Conversation so far:
what's the historical background of the king in the musical the King and I
Mongkut, King of Siam, was about 57 years old in 1861. He had lived half his life as a Buddhist monk, and was an able scholar.
when did King Mongkut, King of Siam become king
After his twenty-seven years of monastic life, King Mongkut voluntarily defrocked and ascended the throne in 1851, aged 47.
how did nangklao, or Rama III, die
Nangklao died on 2 April 1851 without having named a successor.

Question: what did the king do
Self-contained rewrite: what did the king of siam, Mongkut, do