The virtuous and noble patriot, Prince Nguyen Vinh San was born on August 19, 1889 as the second child of HIM Emperor Thanh Thai and Queen Nguyen Thi Dinh. Perhaps more than any other member of the Nguyen Imperial Dynasty, Prince Nguyen Vinh San had the best opportunity to save his country from years of war and Communist misrule. He also represents why the Vietnamese Communist Party had such fear for the Nguyen Dynasty and the special place of the Emperor in the hearts of the Vietnamese People.
In 1907 the Emperor Thanh Thai was removed from the Golden Throne of Viet Nam for his opposition to the French colonial presence in his country. When the troublesome patriot monarch out of the way, France hoped that the Prime Minister Truong Nhu Cuong would act as regent, but the loyal Cuong refused, pointed out that France was acting in violation of the treaty they had signed and that he would accept no one but the legitimate son of the Emperor Thanh Thai to ascend the Throne. His loyalty to the Nguyen Dynasty could not be shaken and so France decided to allow the seven-year-old Prince Nguyen Vinh San to become Emperor. On September 5, 1907 he ascended the Throne as Emperor Duy Tan, the "Friend of Reforms". Despite his young age he was soon recognized as having all the special qualities to be a great monarch.
Because of his young age a Regency Council was established to administer the country as the French allowed. Many spies were placed within the Forbidden City to watch the new Emperor and report his activities to the Colonial Administration. However, the young Emperor Duy Tan was more clever than his enemies, recognized what they were trying to do and always escaped them. As he grew older he began to challenge the French for not honoring the 1884 Patenotre agreements. He also became famous for his great virtue, demonstrated by cutting down the spending of the imperial court and lessening the burden on the Vietnamese People. He cut down his own salary to only 6,000 piastres and when the People began suffering from high taxes imposed by the French, he gave half of his allowance to the poor. When the French violated the tomb of HIM Emperor Tu Duc looking for gold he protested to the Colonial government on the matter, but also of the entire French presence in Viet Nam, the disregard for the Imperial Dynasty and the repeated violations of the treaties signed by Viet Nam. He demanded that the government of Viet Nam be returned to the Vietnamese.
Finally, Emperor Duy Tan decided he had no choice but to lead a rebellion against the colonial forces to take back his country. Tran Cao Van and other noted loyal scholars gave aid to the Emperor in this plan. The uprising began on May 4, 1916 when France was in the middle of World War I, but in a sad development the Emperor and his party were betrayed to the French and quickly arrested. The French engineered a trial and all of the patriots were executed by the French at An Hoa. However, the Minister of Instructions, Ho Dac Trung, father in law of the next Emperor, Khai Dinh, refused to allow the execution of Emperor Duy Tan. He persuaded the French that Emperor Duy Tan was too young to be responsible for the rebellion and so the French decided to exile the young Emperor to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
Even during his long and painful years away from his Country, Emperor Duy Tan never gave up his support for liberation and independence of his People and Viet Nam. He was always an honored figure among the public for his brave stand against the colonial regime. Later, in 1945, when the Communist Revolution was engulfing Viet Nam and the people became so divided and war seemed unavoidable, Emperor Duy Tan seemed to be one man who could have saved the situation, defeated the Communists and upheld the Nguyen Imperial Dynasty in a democratic, constitutional monarchy. It was openly discussed that Emperor Duy Tan should return from exile to help save his country from Communist domination. However, in one of the country's greatest disasters, the plane on which Emperor Duy Tan was flying back to Viet Nam mysteriously crashed and the exiled Emperor was killed. The facts of the disaster remain hidden, but many believe the Emperor was murdered by the Communists to prevent him from coming home and defeating the President Ho Chi Minh. On April 4, 1987 the remains of the Great Emperor Duy Tan were returned to the Imperial City at Hue and placed in the tomb of his ancestors. |
