Ham Nghi

Emperor Hàm Nghi

Emperor Hàm Nghi (Hán tự: 咸宜帝); (born Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Lịch, 22 July 1872 (at the "Purple Forbidden City" of Huế); died 14 January 1943), was the eighth Emperor of the Vietnamese Nguyễn Dynasty. He reigned for only one year (1884 – 1885).

On July 4, 1885, the Mandarins' Revolt broke out under the leadership of the two regents Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết. The French stormed the palace and Tôn Thất Thuyết took Emperor Hàm Nghi and three empresses into hiding.

Hàm Nghi went to the hills and jungles around Laos along with Tôn Thất Thuyết's force. While they waged a guerrilla war against the French occupation forces, the French replaced Hàm Nghi with his brother, Emperor Đồng Khánh, who was enthroned as the Son of Heaven.

In October 1888, after a series of setbacks, Hàm Nghi was hiding in an isolated house near the spring of the Nai river, with Tôn Thất Thiệp, the second son of Tôn Thất Thuyết, and only a few attendants. There, he was betrayed by the head of his Muong guards, Trương Quang Ngọc, and captured on November 1, while Thiệp was killed. He was then turned over to French officers on November 2.^[1]

On December 12, 1888, he was exiled to Algeria. There he married a French Algerian woman named Marcelle Laloë on November 4, 1904. They had three children, Prince Minh-Duc, Princess Nhu May and Princess Nhu Lý. He was buried in Thonac cemetery, near Sarlat, Dordogne France

In 2002, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam sent a delegation to France to seek permission from Princess Nhu Lý (Countess De La Besse, died 2005, in her 97th year) to move her father's remains to the former Imperial capital of Huế. Her family has presently refused.^[2]

Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him.^[3]

See also

• Giao Hoang, who was Prime Minister at the time that the French took over

Notes

1. ^ Baille, 1890 ; Devillers, 1998, pp.398-369 ; Gosselin, 1900, pp.150-156; Gosselin, 1904.
2. ^ Nguyên Cao Duc, 2007, p.5
3. ^ Vietnam Country Map. Periplus Travel Maps. 2002–03. ISBN 0-7946-0070-0. 

References

• Baille "Souvenirs d’Annam 1886-1890" E. Plon, Nourrit et Cie, Paris, 1890, viii + 266 pp.
• Devillers, Philippe "Français et Annamites. Partenaires ou ennemis ? 1856-1902", Denoël, 1998, 517 pp.;ISBN 220724248X (2-207-24248-X)
• Gosselin, Charles "Le Laos et le Protectorat Français". Librairie académique Didier, Perrin & Cie, Paris, 1900, 349 pp. Available at [1] or [2]
• Gosselin, Charles "L’empire d’Annam". Préface de Pierre Baudin, Perrin et Cie, Paris, 1904, xxvi + 560 pp.
• Nguyên Cao Duc, Georges "Un empereur aimé : Ham Nghi (1871–1884–1944)". [3]

Preceded by Emperor Kiến Phúc

Nguyễn Dynasty

Succeeded by Emperor Đồng Khánh