House of Nguyễn Phúc

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House of Nguyễn Phúc House of Nguyễn Phước 阮福族
Imperial House
Country	Nam Hà / Đàng Trong Nguyễn dynasty French protectorates of Annam and Tonkin Empire of Vietnam Domain of the Crown
Founded	1558
Founder	Nguyễn Hoàng[a]
Current head	Guy Georges Vĩnh San
Final ruler	Bảo Đại
Titles	Nguyễn lords Lord of Đàng Trong (主塘中, Chúa Đàng Trong)[1] Grand Mentor Duke of the State of Trừng (太傅澄國公, Thái phó Trừng quốc công)[2][3] Grand guardian commandery duke (太保郡公, Thái bảo quận công)[2][3] Nguyễn King[4] Quốc vương (國王)[2][3] Nguyễn dynasty Emperor of Đại Việt Emperor of Vietnam Emperor of Đại Nam Son of Heaven State of Vietnam Chief of State of Vietnam
Style(s)	"His/Her Imperial Majesty"
Traditions	Buddhism, Confucianism and Catholicism
Estate(s)	Imperial City of Huế
Deposition	1777 (Tây Sơn Rebellion) 1945 (Abdication of Bảo Đại)[b] 1955 (abolition of the Domain of the Crown)
Cadet branches	Tôn Thất

The House of Nguyễn Phúc, also known as the House of Nguyễn Phước, was a ruling family of Vietnam. It ruled from the city of Huế in central Vietnam beginning in 1600. As the Nguyễn lords, they often fought with the Trịnh lords, who were based in Hanoi. They were overthrown by the Tây Sơn dynasty in 1776.

Under Emperor Gia Long, the family's rule was not only restored, but extended to the whole of Vietnam in 1802, thus marking the start of the unified Nguyễn dynasty. Emperor Đồng Khánh agreed to French supervision in 1883. In 1887, Vietnam became part of the Indochinese Union, which was administered by a French governor general.

Emperor Bảo Đại, the last ruler of the dynasty, changed the name of the country from Annam back to Vietnam, a name that originated with Gia Long. He abdicated in fear for his life in 1945 after the Viet Minh attempted to assassinate one of his former prime ministers. The French returned following the surrender of Japan. Bảo Đại fled to Hong Kong, where he developed a reputation as a playboy.

French President Charles de Gaulle suggested that former Emperor Duy Tan return to Vietnam and reenter politics. Duy Tan, now a national hero, died when his return flight crashed in 1945. In 1949, the French re-installed Bảo Đại and created the State of Vietnam with him as chief of state (國長, Quốc trưởng). The French also oversaw the creation of the Domain of the Crown where he was still officially considered to be the emperor. This territory existed until 1955. Bảo Đại died in 1997 in Paris, France.

History[]

As a ruling house[]

The House of Nguyễn Phúc (Nguyen Gia Mieu) had historically been founded in the 14th century in Gia Mieu village, Thanh Hoa Province, before they came to rule southern Vietnam from 1558 to 1777, then became the ruling dynasty of the entire Vietnam. Traditionally, the family traces themselves to Nguyễn Bặc (?–979), the first duke of Dai Viet. Princes and male descendants of Gia Long are called Hoàng Thân, while male lineal descendants of previous Nguyen lords are named Tôn Thất. Grandsons of the emperor were Hoàng tôn. Daughters of the emperor were called Hoàng nữ, and always earned the title công chúa (princess).

Their succession practically is according to the law of primogeniture, but sometimes conflicted. The first succession conflict arose in 1816 when Gia Long was designing for an heir. His first prince Nguyễn Phúc Cảnh died in 1802. As a result, two rival factions emerged, one support Nguyễn Phúc Mỹ Đường, the eldest son of Prince Cảnh, as the crown prince, while other support Prince Đảm (later Minh Mang).^[5] The second conflict was the 1847 succession when two young princes Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Bảo and Hồng Nhậm were dragged by the ill-failing emperor Thieu Tri as a potential heir. At first, Thieu Tri apparently chose Prince Hồng Bảo because he was older, but after hearing advice from two regents and Nguyễn Tri Phương, he revised the heir at last minute and choose Hồng Nhậm as the crown prince.^[6]

Abolition of the monarchy[]

The abdication of Bảo Đại took place on 25 August 1945 and marked the end of the 143-year reign of the Nguyễn dynasty over Vietnam ending the Vietnamese monarchy.^[7][8] Bảo Đại abdicated in response to the August Revolution a ceremony handing power over to the newly established Democratic Republic of Vietnam which was established during the end of World War II as Vietnam had been occupied by French and later Japanese imperialists.^[9][10][11]

After the Việt Minh sent a telegram to the Imperial City of Huế demanding the abdication of Emperor Bảo Đại, he announced that he would abdicate and officially abdicated on 25 August.^[12] After a representative of the Việt Minh convinced Bảo Đại to hold a public abdication ceremony he did so on 30 August 1945. The passing of the ceremonial seal and sword had been seen as symbolically "passing the Mandate of Heaven over to the government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam".^[4] Following his abdication Emperor Bảo Đại became "citizen Vĩnh Thụy" (公民永瑞, công dân Vĩnh Thụy) and would become an advisor to the new Democratic Republic of Vietnam government in Hanoi.^[13][4]

French attempts to re-establish the Nguyễn dynasty[]

The coat of arms of the State of Vietnam.

In order to combat the influence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Việt Minh the French were forced to grant more autonomy to the Vietnamese and French President Vincent Auriol arranged for the former Emperor Bảo Đại to return to Vietnam and lead a new autonomous Vietnamese state in what the French called the "Bảo Đại solution" (Giải pháp Bảo Đại). On 24 April 1949 Bảo Đại would return from France back to Vietnam.^[10] Nearly two months later, on 14 June 1949 Bảo Đại issued an ordinance giving him the position of "Chief of State of the State of Vietnam" (Quốc trưởng Quốc gia Việt Nam), in his memoirs he claimed that he did this to receive better recognition on an international level.^[10] Furthermore, in his memoirs he emphasised that his proper title was "Emperor, Chief of State" (Hoàng đế, Quốc trưởng).^[10] The position was supposed to only be temporary until Vietnam would have an elected constitutional parliament.^[10]

In 1950 Bảo Đại was given the "Domain of the Crown" which included ethnic minority lands within Vietnam that were directly placed under his rule where he remained to be the "Emperor".^[14][15] It was officially established on 15 April 1950 and dissolved on 11 March 1955.^[16]

During his time as Chief of State he was often absent from most events in Vietnam and would frequently spend his time in Europe or in his domain, specifically in the resort towns of Đà Lạt, Nha Trang, and Buôn Ma Thuột, rather than attending to his responsibilities as the head of the government.^[17]

Bảo Đại was ousted as the Chief of State of the State of Vietnam during a rigged election in 1955.^[18][19]

After 1955[]

The personal coat of arms of the Bảo Đại Emperor which appeared on the cover of his autobiographical memoires Le dragon d'Annam, Bao Daï (1980).

In 1957, during his visit to the Alsace region, Bảo Đại met with whom he had an affair for several years. The relationship with Bloch-Carcenac resulted in the birth of his last child, Patrick-Edward Bloch-Carcenac, who still lives in Alsace in France.^[20][21]

In 1972, Bảo Đại issued a public statement from exile, appealing to the Vietnamese people for national reconciliation, stating, "The time has come to put an end to the fratricidal war and to recover at last peace and accord". At times, Bảo Đại maintained residence in southern France, and in particular, in Monaco, where he sailed often on his private yacht, one of the largest in Monte Carlo harbour. He still reportedly held great influence among local political figures in the Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên provinces of Huế. The Communist government of North Vietnam sent representatives to France hoping that Bảo Đại would become a member of a coalition government which might reunite Vietnam, in the hope of attracting his supporters in the regions wherein he still held influence.^{[citation needed]}

As a result of these meetings, Bảo Đại publicly spoke out against the presence of American troops in South Vietnam, and he criticised President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's regime in South Vietnam. He called for all political factions to create a free, neutral, peace-loving government which would resolve the tense situation that had taken form in the country.

In 1982, Bảo Đại, his wife Monique, and other members of the former imperial family of Vietnam visited the United States. His agenda was to oversee and bless Buddhist and Caodaiist religious ceremonies, in the Californian and Texan Vietnamese-American communities.

Throughout Bảo Đại's life in both Vietnam and in France, he remained unpopular among the Vietnamese populace as he was considered a political puppet for the French colonialist regime, for lacking any form of political power, and for his cooperation with the French and for his pro-French ideals. The former emperor clarified, however, that his reign was always a constant battle and a balance between preserving the monarchy and the integrity of the nation versus fealty to the French authorities. Ultimately, power devolved away from his person and into ideological camps and in the face of Diem's underestimated influences on factions within the empire.^[22] Bảo Đại died in a military hospital in Paris, France, on 30 July 1997. He was interred in the Cimetière de Passy. Following Bảo Đại's death Bảo Long inherited the position of head of the House of Nguyễn Phúc. He remained out of politics and lived quietly in Paris.^[23]

Bảo Long allegedly sold the sword that was handed over in the 1945 abdication ceremony.^[10] Although the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League (headed by rival claimant ) wish to restore the Nguyễn dynasty to the throne under a constitutional monarchy, as in Cambodia and Thailand, Bảo Long did not support their political aspirations.^[24]

On 28 July 2007, following the death of Bảo Long, the new head of the House of Nguyễn Phúc became Nguyễn Phúc Bảo Thăng.^[25]

Titles[]

First appointed to govern over the region south of the Gianh River by the Emperor of the Later Lê Dynasty, the first ancestor of the Nguyễn lords in this region appointed who was given a title of nobility was Nguyễn Kim, who was granted the title of the Duke of the State of Trừng (澄國公, Trừng quốc công).^[2][3] The highest title of nobility in Vietnam was that of Quốc Vương (國王), which Liam Kelley translates as "Prince" or "Prince of state",^[c] immediately below it was the title of "Duke" (公, công) with titles like "Commandery duke" (郡公, quận công), "Duke of state" (國公, quốc công), etc.^[3] Prefixes, like "Grand mentor" (太傅, thái phó) and "Grand guardian" (太保, thái bảo) were sometimes added to these somewhat general terms to create gradations between the varying ranks of nobility.^[3]

Lord Nguyễn Hoàng received the noble title of "Grand Mentor Duke of the State of Trừng" (太傅澄國公, Thái phó Trừng quốc công) by the Emperor of the Later Lê dynasty, later Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên (the son of Nguyễn Hoàng) would receive the upgraded title "Grand guardian commandery duke" (太保郡公, Thái bảo quận công).^[3]

Later titles were granted by the Nguyễn lords to themselves, however, they would continue to recognise both the titles of the imperial court of the Later Lê dynasty and their nominal submission to it.^[3] According to the Đại Nam thực lục, in 1744 an official from Đàng Trong named requested for his lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát to "rectify his position", but in reality Nguyễn Đăng Thịnh asked him proclaim himself to be an Emperor justifying it by stating that he already controlled more land than the Shang dynasty did when it was founded.^[26][2] In response Nguyễn Phúc Khoát granted himself the title of Quốc Vương in 1744, the same title which the Trịnh lords held since 1599.^[2][3] An important distinction between the rival Nguyễn and Trịnh clans is that the Trịnh were granted the title of Vương by the Emperor while the Nguyễn never officially held a title higher than "duke" in the eyes of the Lê court.^[2]

Heads of the house[]

The generational numbers below are from the clan's genealogical table.^[27] On several occasions, emperors were deposed by the French colonial authorities and replaced with representatives of alternative royal lines. The "I" line is viewed as the most legitimate line. The Dục Đức line goes 15.I, 16.I, 17.I, and 18.I, while the Đồng Khánh line goes 15.II, 16.II, 17.II, 18.II, and 18.III.

Symbols[]

Imperial standards[]

Flag	Duration	Use	Name/Description
	1885–1890	Flag of emperor Đồng Khánh	Đại Nam Đế Kỳ[28] (Personal standard of the Emperor of Đại Nam). Đại Nam (大南, great south) was the official name of Vietnam at this time.
	1890–1920	Flag of emperors Thành Thái, Duy Tân and Khải Định	A red field with a single yellow stripe. Referred to as the Long tinh or Dragon Star Flag.[28]
	1920–1945	Flag of emperors Khải Định and Bảo Đại	A yellow field with a single red stripe. Referred to as the Long tinh or Dragon Star Flag.[28]
	May 8 – August 30, 1945	Flag of emperor Bảo Đại	A yellow field with a single red stripe. Referred to as the Long tinh or Dragon Star Flag.[28]

Personal standards of emperors[]

Flag	Duration	Use	Name/Description
	1922–1945	Personal standard of emperors Khải Định and Bảo Đại.[28]	Flag ratio: 2:3.
	1941?–1945	Royal fanion (Cờ Nhà Vua) of the Nguyễn dynasty.[28][29][30]	The "flag of yellow and dragon" (黃龍旗, Hoàng-long kì) or the "Son of Heaven flag" (天子旗, Thiên-tử kì). Flag ratio is 1:2.
	1941?–1945	Imperial standard of the Nguyễn dynasty.[28][29]	Flag ratio: 1:2.
	1948–1955	Personal standard of State Chief Bảo Đại.[28]	Flag ratio: 2:3. Influences:

Coats of arms[]

• 

  Coat of arms of the Nguyễn dynasty depicting a dragon.

• 

  Variant coat of arms of the Nguyễn dynasty.

Heirloom seals[]

• 

  Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn Chúa vĩnh trấn chi bảo (大越國阮