerakis and falcon means both respectively “falcon”, in Greek and English. Thanks to its talent to learn the foreign languages easily (he spoke indeed, in addition to the Greek , its native tongue, the English, the French, the Portuguese, the Malayan and the Thai ), he learned Thai quickly and started to work at the court of king Narai as translator. Thanks to its connections with the English Company of the Eastern Indies, it made a fast rise and became adviser of the king.

Its position created much jealousy and desire on behalf of the Thais members of the court. When king Narai became very sick, the rumor ran that Phaulkon wanted to use the designated heir, Phra Pui, to become king himself. At the time a coup d'etat initiated by Phetracha, the beautiful brother of Narai, Phaulkon and his partisans, as well as the dolphin, were stopped and carried out the June 5th 1688 with Lopburi. After the death of king Narai a few days later, Phetracha became the new king of Siam and founded a mode Xénophobe.

References

http://mapage.noos.fr/memoires-de-siam/phaulkon0.html
http://www.ambafrance-th.org/documents/tobedownloaded/15aout18.doc (on the relations between Phaulkon and France)
http://marabu1.tripod.com/SIAM.HTM (In English: George A. Sioris, Phaulkon - The Greek First Counsellor At the Runs Siam off: Year Appraisal , Bangkok 1988, ISBN 974-8298-41-8)

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