Nguyen Dynasty
| History of Vietnam series | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Table of contents |
|
2 Nguyen Dynasty Emperors of Vietnam 3 See also 4 External links |
History
It was Gia Long's distant ancestor Nguyễn Hoàng, a gifted general afraid of being prosecuted by the Trịnh Lord; in the North, who moved south to the area of northern Central Vietnam in the 16th century. Although having established for himself a fiefdom, Nguyễn Hoàng was still very much loyal to the Emperor, of the Posterior Lê Dynasty, at that time. Nguyễn Hoàng, and his successors, continually expanded their territory by making Kampuchea a protectorate, and by invading Laos, Champa and many small countries in the area. Nguyễn Hoàng and many of his successors styled themselves as Lord (Chúa in Vietnamese); Nguyễn Hoàng was known as Lord Tiên.It was Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên, Nguyễn Hoàng's son, or Lord Săi who started the Nguyễn Phúc family name. In the early 18th century, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên's great-great-great-great-grandson Nguyễn Phúc Khoát was the first ruler of the line who styled himself King (Vương in Vietnamese), since the Trịnh Lord had done so in the North.
Four rulers later, it was Nguyễn Phúc Ánh who united the country, started a dynasty and styled himself Emperor (Hoàng Đế in Vietnamese) 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.
Emperors Minh Mạng;, Thiệu Trị, Tự Đức; and Hiệp Hoà;, all, were opposed to any French involvement in the country and tried to reduce the growing Catholic community in Vietnam at that time. Their persecution of missionaries 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 which 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.
The nominal reign of the Nguyễn 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, Bảo Đại;, abdicated the throne and handed power over to the government of President Ho Chi Minh; in return, Emperor Bảo Đại was then named "Supreme Counselor" to the new government. Bảo Đại left shortly afterwrd since he did not agree with the policies of the Viet Minh and thereafter for exile in Hong Kong.
In 1948, the French persuaded Bảo Đại to return as "Chief of State" (Quốc Trưởng in Vietnamese) 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, until the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. Bảo Đại 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 Ngô Đ́nh 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 Ḥa), once more ending Bảo Đại's involvement in Vietnamese affairs--this time permanently.
Emperor Bảo Đại remained in exile in France, where he died in 1997. Crown Prince Bao Long succeeded on the death of his father Emperor Bảo Đại as Head of the Imperial House of Vietnam, 31st July 1997.
Nguyen Dynasty 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".
| Temple name | Posthumous Name | Personal Name | Reign | Era name | Royal Tomb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 世祖 Thế Tổ | 高皇帝 Cao Hoàng Đế | 阮福暎 Nguyễn Phúc Ánh | 1802-1820 | 嘉隆 1802-1820 Gia Long | 千壽陵 Thiên Thọ Lăng |
| 聖祖 Thánh Tổ | 仁皇帝 Nhân Hoàng Đế | 阮福晈 Nguyễn Phúc Kiểu | 1820-1841 | 明命 1820-1841 Minh Mạng; | 孝陵 Hiếu Lăng |
| 憲祖 Hiến Tổ | 章皇帝 Chương Hoàng Đế | 阮福暶 Nguyễn Phúc Tuyền | 1841-1847 | 紹治 1841-1847 Thiệu Trị | 昌陵 Xương Lăng |
| 翼宗 Dực Tông | 英皇帝 Anh Hoàng Đế | 阮福蒔 Nguyễn Phúc Th́ | 1847-1883 | 嗣德 1847-1883 Tự Đức; | 謙陵 Khiêm Lăng |
| 恭宗 Công Tông | 惠皇帝 Huệ Hoàng Đế | - - | 1883 | -1 | 安陵 An Lăng |
| - | - | 阮福昇 Nguyễn Phúc Thăng | 1883 | 協和 1883 Hiệp Hoà; | - |
| 簡宗 Giản Tông | 毅皇帝 Nghị Hoàng Đế | 阮福昊 Nguyễn Phúc Hạo | 1883-1884 | 建福 1883-1884 Kiến Phúc; | - |
| - | - | 阮福明 Nguyễn Phúc Minh | 1884-1885 | 咸宜 1884-1885 Hàm Nghi | - |
| 景宗 Cảnh Tông | 純皇帝 Thuần Hoàng Đế | 阮福昪 Nguyễn Phúc Biện | 1885-1889 | 同慶 1885-1889 Đồng Khánh; | 思陵 Tư Lăng |
| - | - | 阮福昭 Nguyễn Phúc Chiêu | 1889-1907 | 成泰 1889-1907 Thành Thái | - |
| - | - | 阮福晃 Nguyễn Phúc Hoảng | 1907-1916 | 維新 1907-1916 Duy Tân | - |
| 弘宗 Hoằng Tông | 宣皇帝 Tuyên Hoàng Đế | 阮福昶 Nguyễn Phúc Tuấn | 1916-1925 | 啟定 1916-1925 Khải Định; | 應陵 Ứng Lăng |
| - | - | 阮福晪 Nguyễn Phúc Thiển2 | 1926-1945 | 保大 1926-1945 Bảo Đại; | - |
- Following the death of Emperor Tự Đức, and according to his will, this Emperor ascended to the throne on July 19, 1883. However, he was dethroned and imprisoned three days later, after being accused of deleting one paragraph from Tự Đức's will. He had no time to announce his dynastic title (era name); hence his was named after his residential palace as Dục Đức; (育德宮).
- Crown Prince Bao Long succeeded on the death of his father, Emperor Bảo Đại, as Head of the Imperial House of Vietnam on 31st July 1997.
See also
External links
