The Chakri dynasty (Thai: ราชวงศ์จักรี, RTGS: Ratchawong Chakkri, pronounced [râːt.t͡ɕʰā.wōŋ t͡ɕàk.krīː], audio speaker iconlisten (help·info)) is the current reigning dynasty of the Kingdom of Thailand, the head of the house is the king, who is head of state. The family has ruled Thailand since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era and the city of Bangkok in 1782; following the end of Taksin Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to Bangkok. The royal house was founded by Rama I, an Ayutthaya military leader of Sino-Mon descent.
Prior to his accession to the throne, Rama I held for years the title Chakri, the civil chancellor. In founding the dynasty, the king himself chose "Chakri" as the name for it. The emblem of the house is composed of the discus (Chakra) and the trident (Trisula), the celestial weapons of gods Vishnu and Shiva, of whom the Thai sovereign is seen as an incarnation.
