|
Nguyen Dynasty was a line of rulers of Vietnam in the 19th century to mid-20th century. Nguyễn is the Emperor's family name. The founder of the Nguyen family was Nguyen Kim, known as Gia Long who became Emperor, he subsequently declared all of his ancestors to have been emperors as well.
History
The Emperors Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc and Hiep Hoa were violently opposed to any French involvement in their country and tried to destroy the growing Catholic community in Vietnam. Their persecution of the missionaries was the primary pretext of French efforts to invade and occupy Indochina. So like the Qing Empire, there were numerous foreign-related incidents during the 19th century. The Nguyễn Empire expanded its territory by making Kampuchea a protectorate, and invaded Laos.
The last Nguyen Emperor to rule with complete independence was Tu Duc. After his death there was a succession crisis which allowed the French to take direct control of the country and eventually gain complete control of the monarchy. All emperors since Dong Khanh were chosen by the French and had only a symbolic position.
The nominal reign of the Nguyen Dynasty firmly came to an end in 1945, when the people rose up after the Japanese surrender in support of the Viet Minh. After receiving a "request" for his resignation, the last emperor, Bao Dai, abdicated the throne and handed power over to the government of President Ho Chi Minh, in return Emperor Bao Dai was then named "Supreme Counselor" to the new government but left shortly because he did not agree with the policies of the Viet Minh and thereafter for exile in Hong Kong.
In 1948, the French persuaded him to return to his country as "Chief of State" (Quoc Truong) of the "State of Vietnam" (Quoc Gia Viet Nam) set up by France in areas they (the French) had regained control while a bloody war with the Vietminh under Ho Chi Minh continued until the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Bao Dai spent much of his time during that conflict enjoying a good life either at his luxurious home in Dalat (in the Vietnamese Highlands) or in Paris, France.
After Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam, the South Vietnamese prime minister Ngo Dinh Diem, in a referendum many claimed to be rigged, overthrew Bao Dai as "Chief of State" in 1956. Diem then assumed the position of President of the Republic of (South) Vietnam (Viet Nam Cong Hoa), ending Bao Dai's career in Vietnamese affairs once more and forever.
Emperor Bao Dai remained in exile in France, where he died in 1997. If the monarchy had not been abolished, Crown Prince Bao Long would have succeeded on the death of his father Emperor Bao Dai as Head of the Imperial House of Annam, 31st July 1997.
Emperors of Vietnam
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, means "House Dragon" (actually the combination of the old names for Saigon [Gia Dinh] and Hanoi [Thanh Long] to show the new unity of the country); the fourth means "Inheritance of Virtues"; the ninth means "Collective Celebration".
- Gia Long (嘉隆帝 1802 - 1820): named Nguyễn-Phúc Ánh (阮福映) or 阮映
- Minh Mang (明命帝 1820 - 1841)
- Thieu Tri (紹治帝 1841 - 1847): Nguyễn-Phúc Mien Thi
- Tu Duc (嗣德帝 1847 - 1883): Nguyễn-Phúc Huong Nham
- Duc Duc (育德帝 1883)
- Hiep Hoa (協和帝 1883)
- Kien Phuc (建福帝 1883 - 1884)
- Ham Nghi (咸宜帝 1884 - 1885)
- Dong Khanh (同慶帝 1885 - 1889)
- Thanh Thai (成泰帝 1889 - 1907)
- Duy Tan (維新帝 1907 - 1916) (Friend of Reforms)
- Khai Dinh (啟定帝 1916 - 1925) (Auger of Stability)
- Bao Dai (保大帝 1926 - 1945) (Defender of Greatness)
External links
| 
