The Siamese looked favourably on the Mon due to a shared contempt for (and fear of) Burma, but also due to the Mon people’s gentle disposition and earnest dedication to Buddhism. In the early 1800s, the Thai monk/prince who later became King Rama IV was so impressed by the disciplined Mon Buddhist tradition that he used it as a model for the reformed Thammayut order, which remains one of Thailand’s two major Buddhist branches.