French assistance to Nguyễn Ánh
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French assistance to Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (commonly known by his
Protection of Nguyễn Ánh
The French first intervened in the dynastic battles of Vietnam in 1777 when 15-year-old Prince Nguyễn Ánh, fleeing from an offensive of the
These events created a strong bond between Nguyễn Ánh and Pigneau de Behaine, who took a role of protector over the young prince. Following this ordeal, Nguyễn Ánh was able to recapture Saigon in November 1777 and the whole of Cochinchina, and took the title of Commander in Chief in 1778.
Intervention in the Cambodian conflict (1780–1781)
In neighbouring
"Bishop Pierre Joseph Georges, of French nationality, has been chosen to deal with certain matters of war"
— J. da Fonceca e Sylva, 1781.[4]
1782-1783-1785 Tây Sơn offensives
The French adventurer Manuel, in the service of Mgr Pigneau, took part in the battles against the 1782 offensive of the Tây Sơn. He fought commanding a warship against the Tây Sơn in the Saigon River, but he blew himself up with his warship rather than surrender to the more numerous Tây Sơn navy.[5] In October 1782, Nguyễn Ánh was able to recapture Saigon, only to be expelled again by the Tây Sơn in March 1783.
In March 1783, the Nguyễn were again defeated, and Nguyễn Ánh and Pigneau fled to the island of
Nguyễn Ánh again took refuge with the Siamese court, and again tried to obtain help from the Siamese.
Treaty of Versailles (1787)
Mgr Pigneau de Behaine arrived in Pondicherry with Prince Cảnh in February 1785.
Arriving in February 1787 with the child prince Canh at the court of
Eventually, he was able to seduce the technicians of military action with his precise instructions as to the conditions of warfare in Indochina and the equipment for the proposed campaign. He explained how France would be able to "dominate the seas of China and of the archipelago." The party met with King
By November, his constant pressure had proved effective. On 21 November 1787, the
The French government, on the eave of the French Revolution, was in tremendous financial trouble,[21] and saw its position weakened following the outbreak of civil war in Holland, theretofore a strategic ally in Asia.[22] These elements strongly dampened its enthusiasm for Pigneau's plan between his arrival and the signature of the Treaty in November.[23] A few days after the treaty was signed, the foreign minister sent instructions on 2 December 1787 to the Governor of Pondicherry Thomas Conway, which left the execution of the treaty to his own appreciation of the situation in Asia, stating that he was "free not to accomplish the expedition, or to delay it, according to his own opinion"[24]
Military assistance (1789–1802)
The party would leave France in December 1787 on board the Dryade,
However, Pigneau found the governor of Pondicherry unwilling to further fulfill the agreement. Although the Royal Council had already decided in October 1788 to endorse Conway, Pigneau was not informed until April. Pigneau was forced to use funds raised in France and enlist French volunteers. Pigneau was unaware of this duplicity. He defiantly noted: "I shall make the revolution in Cochinchina alone." He rejected an offer from the English, and raised money from French merchants in the region.
Conway finally provided two ships to Pigneau, the Méduse, commanded by Rosily,[27] and another frigate to bring Pigneau back to Cochinchina.[28]
Pigneau used the funds he had accumulated to equip two more ships with weapons and ammunition, which he named the Long phi ("Le Dragon"), commanded by Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau, and the Phung phi ("Le Phénix"), commanded by Philippe Vannier, and he hired volunteers and deserters.[27] Jean-Marie Dayot deserted the Pandour and was put in charge of supplies, transporting weapons and ammunitions on his ship the St. Esprit. Rosily, who had been commanding the Méduse deserted with 120 of his men, and was put in charge of recruitments.[27]
Pigneau's expedition left for Vietnam on June 19, 1789, and arrived at Vũng Tàu on 24 July 1789.[27] The forces gathered by Pigneau helped consolidate southern Vietnam and modernized its army, navy and fortifications. At the highest point, the total French military presence in Vietnam seems to have consisted in about 14 officers and about 80 men.[29]
Land forces
In 1791, the French missionary Boisserand demonstrated to Nguyễn Ánh the usage of
In 1792, Olivier de Puymanel was commanding an army of 600 men who had been trained with European techniques.[31] Puymanel is said to have trained the 50,000 men of Nguyen's army.[32] French bombs were used at the siege of Qui Nhơn in 1793.[33]
From 1794, Pigneau himself participated to all the campaigns, accompanying Prince Cảnh. He organized the defense of
French Navy officers such as Jean-Marie Dayot and Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau were used to train the navy. By 1792, a large Navy was built, with two European warships and 15 frigates of composite design.[35]
In 1792, Dayot forced the harbour of
In 1793, Dayot led a raid in which 60 Tây Sơn galleys were destroyed.[36]
In 1799, the Englishman Berry witnessed the departure of the Nguyễn fleet, composed of three sloops of war commanded by French officers, each of them with 300 men, 100 galleys with troops, 40 war junks, 200 smaller ships, and 800 transport boats.[35]
Jean-Marie Dayot also did considerable hydrographic work, making numerous maps of the Vietnamese coast, which were drawn by his talented brother.[37]
Arms trade
Nguyễn Ánh and Mgr Pigneau de Behaine also relied on French officers to obtain weapons and ammunitions throughout Asia through trade.[38]
In 1790,
Barizy, who had entered the service of Nguyễn Ánh in 1793, also sailed to
"Agent and deputy of the king of Cochinchina with the various governors of India, in order to obtain all that he needed".
— Letter by Le Labousse, 24 April 1800.[39]
Death of Pigneau de Behaine (1799)
Pigneau died at the siege of Qui Nhơn in October 1799. Pigneau de Behaine was the object of several funeral orations on behalf of emperor
"(...) Pondering without end the memory of his virtues, I wish to honour him again with my kindness, his Highness Bishop Pierre, former special envoy of the kingdom of France mandated to obtain a sea-based and land-based military assistance sent by decree by warships, him, this eminent personality of the Occident received as a guest of honour at the court of Nam-Viet (...) Although he went to his own country to address a plea for help and rally the opinion in order to obtain military assistance, he was met with adverse conditions midway through his endeavour. At that time, sharing my resentment, he decided to act like the men of old: we rather rallied together and outshone each other in the accomplishment of duty, looking for ways to take advantage of opportunities to launch operations (...) Everyday intervening constantly, many times he marvelously saved the situation with extraordinary plans. Although he was preoccupied with virtue, he did not lack humour. Our agreement was such that we always desired to be together (...) From the beginning to the end, we were but one heart (...)"
The French forces in Vietnam continued the fight without him, until the complete victory of Nguyễn Ánh in 1802.
Qui Nhơn battle (1801)
The Tây Sơn suffered a major naval defeat at Qui Nhơn in February 1801. The French took an active part in the battle.[42] Chaigneau described the battle in a letter to his friend Barizy:
"We have just burnt all the navy of the enemies, so that not even the smallest ship escaped. This was the bloodiest fight the Cochinchinese had ever seen. The enemies fought to the death. Our people behaved in a superior manner. We have many dead and wounded, but this is nothing compared to the advantages the king is receiving. Mr Vannier, Forsanz and myself were there, and came back safely. Before seeing the enemy navy, I used to despise it, but I assure you this was misconceived, they had vessels with 50 to 60 cannons.
— Letter from Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau to Barizy, 2 March 1801.[43]
On June 5, 1801, Nguyen left with his fleet for the north, and ten days later succeeded in capturing Huế.[44] On 20 July 1802, Nguyễn Ánh captured Hanoi and thus completed his reconquest of Vietnam.[45]
Continued French presence in Vietnam
Once Nguyễn Ánh became emperor Gia Long, several Frenchmen remained at the court to become mandarins, such as Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau.[46] Chaigneau received the title of truong co, together with Philippe Vannier, de Forsans and Despiau, meaning second-class second-degree military mandarins, and later received the title of Grand Mandarin once Gia Long became emperor, with personal escorts of 50 soldiers.[47]
Several also married into a Vietnamese Catholic mandarin family, such as Chaigneau, Vannier or
The results of these French efforts at the modernization of Vietnamese forces were attested by John Crawfurd, who visited Huế in 1822:
"In Cochin China a military organization has been established through the example and assistance of the French refugees in the country which has at least a very imposing appearance. The army consists of about forty thousand men uniformely clothed in British broad cloth, officered after the European manner and divided up into battalions under brigades. The park of artillery is numerous and excellent."
— Narrative of the Crawfurd mission....[49]
With the death of Gia Long and the advent of Minh Mạng, relations strained considerably, and French advisors left the country. The last two of them, Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau and Philippe Vannier left Vietnam for France in 1824, together with their Vietnamese families.
Seclusion and persecutions
Only Catholic missionaries, mostly members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, remained in Vietnam, although their activities were soon prohibited and they became persecuted.
In Cochinchina, the
In 1847, French warships under Augustin de Lapierre and Charles Rigault de Genouilly demanded that persecutions cease, and that Da Nang be remitted to them in application of the 1787 Treaty of Versailles. The French sank the Vietnamese fleet in Da Nang in the Bombardment of Đà Nẵng (1847), and negotiation with Emperor Thiệu Trị broke down.[50]
Persecutions of Catholics, combined with French desire for colonial expansion, would trigger ever stronger military interventions from France. The dispatch of an expeditionary force under
See also
Notes
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.77
- ^ Mantienne, p.78
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.81
- ^ Quoted in Mantienne, p.79–80
- ^ Mantienne, p.81–82
- ^ Mantienne, p.83
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.84
- ^ Mantienne, pp.84–85
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.85
- ^ Mantienne, p.87
- ^ Mantienne, p.84, p.200
- ^ Mantienne, p.92
- ^ Mantienne, p.93
- ^ Dragon Ascending by Henry Kamm p.86-87
- ^ Mantienne, p.96
- ^ Viet Nam by Nhung Tuyet Tran, Anthony Reid, p.293
- ^ "He dazzled the Louis XVI court at Versailles with Nguyen Canh, ... dressed in red and gold brocade, to play with the Dauphin, the heir apparent." in The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, and Our Fantasies by Sheridan Prasso, p.40
- ^ "The Dauphin, about his age, played with him." French Policy and Developments in Indochina – Page 27 by Thomas Edson Ennis
- ^ Mantienne, pp.97, 204
- ^ Mantienne, p.97
- ^ Mantienne, p.106
- ^ Mantienne, p.104
- ^ Mantienne, p.103-108
- ^ Mantienne, p.98. Original French: "il était "maître de ne point entreprendre l'opération ou de la retarder, d'après son opinion personnele""
- ^ Mantienne, pp.109–110
- ^ Mantienne, p.110
- ^ a b c d Chapuis, p.178
- ^ "Conway finally provided the frigate Meduse and another vessel to repatriate the mission" in The Roots of French Imperialism in Eastern Asia – Page 14 by John Frank Cady 1967 [1]
- ^ Mantienne, p.152
- ^ McLeod, p.11
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.153
- ^ Colonialism by Melvin Eugene Page, Penny M. Sonnenburg, p.723
- ^ Mantienne, p.132
- ^ Mantienne, p.135
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.129
- ^ a b Mantienne, p.130
- ^ Mantienne, p.156
- ^ a b c d Mantienne, pp.158–159
- ^ Quoted in Mantienne, p.158. Original French:"Agent et député du roi de Cochinchine auprès des différents gouverneurs etc... de l'Inde, pour lui procurer tout ce dont il a besoin"
- ^ Mantienne, pp.219–228
- ^ In Mantienne, p.220. Original French (translated by M.Verdeille from the Vietnamese): "Méditant sans cesse le souvenir de ses vertus, je tiens à honorer à nouveau de mes bontés, sa grandeur l'évèque Pierre, ancien envoyé spécial du royaume de France mandaté pour disposer d'une assistance militaire de terre et de mer dépèchée par décret par navires de guerre, [lui] éminente personnalité d'Occident reçue en hôte d'honneur à la cour du Nam-Viet (...) Bien qu'il fut allé dans son propre pays élever une plainte et rallier l'opinion en vue spécialement de ramener des secours militaires, à mi-chemin de ses démarches survinrent des événements adverses à ses intentions. Alors, partageant mes ressentiments, il prit le parti de faire comme les anciens: plutôt nous retrouver et rivaliser dans l'accomplissement du devoir, en cherchant le moyen de profiter des occasions pour lancer des opérations (...) Intervenant constamment chaque jour, maintes fois il a merveilleusement sauvé la situation par des plans extraordinaires. Tout en étant préoccupe de vertu, il ne manquait pas de mots d'humour. Notre accord était tel que nous avions toujours hâte d'être ensemble (...) Du début a la fin, nous n'avons jamais fait qu'un seul coeur."
- ^ Mantiene, p.130
- ^ Quoted in Mantienne, p.130
- ^ Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810 Murray – Page 47
- ^ Pirates of the South China Coast, 1790–1810 Murray – Page 48
- ^ Tran, p.16
- ^ McLeod, p.20
- ^ Tran and Reid, p.207
- ^ In Alastair Lamb The Mandarin Road to old Huế, p.251, quoted in Mantienne, p.153
- ^ Chapuis, p.194
References
- Chapuis, Oscar (2000). The Last Emperors of Vietnam: from Tu Duc to Bao Dai. ISBN 0-313-31170-6.
- McLeod, Mark W. (1991). The Vietnamese response to French intervention, 1862–1874. Praeger. ISBN 0-275-93562-0.
- Mantienne, Frédéric (1999). Monseigneur Pigneau de Béhaine. Paris: Editions Eglises d'Asie. ISSN 1275-6865.
- Salles, André (2006). Un Mandarin Breton au service du roi de Cochinchine. Les Portes du Large. ISBN 2-914612-01-X.
- Tran, My-Van (2005). A Vietnamese royal exile in Japan: Prince Cường Để (1882–1951). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-29716-8.
- Tran, Nhung Tuyet; Reid, Anthony (2006). Việt Nam: borderless histories. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-21774-4.