King Kien Phuc’s real name was Nguyen Phuc Ung Dang, the seventh emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnamese history. He ascended the throne on December 2, 1883, and after 8 months on the throne, he passed away. He used the reign name Kien Phuc
Because his uncle – King Tu Duc could not have children, he adopted three nephews: Nguyen Phuc Ung Ai (later King Duc Duc); Ung Ky (later King Dong Khanh); Nguyen Phuc Dang Ung (later King Kien Phuc). Among the three adopted children, King Tu Duc loved Ung Dang the most.
After deposing and killing King Hiep Hoa, two high-ranking officials, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet, gathered all the high-ranking officials and enthroned Ung Dang. He refused, saying: “I am still young, I am afraid I cannot speak about the work.” The two men said: That is the intention of the Precept, now it is the mandate of heaven, please consider the temple and the country as the most important.
In the end, he was forced to accept. On December 2, 1883, the king wore a bamboo-embroidered robe to Can Chinh Palace, bowed and received the golden imperial seal. Because at that time, the nine-dragon crown, yellow robe and large jade were not yet finished, so he did not wear the robe, and after 3 days of enthronement, he still wore the bamboo-embroidered robe, and took the reign name Kien Phuc. At that time, he was only 15 years old, and all matters in the court were decided by the two Regent officials. King Kien Phuc died on June 10 (lunar calendar) of Giap Than year (July 31, 1884), at the age of 15.
There are also some hypotheses as follows: Ton That Thuyet and Nguyen Van Tuong killed King Kien Phuc, enthroned a younger king to make it easier to take full power.
King Thanh Thai (1889-1907), born Nguyen Phuc Buu Lan, was the 10th emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, reigning from 1889 to 1907. Due to his resistance to the French, he, along with Kings Ham Nghi and Duy Tan, were the three patriotic kings in the history of Vietnam during the French colonial period, who were exiled abroad.
As a child, he was the 7th son of King Duc Duc. He ascended the throne on February 2, 1889, Buu Lan ascended the throne at Thai Hoa Palace with the title Thanh Thai, at that time Buu Lan was only 10 years old. Thanh Thai was a young king with many special characteristics. In the early days, although he was already king, because he was still a child, he still liked to play around and be mischievous.
Anti-French spirit: Thanh Thai gradually revealed a very high national spirit. He despised flattering mandarins. During his reign, there were also anti-French movements. King Thanh Thai also secretly established female soldiers to deceive the French. Some documents recorded that the king recruited 4 teams, each with 50 people. After the previous team was trained, he returned home and recruited a new team, when the opportunity arose, they would rise up against the French. However, the matter was eventually exposed when Minister of Personnel Truong Nhu Cuong and the Privy Council informed the French Resident Levécque, after which he was forced to abdicate.
Exile: On September 12, 1907, the Protectorate Government brought Thanh Thai to Saigon, asking to discuss the form of address. Thanh Thai was taken to be placed under house arrest in Bach Dinh, Cap Saint Jacques (present-day Vung Tau). In 1916, he was exiled to Reunion Island with his son, King Duy Tan.
King Thanh Thai had many sons, and should have chosen the eldest son as his successor, but the French feared that a mature king would be difficult to control, so they wanted to choose a younger one. When the French envoy Fernand Ernest Lévecque brought the list of the princes of King Thanh Thai to the palace to choose a king, Vinh San was missing during the roll call. The court sent someone to look for him and found Vinh San hiding under the bed, his face dirty. When questioned, Vinh San said: “I am looking for a cricket that has just escaped.” Fearing punishment, the soldier who went to find Vinh San did not take him to bathe but brought him straight to the French officer. The French saw and agreed immediately because they saw that Vinh San seemed timid and easy to manipulate.
When his father was exiled by the French colonialists, he was put on the throne by the French when he was still a child. However, he gradually asserted his uncooperative attitude towards the French. In 1916, when there was a Great War in Europe, he secretly contacted the leaders of the Vietnam Restoration Association such as Thai Phien and Tran Cao Van to plan an uprising. However, the plan was exposed and Duy Tan was arrested.
The Resident in Hue Charles and the Governor General persuaded King Duy Tan to return to the throne, but he did not agree:
“If you want to force me to be the king of Nam, then consider me as a grown-up king with the right to act freely, especially the right to freely exchange information and opinions with the French government.” The French forced the Hue court to punish him, and King Duy Tan was exiled to La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean with his father King Thanh Thai in 1916.
