Hàm Nghi

He was the younger brother of Emperor Kiến Phúc. In 1884, Hàm Nghi was enthroned at the age of 12 by the regents Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết. After the failed counterattack at the imperial capital Huế in 1885, Tôn Thất Thuyết took him out of the capital where he issued the Cần Vương edict to resist French colonial rule. In Hàm Nghi's name, Tôn Thất Thuyết launched the Cần Vương movement, calling upon scholars and patriots to assist the Emperor by rising up to fight and save the nation, to regain independence. This movement lasted until 1888, when Hàm Nghi was captured. Afterward, he was exiled to Algiers the capital of Algeria, where he later died in 1944 from stomach cancer. Due to pressure from the French, the Nguyễn dynasty did not confer a temple name (miếu hiệu) upon him. Today, Vietnamese history regards him, along with Emperors Thành Thái and Duy Tân, as three patriotic monarchs during the French colonial period.

Hàm Nghi's personal name was Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Lịch, Upon ascending the throne, his name was changed to Nguyễn Phúc Minh. He was the fifth son of Prince Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Cai and Lady Phan Thị Nhàn, born on August 3, 1871 (though some sources state he was born on July 22, 1872) in Huế. He was the full younger brother of Emperor Kiến Phúc and his successor Emperor Đồng Khánh. After Emperor Tự Đức’s death in July 1883, the regents Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết held complete power over the deposition and enthronement of emperors, but they struggled to find a suitable candidate within the royal family who shared their anti-French colonists, and pro-independence stances. Before Hàm Nghi's reign, three emperors — Dục Đức, Hiệp Hòa, and Kiến Phúc — had successively allowed themselves to be puppet's for the French or had died prematurely, becoming obstacles that needed to be removed from the increasingly unstable royal court. Emperor Kiến Phúc suddenly died just as the independence faction was gaining ascendancy within the Huế court. After the emperor's death, it would have been appropriate for Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Kỷ (future Emperor Đồng Khánh) the second adopted son of Emperor Tự Đức, to ascend the throne. However, Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết feared that enthroning an older emperor would cause them to lose their grip on power. They firmly decided to select a young ruler who would fully support their anti-French stance, and thus chose Ưng Lịch. The atmosphere of the imperial capital had clouded the spirit of national pride, and more importantly, Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết could easily guide the emperor regarding the grand affairs of the country. Ưng Lịch, from a young age, lived in poverty and simplicity with his biological mother, rather than being properly raised and educated in the royal palace like his two elder brothers. When the envoys came to summon him, the boy Ưng Lịch was frightened and did not dare accept the ceremonial robes and headwear they offered. On the morning of August 2, 1884, Ưng Lịch was escorted between two rows of palace guards into the Thái Hòa Hall to perform the enthronement ceremony, taking the reign title Hàm Nghi. At that time, Ưng Lịch was only 13 years old. It was said that Hàm Nghi was enthroned according to the will left by Emperor Kiến Phúc. However, in reality, Hàm Nghi was placed on the throne by the independence faction. The leader of this faction was Tôn Thất Thuyết — a Regent and simultaneously Minister of War.

In July 1884, after the sudden death of Emperor Kiến Phúc, the court enthroned Hàm Nghi. Resident Superior Pierre Paul Rheinart, seeing that Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết had installed the new emperor without consulting France as previously agreed, sent troops into Huế to force the Nguyễn court to request permission. Rheinart sent a diplomatic note to the Huế court stating: “If the Southern court appoints anyone as emperor, it must first seek the permission of France.” Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết had to submit a request written in chữ Nôm (Vietnamese demotic script), but the Resident Superior refused it and demanded it be written in Chinese characters. The two had to rewrite it, and only then did the Resident accept it. Afterwards, he entered through the main gate to the palace to conduct the investiture ceremony for Emperor Hàm Nghi. The first task Emperor Hàm Nghi had to undertake, under Tôn Thất Thuyết's guidance, was to organize the reception of the French delegation from the Resident Superior's Office on the southern bank of the Hương River across to the Thái Hòa Hall for the enthronement ceremony. This was a small victory for the independence faction at the Huế court in safeguarding Hàm Nghi's throne; as for the French, after their demands and negotiations failed, they had to reluctantly accept the accomplished fact to avoid further complications. At 9 a.m. on August 17, 1884, the French delegation consisting of Colonel Guerrier, Resident Superior Rheinart, Captain Wallarrmé, and 185 officers and soldiers crossed over to the Imperial City of Huế. Guerrier demanded that the entire French force be allowed to march through the main gate of the Ngọ Môn (the Noon Gate), a path traditionally reserved for the emperor. Tôn Thất Thuyết resolutely refused. In the end, only three envoys were allowed to enter through the main gate, while the others had to use the two side gates. Both the Huế court and the French delegation were dissatisfied, but the investiture ceremony concluded peacefully. As the French delegation prepared to leave, Tôn Thất Thuyết secretly ordered the main gate of Ngọ Môn closed, forcing the French to exit via the side gates. Reflecting on this event, Marcel Gaultier wrote: “Emperor Hàm Nghi preserved his sacred dignity in the eyes of his subjects. Unwittingly, the young emperor had undertaken an act with a resounding impact across the nation: with determined will for independence, and despite the French presence in Huế, the Annamese court still demonstrated a proud, unyielding attitude. This attitude was set by the Council of Regents, who rightly believed that the people would look to the king's demeanor for inspiration, interpreting it as an unspoken command to resist the French...”[4] The following year, 1885, General de Courcy was sent by the French government to Vietnam to assist in the establishment of the protectorate. General de Courcy sought an audience with Emperor Hàm Nghi but insisted that his entire force of 500 soldiers pass through the main ceremonial gate, reserved for special guests. The Huế court requested that the soldiers enter via the side gates, permitting only the generals to use the main gate according to court protocol, but de Courcy firmly refused

On 4 July 1885, a nationwide insurrection against the French broke out under the leadership of the two regents Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết, acting in the name of the emperor. 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 guerrilla warfare against the French occupation forces, the French replaced Hàm Nghi with his brother, Đồng Khánh, who was enthroned as the Emperor of Đại Nam. 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 a few attendants. There, he was betrayed by the head of his Muong guards, Trương Quang Ngọc, and captured on 1 November, while Thiệp was killed. He was turned over to French officers on 2 November.

In September 1888, at the time Hàm Nghi was staying at Tuyên Hóa district (now Minh Hóa district) in Quảng Bình, lieutenants (suất đội) Nguyễn Đình Tình and Trương Quang Ngọc voluntarily surrendered and was inquired by the French at Đồng Cá fort. They made an agreement to bring troops to capture the emperor. On the midnight of September 26, 1888, Hàm Nghi was captured while sleeping, meanwhile Tôn Thất Thiệp was being stabbed to death. He was only 17 years old. When being captured, the emperor pointed straight at Trương Quang Ngọc and said: "Mi giết ta đi còn hơn là mi mang ta ra nộp cho Tây." lit. 'You better kill me than hand me over to the Westerners.' From that night onwards, Trương Quang Ngọc transferred Hàm Nghi through multiple other forts of the French army before arriving at Thuận Bài fort on the afternoon of November 14, 1888. The French organized "a very solemn welcome" for him, but he acted as if he wasn't Emperor Hàm Nghi and refused to recognize so. Then, Lieutenant Bonnefoy transferred Tôn Thất Đàm's letter to Hàm Nghi, but Hàm Nghi threw the letter under the table and acted as if it had nothing to do with him. When Nguyễn Hữu Viết, admiral of Thanh Thủy, was being brought to him to recognize the emperor, Hàm Nghi also pretended not to know him. But then, when Nguyễn Nhuận, his former teacher, went to see him, he happened to stand up and immediately bowed his teacher. Only then was the French assured that it was Hàm Nghi. From Thuận Bài, they brought Hàm Nghi through Bố Trạch and Đồng Hới before heading to the Thuận An estuary. They finally arrived at the port on November 22. At that time, the Huế court had learned of Hàm Nghi's arrest. Emperor Đồng Khánh, installed by the French, sent officials from Thừa Thiên and the Ministry of War to welcome him back to Huế. But the French were afraid of people getting agitated seeing the emperor, so they informed the Privy Council that Hàm Nghi was now in an "unusual mood", and that it would be "inconvenient" to return to the capital, and that they needed to send him to recuperate elsewhere for a while. In spite of this, the French had drawn up a plan to exile him to Algeria. On the day before he was sent aboard a ship, Resident-Superior Pierre Paul Rheinart then informed him that the Queen Mother was seriously ill, and if the king wanted to visit her, he would bring her back to meet him. Hearing this, King Ham Nghi replied: "I am already imprisoned, my country has been lost, how can I dare to think about my parents and siblings anymore?". Hàm Nghi was exiled on 12 December 1888 to French Algeria, where he arrived on 13 January 1889. He was deposed and were officially titled Duke Ưng Lịch. The Cần Vương movement, however, would still go on for several more years back, many fighting in his name. He was placed under house arrest in El Biar, under the guard of a captain named Vialard. An annual annuity of 25,000 francs was paid to him by the budget of the Ministry of the Colonies.

He married a French woman, Marcelle Laloë, on 4 November 1904. They had three children: Princess Như Mai (1905–1999). Princess Như Lý (or Như Luân) (1908–2005) Prince Minh Đức (1910–1990)

Hàm Nghi died on 14 January 1944 at the age of 72, and was buried in Algiers. During his exile, he had bought the Château de Losse in Thonac, Dordogne, in southwest France. In 1965, Charles de Gaulle proposed to his daughter, Countess de la Besse, to transfer his body to Thonac, where he still lies in a simple grave. In 2002, Vietnam sent a delegation to France to seek permission from Princess Nhu Lý (De la Besse died in 2005, in her 97th year) to move her father's remains to the former Imperial capital of Huế. Her family has so far refused.