Dong Khanh

Emperor Đồng Khánh

Emperor Đồng Khánh (Hán tự: 同慶; also known as Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Kỷ, 阮福膺祺; 19 February 1864 – 28 January 1889) was the ninth Emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam. He reigned three years between 1885 and 1889, and was considered one of the most despised emperors of his era.

Đồng Khánh's birthname was Nguyễn Cảnh Tông. He was the son of Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Cai, but because his uncle, Emperor Tự Đức, had no children, he was adopted and made the Duke of Kiên Giang. Đồng Khánh, however, did not succeed to the throne until four others, Dục Đức, Hiệp Hoà, Kiến Phúc and Hàm Nghi were all enthroned, and removed in the year after the death of Tự Đức.

Đồng Khánh came to the throne because of the events of July 4, 1885, when the regent, Tôn Thất Thuyết, kidnapped the young Emperor Hàm Nghi from the "Purple Forbidden City" of Huế, and took him to the mountains as the figurehead of a revolutionary movement against the French. To take away the legitimacy of Hàm Nghi, the French enthroned Nguyễn Cảnh Tông, who took the era name of "Đồng Khánh".

Madame Nhu, the First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955-63, was a great-granddaughter of Đồng Khánh.^[1]

References

1. ^ http://www.4dw.net/royalark/Vietnam/annam9.htm

Dong Khanh Nguyễn Dynasty Born: 19 February 1864 Died: 28 January 1889
Regnal titles
Preceded by Hàm Nghi	Emperor of Vietnam 1885–1889	Succeeded by Thành Thái

Persondata
Name	Dong, Khanh
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 February 1864
Place of birth
Date of death	28 January 1889
Place of death