The Nguyễn Dynasty was a line of rulers of Vietnam in the 19th century to mid-20th century. Despite the common name, it is Nguyễn Phúc that is the complete family name for members of this branch to differentiate from other branches. The founder of the Nguyễn Dynasty was Nguyễn Phúc Ánh, known more by his era name Gia Long than his real name, who became Emperor in 1802. Gia Long subsequently granted all of his ancestors the title Emperor as well.

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. Althought 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 Sãi 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 of 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" (Quoc Truong) of the "State of Vietnam" (Quoc Gia Viet 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 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 (Viet Nam Cong Hoa), 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.

Emperors of Vietnam

The following list contains, among other information, the era names for all Emperors of the dynsty. Note that, not until Gia Long, not all rulers listed below were emperors and, hence, did not have era names. Era names, or dynastic titles, like any title selected in those days, have meaning in Chinese and Vietnamese. For example, the first Emperor's era name of Gia Long, literally "House Dragon", is an union of the old names for Saigon (Gia Dinh) and Hanoi (Thang Long) to show the new unity of the country; the fourth one, Tự Đức, means "Inheritance of Virtues" and the ninth one, Đồng Khánh, means "Collective Celebration".

1. 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).
2. 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.

External links

• The Nguyễn Dynasty
• Vietnamese language homepage of The Nguyễn Dynasty