| Nguyễn Dynasty 阮朝 |
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| Kingdom, Empire | ||||
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| Anthem Đăng Đàn Cung |
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| Capital | Huế | |||
| Language(s) | Vietnamese, French (after 1887) | |||
| Religion | Neo-Confucianism | |||
| Government | Monarchy | |||
| Emperor | ||||
| - 1802-1820 | Gia Long | |||
| History | ||||
| - Coronation of Gia Long | June 1, 1802 | |||
| - Colonization of Cochinchina | September 1, 1858 | |||
| - Japanese occupation | September 22, 1940 | |||
| - Abdication of Bao Do | August 30, 1945 | |||
| Currency | Văn (Sapèque), Tiền | |||
The Nguyễn Dynasty (Vietnamese: Nhà Nguyễn; Hán Việt: 阮朝, Nguyễn triều) was the last ruling family of Vietnam. Their rule lasted a total of 143 years. It began in 1802 when Emperor Gia Long ascended the throne after defeating the Tây Sơn Dynasty and ended in 1945 when Bảo Đại abdicated the throne and transferred power to the State of Vietnam. During the reign of Emperor Gia Long, the nation officially became known as Việt Nam (越南), but from the reign of emperor Minh Mạng on, the nation was renamed Đại Nam (大南, literally "Great South"). Their rule was marked by the increasing influence of French colonialism; the nation was eventually partitioned into three, Cochinchina became a French colony while Annam and Tonkin became protectorates which were independent in name only.
Contents |
| History of Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Nguyễn family had been one of the major families in Vietnamese history, dating back to the days of the Hero–Emperor Lê Lợi. Due to a civil war and the weakness of the Later Lê Dynasty, the Nguyễn and the Trịnh (another of the major families) joined together in opposition to the Mạc. Nguyễn Kim, the leader of this alliance, was assassinated in 1545 by a servant of the Mạc. Kim's son-in-law Trịnh Kiểm, took over the alliance because Kim's sons were too young. In 1558, Nguyễn Hoàng, the eldest son of Nguyễn Kim was given lordship over the southern, newly conquered provinces of Vietnam. He ruled from the city of Huế for the rest of his life and established the dominion of the Nguyễn Lords in the southern part of the country. While the Nguyễn Lords, like the Trịnh, paid tribute to the Lê Emperor, the reality was they ruled, not the king. Nguyễn Hòang and his successors continually expanded their territory by making Kampuchea a protectorate, and by invading Laos, Champa and many small countries in the area. The Nguyễn lords styled themselves as "lord" (Chúa in Vietnamese).
It was Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên (or Lord Sãi), Nguyễn Hoàng's son, who started the Nguyễn Phúc family name. 200 years later, Nguyễn Phúc Khoát was the first ruler of the line who styled himself King (Vương in Vietnamese), as the Trịnh Lords began to do so in the North. Nguyễn Phúc Ánh finally united Vietnam for the second time in 300 years. He started a dynasty and styled himself Emperor (Viet: Hoàng Đế) Gia Long. After Gia Long, other rulers of the dynasty would soon run into problems with Catholic missionaries and, subsequently, the involvement of Europeans in Indochina. His son Minh Mang was then faced with the Le Van Khoi revolt, when native Christians and their European clergy tried to overthrow him and install a grandson of Gia Long who had converted to Roman Catholicism. This was only the start as frequent revolts were launched by the missionaries in an attempt to Catholicize the throne and the country.
Emperors Minh Mạng, Thiệu Trị and Tự Đức, were opposed to French involvement in the country and tried to reduce the growing Catholic community in Vietnam at that time. The imprisonment of missionaries who had illegally entered the country was the primary pretext for the French to invade and occupy Indochina. Much like what had occurred in Qing China, there were also numerous incidents involving other nations (European) during the 19th century.
The last Nguyễn Emperor to rule with complete independence was Tự Đức. After his death there was a succession crisis as the regent Ton That Thuyet orchestrated the murders of three emperors in a year. This allowed the French to take direct control of the country and eventually gain complete control of the monarchy. All emperors since Đồng Khánh were chosen by the French and had only a symbolic position.
Napoleon III took the first steps to establishing a French colonial influence in Indochina. He approved the launching of a naval expedition in 1858 to punish the Vietnamese for their mistreatment of European Catholic missionaries and force the court to accept a French presence in the country. An important factor in his decision was the belief that France risked becoming a second-rate power by not expanding its influence in East Asia. Also, the idea that France had a civilizing mission was spreading. This eventually led to a full-out invasion in 1861. By 1862 the war was over and Vietnam conceded three provinces in the south, called by the French Cochinchina, opened three ports to French trade, allowed free passage of French warships to Kampuchea (which led to a French protectorate over Kampuchea in 1863), allowed freedom of action for French missionaries and gave France a large indemnity for the cost of the war. France did not however intervene in the Christian-supported Vietnamese rebellion in Bắc Bộ, despite the urging of missionaries, or in the subsequent slaughter of thousands of Christians after the rebellion, suggesting that although persecution of Christians was the prompt for the intervention, military and political reasons ultimately drove colonialism in Vietnam.
France completely conquered the Vietnamese in 1887 and promoted the further occupation and development of the Mekong Delta region by the Vietnamese. The Nguyễn Dynasty still ruled nominally the French protectorate of Annam. France added new ingredients to the cultural stew of Vietnam. The French added Catholicism and a writing system based upon Latin letters. The spelling used in this transliteration of Vietnamese surprisingly was Portuguese because the French relied upon a dictionary compiled earlier by a Portuguese cleric.
While seeking to maximize the use of Indochina's natural resources and manpower to fight World War I, France cracked down on all patriotic mass movements in Vietnam. Indochina, mainly Vietnam, had to provide France with 70,000 soldiers and 70,000 workers, who were forcibly drafted from the villages to serve on the French battlefront. Vietnam also contributed 184 million piasters in the form of loans and 336,000 tons of food.
These burdens proved all the heavier as agriculture was hard hit by natural disasters from 1914 to 1917.
Lacking a unified nationwide organization, the Vietnamese national movement, though still vigorous, failed to take advantage of the difficulties France was experiencing as a result of war to stage any significant uprisings.
In May 1916, the sixteen-year-old king, Duy Tân, escaped from his palace in order to take part in an uprising of Vietnamese troops. The French were informed of the plan and the leaders arrested and executed. Duy Tân was deposed and exiled to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
Nationalist sentiments intensified in Vietnam, especially during and after the First World War, but all the uprisings and tentative efforts failed to obtain any concessions from the French overseers. The Russian Revolution which occurred at this time had a tremendous impact on shaping 20th century Vietnamese history.
The sequels to the Second World War: For Vietnam, the explosion of World War II on September 1, 1939 was an event as decisive as the French taking of Đà Nẵng in 1858. The Axis power of Japan invaded Vietnam on September 22, 1940, attempting to construct military bases to strike against the Allies in Southeast Asia.
In 1941-1945, a communist resistance movement called the Vietminh developed under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh. In March 1945, realizing the allied victory was inevitable, the Japanese overthrew the French authorities in Vietnam, imprisoned their civil servants and proclaimed Vietnam "independent" under Japanese "protection" with Bảo Đại as emperor. Japan surrendered on August 15, triggering a revolt by the Vietminh. After receiving a "request" for his resignation, Bảo Đại, abdicated on August 30 and handed power over to the Vietminh. Bảo Đại was named "supreme counselor" to the new government. Bảo Đại left shortly afterward since he did not agree with the policies of the Vietminh and went into exile in Hong Kong. Following the return of the French in October, the French-Indochina War (1946–1954) was fought between France and the Vietminh.
In 1948, the French persuaded Bảo Đại to return as "Chief of State" (Quốc Trưởng) of the "State of Vietnam" (Quốc Gia Việt Nam) set up by France in areas over which it had regained control, while a bloody war with the Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh continued. Bảo Đại spent much of his time during that conflict enjoying a good life either at his luxurious home in Đà Lạt (in the Vietnamese Highlands) or in Paris, France. This came to end with the French defeat at Điện Biên Phủ in 1954.
After Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam, the South Vietnamese prime minister Ngô Đình Diệm, in a referendum claimed by many as to have been manipulated, overthrew Bảo Đại in 1956. Diem then assumed the position of President of the Republic of Vietnam (Việt Nam Cộng Hòa), once more ending Bảo Đại's involvement in Vietnamese affairs — this time permanently.
Bảo Đại went into exile in France, where he died in 1997 and was buried in Cimetière de Passy. Crown Prince Bảo Long succeeded on the death of his father Emperor Bảo Đại as Head of the Imperial House of Vietnam, July 31, 1997.
The following list is the Emperors' era names, which have meaning in Chinese and Vietnamese. For example, the first ruler's era name, Gia Long, is the combination of the old names for Saigon (Gia Định) and Hanoi (Thăng Long) to show the new unity of the country; the fourth, Tự Đức, means "Inheritance of Virtues"; the ninth, Đồng Khánh, means "Collective Celebration".
| Temple name | Posthumous Name | Personal Name | Reign | Era name | Royal Tomb | Events |
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| 世祖 Thế Tổ |
開天弘道立紀垂統神文聖武俊德隆功至仁大孝高皇帝 Khai Thiên Hoằng Đạo Lập Kỷ Thùy Thống Thần Văn Thánh Vũ Tuấn Đức Long Công Chí Nhân Đại Hiếu Cao Hoàng Đế |
阮福暎 Nguyễn Phúc Ánh |
1802–1820 | 嘉隆 1802–1820 Gia Long |
千壽陵 Thiên Thọ lăng |
unified the whole country, founder of Vietnam's last dynasty, named the country as Vietnam for the first time |
| 聖祖 Thánh Tổ |
體天昌運至孝淳德文武明斷創述大成厚宅豐功仁皇帝 Thể Thiên Xương Vận Chí Hiếu Thuần Đức Văn Vũ Minh Đoán Sáng Thuật Đại Thành Hậu Trạch Phong Công Nhân Hoàng Đế |
阮福晈 Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu |
1820–1841 | 明命 1820–1841 Minh Mạng |
孝陵 Hiếu Lăng |
annexed the remaining of the Champa kingdom, renamed the country Đại Nam, suppress religion |
| 憲祖 Hiến Tổ |
紹天隆運至善淳孝寬明睿斷文治武功聖哲章皇帝 Thiệu Thiên Long Vận Chí Thiện Thuần Hiếu Khoan Minh Duệ Đoán Văn Trị Vũ Công Thánh Triết Chượng Chương Hoàng Đế |
阮福暶 Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền |
1841–1847 | 紹治 1841–1847 Thiệu Trị |
昌陵 Xương Lăng |
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| 翼宗 Dực Tông |
世天亨運至誠達孝體健敦仁謙恭明略睿文英皇帝 Thể Thiên Hanh Vận Chí Thành Đạt Hiếu Thể Kiện Đôn Nhân Khiêm Cung Minh Lược Duệ Văn Anh Hoàng Đế |
阮福時 Nguyễn Phúc Thì |
1847–1883 | 嗣德 1847–1883 Tự Đức |
謙陵 Khiêm Lăng |
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| 恭宗 Cung Tông |
惠皇帝 Huệ Hoàng Đế |
— — |
1883 | 育德 1883 Dục Đức |
安陵 An Lăng |
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| — | — | 阮福昇 Nguyễn Phúc Thăng |
1883 | 協和 1883 Hiệp Hòa |
— | |
| 簡宗 Giản Tông |
紹德志孝淵睿毅皇帝 Thiệu Đức Chí Hiếu Uyên Duệ Nghị Hoàng Đế |
阮福昊 Nguyễn Phúc Hạo |
1883–1884 | 建福 1883–1884 Kiến Phúc |
陪陵 Bồi Lăng |
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| — | — | 阮福明 Nguyễn Phúc Minh |
1884–1885 | 咸宜 1884–1885 Hàm Nghi |
Thonac Cemetery, France | was dethroned after 1 year because stratagem piles the West, but continued the rebellion until was captured in 1888 and forced to exile to Africa |
| 景宗 Cảnh Tông |
弘烈統哲敏惠純皇帝 Hoằng Liệt Thống Thiết Mẫn Huệ Thuần Hoàng Đế |
阮福昪 Nguyễn Phúc Biện |
1885–1889 | 同慶 1885–1889 Đồng Khánh |
思陵 Tư Lăng |
friendly with the West |
| — | — | 阮福昭 Nguyễn Phúc Chiêu |
1889–1907 | 成泰 1889–1907 Thành Thái |
安陵 An Lăng |
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| — | — | 阮福晃 Nguyễn Phúc Hoảng |
1907–1916 | 維新 1907–1916 Duy Tân |
安陵 An Lăng |
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| 弘宗 Hoằng Tông |
嗣代嘉運聖明神智仁孝誠敬貽謨承烈宣皇帝 Tự Đại Gia Vận Thánh Minh Thần Trí Nhân Hiếu Thành Kính Di Mô Thừa Liệt Tuyên Hoàng Đế |
阮福昶 Nguyễn Phúc Tuấn |
1916–1925 | 啟定 1916–1925 Khải Định |
應陵 Ứng Lăng |
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| — | — | 阮福晪 Nguyễn Phúc Thiển² |
1926–1945 | 保大 1926–1945 Bảo Đại |
Cimetière de Passy, France | restored Vietnamese sovereignty, created the Empire of Vietnam, abdicated and transferred power to the Viet Minh, Vietnamese monarchy came to an end |
| 1 Gia Long 1802–1819 |
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| 2 Minh Mạng 1820–1840 |
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| 3 Thiệu Trị 1841–1847 |
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| 4 Tự Đức 1847–1883 |
Thoại Thái Vương | Kiên Thái Vương | 6 Hiệp Hoà 1883 |
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| 5 Dục Đức 1883 |
9 Đồng Khánh 1885–1889 |
8 Hàm Nghi 1884–1885 |
7 Kiến Phúc 1883–1884 |
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| 10 Thành Thái 1889–1907 |
12 Khải Định 1916–1925 |
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| 11 Duy Tân 1907–1916 |
13 Bảo Đại 1926–1945 |
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Note:
| Preceded by Tây Sơn Dynasty |
Dynasty of Vietnam 1802-1945 |
Succeeded by Empire of Vietnam |
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