Domain of the Crown
Domain of the Crown | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Collection of autonomous territories of the State of Vietnam (a part of French Indochina until 1954) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1950–1955 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Domain of the Crown, coloured yellow, within French Indochina before 1954 (note the modern provincial names and boundaries). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Capital | Đà Lạt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Area transferred | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• 1954 | Crown domains in Bắc phần ceded to North Vietnam | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Type | Autonomous administrative divisions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Emperor | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• 1950–1955 | Bảo Đại | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Autonomy granted | 15 April 1950 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 March – 7 May 1954 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 July 1954[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Disestablished | 11 March 1955 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subdivisions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
• Type | Autonomous territories, provinces, districts, communes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Today part of | Vietnam |
The Domain of the Crown (Vietnamese: Hoàng triều Cương thổ; Chữ Hán: 皇朝疆土; French: Domaine de la Couronne; Modern Vietnamese: Đất của vua) was originally the Nguyễn dynasty's geopolitical concept for its protectorates and principalities where the ethnic Kinh did not make up the majority, later it became a type of administrative unit of the State of Vietnam.[1] It was officially established on 15 April 1950.[1] In the areas of the Domain of the Crown, the Chief of State Bảo Đại was still officially (and legally) titled as the "Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty".[2]
The Domain of the Crown was established to preserve French interests in French Indochina and to limit Vietnamese immigration into predominantly minority areas, halting Vietnamese influence in these regions while preserving the influences of both French colonists and indigenous rulers.
After the
Background
During the Nguyễn dynasty period (1802–1945) ethnic minorities retained a level of autonomy and their tribal societies and principalities were a part of what was considered to be the "Domain of the Crown" as an informal division.[1][4]
This Domain included the Montagnard territories of Central Vietnam. The Champa Kingdom and the Chams in the lowlands of Central Vietnam were traditional suzerains whom the Montagnards in the highlands acknowledged as their lords, while autonomy was held by the Montagnards.[5] After 1945, concept of "Nam tiến" (the southward expansion of Vietnam) was celebrated by Vietnamese scholars.[6] The Pays Montagnard du Sud-Indochinois (or "Montagnard country of South Indochina") was the name of the Central Highlands from 1946 under French Indochina.[7] Up until French rule, the Central Highlands was almost never entered by the Vietnamese since they viewed it as a savage (Mọi) populated area with fierce animals like tigers, "poisoned water" and "evil malevolent spirits." The Vietnamese expressed interest in the land after the French transformed it into a profitable plantation area to grow crops on,[8] in addition to the natural resources from the forests, minerals and rich earth and realisation of its crucial geographical importance.[9]
Furthermore, the Domain would include areas in Northern Vietnam populated by various ethnic minorities, primarily Tai peoples. Even though the upland Tai had stronger ethnic and cultural ties to Laos, Sip Song Chau Tai was incorporated into the French protectorate of Tonkin—and therefore French Indochina—after the year 1888. This was arranged by the French explorer and colonial representative Auguste Pavie who signed a treaty with Đèo Văn Trị, the White Tai lord of Muang Lay (Lai Châu) on 7 April 1889.[10] Thereby the Sip Song Chau Tai accepted the French overlordship, while the colonial power promised to respect the positions of the Tai lords and their autonomy in internal affairs.
Following the
History
The Central Highland tribes were conquered by Franco-Vietnamese forces from 1887 to 1902. In order to meet the demand of the rubber market during the
On 30 May 1949, the French delegated the authority to manage the Central Highlands from the
The leader of the Domain of the Crown was entitled the Khâm mạng Hoàng triều and the first Khâm mạng Hoàng triều was Nguyễn Đệ, who was previously general manager for the Chief of State.[14][15] Despite this, all actual decisions regarding the administration of Cao nguyên were made by the Commissioner of Annam (Khâm sứ Trung Kỳ, Resident-Superior of Annam).[14]
According to the agreement between French President Vincent Auriol and the State of Vietnam, after the French ceded control over the Montagnard country of South Indochina to the Vietnamese, the autonomous status of the ethnic minorities would be subject to separate regulations and would continue to fall under special protection (statut particulier) from the French Government.[2][15] Therefore, when promulgating a law, the government of the State of Vietnam must have an agreement from France in order to pass it.[2][15] The crown domains in the central highlands area continued to be administered through a French special delegate and not a representative of the State of Vietnam.[13]
According to a letter written by the French President Vincent Auriol the areas populated by the ethnic minorities should be seen as "the private property of the Emperor of Annam" rather than belonging to the Vietnamese state.[15] According to the book Cựu hoàng Bảo Đại written by Hoàng Trọng Miên the Domain of the Crown was created by Bảo Đại in response to a lament uttered by his mother Empress Dowager Từ Cung, where he stated: "Well, at some point, my mother and daughter will have no land to dwell in this country!".[15] In his own memoires Bảo Đại wrote that the creation of the Domain of the Crown was suggested to him by Léon Pignon in Paris who argued that the lands of ethnic minorities were never directly administered by the imperial court of the Nguyễn dynasty and could be assigned to the Chief of State in order to help the unification of Vietnam.[15] Bảo Đại claimed that he accepted the proposal because he believed that he could help in the ethnic minority tribes in their development and enjoy the serene environment of the territories.[15]
Dụ số 6/QT/TG also specified
On 21 May 1951, Chief of State Bảo Đại issued Quy chế 16 which was written to promulgate the creation of a “special regulation” designed to provide more Montagnard participation in local affairs in these provinces, all the while these regulations reaffirmed the "eminent rights" of the State of Vietnam.[13] Quy chế 16 contained the following regulations related to highland areas of the Domain of the Crown:[2][15]
- The interests of the State of Vietnam should be aligned with interests of the ethnic minorities (Sắc tộc thiểu số).
- Cao nguyên belongs to the Chief of State.
- Montagnards need to participate in development of Cao nguyên.
- The government of the State of Vietnam should respect the tribal system and the culture of the Montagnards.
- The establishment of an economic council for Cao nguyên (Hội đồng Kinh tế).
- The establishment of an Upper Court of Customs for Cao nguyên (Tòa án Phong tục Thượng).
- To guarantee land ownership of the Montagnards.
- To develop the structure of social services in Cao nguyên, such as healthcare and education.
- The establishment of a separate military unit for the Montagnards with priority given to serving in and protecting Cao nguyên.
These regulations were heavily criticised by the Vietnamese for giving too much power to the French, especially after an economic council was established that was heavily influenced by French planters working to preserve their interests.
After enacting Quy chế 16, Bảo Đại and High Commissioner Léon Pignon attended a ceremony in
In the Domain of the Crown all aspects of society were strictly managed.[14] All activities from building houses to the felling trees required a government license to be carried out.[14]
According to records from June 1953 the imperial government of the Domain of the Crown sought to develop the societies of the ethnic minorities into a more modernised state and increase their population through development.[15] While the central government of the State of Vietnam hoped to use the more sparsely populated crown lands to settle people from the overpopulated areas of Central and Northern Vietnam from.[15]
The headquarters of the Chief of State Bảo Đại was situated in a building entitled "Palace I" (Dinh I), this is a palace of 60 hectares created in 1940 using French money and was designed and constructed by Robert Clément Bougery, following its acquisition by Bảo Đại it was renovated.[16]
The effects of this period of history on the Montagnard people was profound.
On 10 August 10, 1954, the special status of the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam was abolished.
On 24 March 1955 a ceremony was held in front of Kontum Administrative Court, with the presence of thousands of ethnic minorities where the Chief of State Bảo Đại read the declaration which formally ended the 4 year and 11-month existence of the Domain of the Crown.[14]
After the end of the abolition of the Crown, Ngô Đình Diệm enacted new policies that allowed Kinh people to settle in the region and to freely conduct business there.[14] Furthermore, Ngô abolished many specific regulations dating to the French and Nguyễn dynasty period that limited Kinh interests in Cao nguyên.[14]
Provinces
The Domain of the Crown contained the following five provinces which were established from the former Montagnard country of South Indochina:[2][15]
- Đồng Nai Thượng
- Lâm Viên
- Pleiku
- Darlac
- Kontum
In Bắc Việt,[17] later Bắc phần, it contained the following provinces:[2][15]
- Hòa Bình (Mường Autonomous Territory)
- Phong Thổ (Thái Autonomous Territory)
- Lai Châu(Thái Autonomous Territory)
- Sơn La (Thái Autonomous Territory)
- Lào Kay (Mèo Autonomous Territory)
- Hà Giang (Mèo Autonomous Territory)
- Bắc Kạn (Thổ Autonomous Territory)
- Cao Bằng(Thổ Autonomous Territory)
- Lạng Sơn (Thổ Autonomous Territory)
- Hải Ninh (Nùng Autonomous Territory)
- Móng Cái (Nùng Autonomous Territory)
Note
- ^ Treaty signing date, it took effect 1 day later
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Anh Thái Phượng. Trăm núi ngàn sông: Tập I. Gretna, LA: Đường Việt Hải ngoại, 2003. p. 99 (in Vietnamese).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Lê Đình Chi. Người Thượng Miền Nam Việt Nam. Gardena, California: Văn Mới, 2006. pp. 401–449 (in Vietnamese).
- ^ Royal Woodblocks of Nguyễn Dynasty – World documentary heritage (2021). "Significant collections § FONDS OF THE TÒA ĐẠI BIỂU CHÁNH PHỦ TẠI TRUNG NGUYÊN TRUNG PHẦN OR THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S REPRESENTATIVE IN CENTRAL MIDLANDS". mocban.vn. The National Archives Center No. 4 (State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam). Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ PGS. TS. Lê Trung Hoa (22 October 2004). "Hoàng triều cương thổ nghĩa là gì?" (in Vietnamese). Báo SÀI GÒN GIẢI PHÓNG. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2579-9.
- ^ Zottoli, Brian A. (2011). Conceptualizing Southern Vietnamese History from the 15th to 18th Centuries: Competition along the Coasts from Guangdong to Cambodia (A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in The University of Michigan). p. 5.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2579-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7899-6.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-7899-6.
- ISBN 0-7007-1180-5.
[Pavie] signed with Deo Van Tri .. a Protectorate treaty on 7 April 1889 ... The hereditary leader of the Sip Song Chau Tai was from now on to be referred to in French official documents as the Seigneur de Lai Chau, the Lord of Lai Chau, after the name of the town lying at the heart of his domain.
- ^ OCLC 643945604.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-2579-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Goscha Christopher (2021). "PAYS MONTAGNARDS DU SUD (PMS)". Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). Retrieved 17 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Nguyen Linh (7 August 2020). "Hoàng Triều Cương Thổ Là Gì? Giải Mã Lịch Sử Đà Lạt. 7 Tháng Tám, 2020 Bởi Nguyen Linh Đã có lần bạn nghe đến cụm từ "Hoàng triều Cương thổ" nhưng lại không biết cụm từ này nghĩa là gì? Đừng lo, trong bài viết hôm này Halo Đà Lạt sẽ cùng bạn giải mã một phần của lịch sử Đà Lạt này nhé!" (in Vietnamese). Halo Đà Lạt (halodalat.com.vn). Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t UÔNG THÁI BIỂU (9 October 2020). "Hoàng đế mãn triều và "Hoàng triều Cương thổ"" (in Vietnamese). Nhân Dân (Communist Party of Vietnam). Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ a b c UÔNG THÁI BIỂU (12 October 2020). "Hoàng đế mãn triều và "Hoàng triều Cương thổ"" (in Vietnamese). Nhân Dân (Communist Party of Vietnam). Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Royal Woodblocks of Nguyễn Dynasty - World documentary heritage (2021). "Significant collections § Fonds of the Phủ Thủ hiến Trung Việt or Office of the Governor of Trung Viet". mocban.vn. The National Archives Center No. 4 (State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam). Retrieved 30 March 2021.