The House of Nguyễn Phúc, also known as the House of Nguyễn Phước, is a family and a branch of the surname Nguyễn in Vietnam. Its members were the Nguyễn lords (1558–1777, 1780–1802) and emperors of the Nguyễn dynasty (1802–45). Its member Bảo Đại was also emperor of the State of Vietnam (1949–55) and Domain of the Crown (1950–55). Nguyễn Bặc (924–79), an official of the Đinh dynasty, was its founder.
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. The Nguyễn dynasty 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 Tân return to Vietnam and reenter politics. Duy Tân, now a national hero, died when his return flight crashed in 1945. In 1949, Vietnamese non-communist nationalists and 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.
According to a article by The New York Times in 1973, it was estimated then by former empress dowager Hoàng Thị Cúc, mother of the last ruler Bảo Đại, that the royal family had over 200,000 descendants.
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 (924–979), 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 Nguyễn Phúc Đảm (later Minh Mang). 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 Trương Đăng Quế and Nguyễn Tri Phương, he revised the heir at last minute and choose Hồng Nhậm as the crown prince.
Since the fall of Huế during the Cần Vương rebellion against the French on 7 May 1885 the government of the French protectorate of Annam would gradually take over the management of the budget and finances of the government of the Southern dynasty. In 1894, the court of the Thành Thái Emperor assigned Resident-Superior Léon Jules Pol Boulloche to take care of the management of the state's revenues, expenditures, taxes, Etc.Quốc Sử Quán triều Nguyễn (2012), Đại Nam thực lục chính biên – Đệ lục kỷ phụ biên, Nxb. Văn hóa – Văn nghệ, Tp. Hồ Chí Minh, tr. 220. (in Vietnamese). In 1900, the Governor-General of French Indochina issued a decree that established the Council of the Protectorate (Hội đồng Bảo hộ) alongside the Resident-Superior to "discuss and determine the revenue and expenditures of the budget of the French protectorate of Annam, but that this council would act according to the calculations and orders of the Resident-Superior. At the meetings of the Council of French Indochina (Hội đồng Đông Dương) the Governor-General would decide through executive orders."Quốc Sử Quán triều Nguyễn (2012), Sđd, tr. 377–378. (in Vietnamese). Because of these reformes the Huế Court lost a lot of power and had to remove the privileges of the imperial family of the Nguyễn dynasty. This meant a reduction in provisions and money given to the descendants of the imperial lineage, gradually a number of members of the Imperial Clan of the Nguyễn dynasty would fall into poverty as they heavily relied on state welfare.
In a 1938 interview in the Tràng An newspaper with the Đại thần of the Court of the Imperial Clan (宗人府大臣, Tôn Nhơn phủ Đại thần) Ưng Trình (1882—1974) about a petition that the members of the imperial clan have to the same taxes as the other groups represented in the House of People's Representatives of Annam, Ưng Trình noted that there were 2000 male members Phủ Tôn Nhơn aged 18 to 60 and that 3 out of 4 were unemployed and did not own any land.Tràng An báo (1938), “Phỏng vấn Vấn đề thuế thân và Hoàng Phái”, Báo Tràng An, Số 362 (ra ngày 7/10/1938), tr. 1. (in Vietnamese). This showed that a lot of the members of the imperial clan lived in poverty and battled with many difficulties such as chronic unemployment and hunger.
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. 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.
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. 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". 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.David G. Marr Vietnam: State, War, Revolution, 1945–1946 p20 "The royal mandarinal hierarchies for education, administration, and justice were abolished, while Mr. Vĩnh Thụy (formerly Emperor Bảo Đại) was appointed advisor to the DRV provisional government."
French attempts to re-establish the Nguyễn dynasty
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. 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. Furthermore, in his memoirs he emphasised that his proper title was "Emperor, Chief of State" (Hoàng đế, Quốc trưởng). The position was supposed to only be temporary until Vietnam would have an elected constitutional parliament.
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".Lê Đình Chi. Người Thượng Miền Nam Việt Nam. Gardena, California: Văn Mới, 2006. Pages: 401–449. (in Vietnamese). It was officially established on 15 April 1950 and dissolved on 11 March 1955.Anh Thái Phượng. Trăm núi ngàn sông: Tập I. Gretna, LA: Đường Việt Hải ngoại, 2003. Page: 99. (in Vietnamese).
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.
Bảo Đại was ousted as the Chief of State of the State of Vietnam during a rigged election in 1955.
After 1955
In 1957, during his visit to the Alsace region, Bảo Đại met Christiane Bloch-Carcenac 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.oral communication (Patrick-Edward Bloch-Carcenac) and sections of the "Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace" (D.N.A), n°. 264 of 10 nov. 1992 and from 7 August 2007.
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.
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. 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.