Bunnag family

The Bunnag Family or House of Bunnag (Thai: บุนนาค; RTGS: Bunnak) was a powerful Siamese noble family of Mon-Persian descent influential during the late Ayutthaya kingdom and early Rattanakosin period. The family was favored by Chakri monarchs and monopolized high-ranking titles. By the nineteenth century, its power and influence reached its zenith.

Three of the four Somdet Chao Phraya came from the Bunnag family — Dis, styled Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Prayurawongse; his younger brother Tat, styled Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Maha Pichaiyat; the eldest son Chuang, styled Somdet Chao Phraya Borom Si Suriyawongse. They played key roles in government and foreign relations until after the Front Palace crisis. As Chulalongkorn sought to undo the power of the nobility and pursue centralization, the Bunnags gradually withdrew from prominent roles in Siamese politics but continued to fill important official ranks.