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THE NGUYEN DYNASTIES
The Nguyen family had been one of the major families in Vietnamese history, dating back to the days of the hero-king Le Loi. Due to a civil war and the weakness of the later Le Dynasty, the Nguyen and the Trinh (another of the major families) joined together in opposition to the Mac. Nguyen Kim, the leader of this alliance, was assassinated in 1545 by a servant of the Mac. Kim's son-in-law Trinh Khiem, took over the alliance because Kim's sons were too young. In 1558, Nguyen Hoang, the eldest son of Nguyen Kim was given lordship over the southern, newly conquered provinces of Vietnam. He ruled from the city of Hue for the rest of his life and established the dominion of the Nguyen Lords in the southern part of the country. While the Nguyen Lords, like the Trinh, paid homage to the Le King, the reality was they ruled, not the king. Nguyen Hoang and his successors continually expanded their territory by making Kampuchea a protectorate, and by invading Laos, Champa and many small countries in the area. The Nguyen lords styled themselves as lord. This was Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, Nguyen Hoang's son, who started the Nguyen Phuc family name. 200 years later, Nguyen Phuc Khoat was the first ruler of the line who styled himself King (V??ng in Vietnamese), as the Tr?nh Lords began to do so in the North. Nguyen Anh finally united Vietnam for the first time in 300 years. He started a dynasty and styled himself Emperor Gia Long. After Gia Long, other rulers of the dynasty would soon run into problems with Catholic missionaries and, subsequently, the involvement of Europeans in Indochina.
The Emperors Minh Mang, Thieu Tri, Tu Duc and Hiep Hoa, were opposed to French involvement in the country and tried to reduce the growing Catholic community in Vietnam at that time. Their persecution of missionaries was the primary pretext for the French to invade and occupy Indochina. Much like what had occurred in Qing China, there were also numerous incidents involving other nations (European) during the 19th century.
The last Nguyen Emperor to rule with complete independence was Tu Duc. After his death there was a succession crisis which allowed the French to take direct control of the country and eventually gain complete control of the monarchy. All emperors since Dong Khanh were chosen by the French and had only a symbolic position.
The nominal reign of the Nguyen Dynasty firmly came to an end in 1945, when the Communists or Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh staged a revolt, after the Japanese surrender. After receiving a "request" for his resignation, the last emperor, Bao Dai (Viet: Bao Dai), abdicated the throne and handed power over to the government of President Ho Chi Minh; in return, Emperor Bao Dai was then named "Supreme Counselor" to the new government. Bao Dai left shortly afterward since he did not agree with the policies of the Viet Minh and went into exile in Hong Kong.
The French persuaded Bao Dai to return as "Chief of State" of the "State of Vietnam" in 1948. This was set up by France in areas over which it had regained control, while a bloody war with the Viet Minh under Ho Chi Minh continued. However, Bao Dai spent much of his time during that conflict enjoying a good life either at his luxurious home in Dalat (in the Vietnamese Highlands) or in Paris, France. This came to end with the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
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