Nguyễn Quang Toản

Emperor CÃ¡ÂºÂ£nh ThÃ¡Â»Ânh (), born NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n (; 1783Ã¢ÂÂ1802), was the third and last emperor of the TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n dynasty. He followed his father Quang Trung (NguyÃ¡Â»Ân HuÃ¡Â»Â ruled 1788Ã¢ÂÂ1792) at the age of 9, and reigned for 10 years.

CÃ¡ÂºÂ£nh ThÃ¡Â»Ânh was defeated by the NguyÃ¡Â»Ân dynasty in 1802. He was taken, along with a number of his royalties, officials, and generals, to PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n. There, he was executed by Gia Long, first emperor of the NguyÃ¡Â»Ân dynasty.

Biography

NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n was the eldest son of NguyÃ¡Â»Ân HuÃ¡Â»Â (Emperor Quang Trung). According to ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i Nam chÃÂnh biÃÂªn liÃ¡Â»Ât truyÃ¡Â»Ân, he was born to the Empress Consort PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡m ThÃ¡Â»Â LiÃÂªn. After NguyÃ¡Â»Ân HuÃ¡Â»Â crowned the emperor, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n was designated as Crown Prince. In 1790, ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n received the title An Nam quÃ¡Â»Âc vÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng thÃ¡ÂºÂ¿ tÃ¡Â»Â ("Crown Prince of Annam") from China. The title indicated that his heirship was also recognized by China.

Quang Trung died in 1792. On the deathbed, Quang Trung described NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n as "a clever boy but too young". ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n ascended the throne and changed the Vietnamese era name to "CÃ¡ÂºÂ£nh ThÃ¡Â»Ânh" () in the same year, when he was only nine years old. He granted his stepmother BÃÂ¹i ThÃ¡Â»Â NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n the title Empress dowager. BÃÂ¹i ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TuyÃÂªn was granted the position thÃÂ¡i sÃÂ° ("Grand Preceptor"). BÃÂ¹i ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TuyÃÂªn was favoured by the young emperor, and became the de facto ruler of the country. TuyÃÂªn banished one of important ministers, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n VÃÂn KÃ¡Â»Â· (), from the capital PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n (modern HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¿). His behavior had aroused the anger of many ministers and generals.

In 1793, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c was attacked by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord, thus asking for NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n's help. ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n repulsed the attack, then annexed NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c's territory. NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c died soon after suffering from vomiting blood. NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c's eldest son, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o, was granted the title HiÃ¡ÂºÂ¿u cÃÂ´ng by ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n. BÃÂ¹i ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TrÃ¡Â»Â¥ () and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n () were left in Quy NhÃÂ¡n to watch BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o.

TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n launched a powerful offensive in 1794. Two TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n generals, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ViÃ¡ÂºÂ¿t KÃ¡ÂºÂ¿t () and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n, laid siege to DiÃÂªn KhÃÂ¡nh in 1794, but NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord's forces were able to keep them out. Several months later, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn TÃ¡Â»Â© () were sent to attack DiÃÂªn KhÃÂ¡nh again. However, a coup d'ÃÂ©tat occurred in the next year, forcing DiÃ¡Â»Âu to withdraw. One night, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n was in BÃÂ¹i ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TuyÃÂªn's house. VÃÂ© VÃÂn DÃÂ©ng, PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡m CÃÂ´ng HÃÂ°ng, and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n besieged the house, forcing CÃ¡ÂºÂ£nh ThÃ¡Â»Ânh to hand over TuyÃÂªn. Later, TuyÃÂªn was executed together with BÃÂ¹i ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TrÃ¡Â»Â¥ and his right hand NgÃÂ´ VÃÂn SÃ¡Â»Â. As a niece-in-law of TuyÃÂªn, general TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu was not trusted by the three generals. DiÃ¡Â»Âu quickly marched north and stayed at An CÃ¡Â»Â±u. In the same time, an army under VÃÂ© VÃÂn DÃÂ©ng and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn Danh () also marched there. The young emperor was afraid because a civil war could break out at any moment. Finally, DiÃ¡Â»Âu was reconciled with the three generals.

NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n started to rule the country directly; he appointed TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu, VÃÂ© VÃÂn DÃÂ©ng, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n, and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn Danh (or NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn TÃ¡Â»Â©) as his assistants. This arrangement proved to be unsatisfactory. Not long after, DiÃ¡Â»Âu was removed from military leadership. DiÃ¡Â»Âu was fearful and anxious, from then on, he refused to attend the imperial court.

The power struggle destabilized the regime, which provided NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord an opportunity to launch an offensive attack in 1797. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o occupied Quy NhÃÂ¡n and planned to surrender to NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord. Later on, the rebellion was put down in 1798, however, many ministers were accused of getting involved in the incident, including LÃÂª Trung () and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn HuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n, causing them to get arrested and executed. TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n generals felt themselves imperilled, as they were at odds with the emperor.

In 1799, Quy NhÃÂ¡n was besieged by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh. TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu and VÃÂ© VÃÂn DÃÂ©ng was sent to reinforce, but was ambushed by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân army in ThÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ch TÃÂ¢n. Hearing the news of defeat, governor LÃÂª VÃÂn Thanh () surrendered to NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh. Quy NhÃÂ¡n was captured by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord, and its name was changed to BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh. TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ViÃ¡ÂºÂ¿t KÃ¡ÂºÂ¿t and HÃ¡Â»Â CÃÂ´ng DiÃ¡Â»Âu () spoke evil of TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n ordered DÃÂ©ng to kill DiÃ¡Â»Âu, but DÃÂ©ng showed the letter to TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu, leading TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu to march to PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n. HÃ¡Â»Â CÃÂ´ng DiÃ¡Â»Âu was chosen as a scapegoat; he was arrested and transferred to TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu.

In 1800, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang DiÃ¡Â»Âu and VÃÂ© VÃÂn DÃÂ©ng were sent south to besiege Quy NhÃÂ¡n. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh led a large number of army to reinforce BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh. However, VÃÂµ TÃÂ¡nh, the governor of BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh, suggested that he would pin the main TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n force down there so that NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh could attack their capital PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n. ÃÂnh agreed, and then he marched north.

In this time, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n had to deal with several internal rebellions. HÃÂ CÃÂ´ng ThÃÂ¡i (), a Degar leader, revolted in Thanh HÃÂ³a Province and pledged loyalty to NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord; a Christian-inspired revolt broke out in Tonkin. To make matters worse, Vientiane and Muang Phuan attacked NghÃ¡Â»Â An Province, cooperating with NguyÃ¡Â»Ân forces.

NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n had to ask NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ThiÃ¡ÂºÂ¿p for advice. ThiÃ¡ÂºÂ¿p said it was impossible to deal with current affairs; however, if the capital could be relocated in PhÃÂ°Ã¡Â»Â£ng HoÃÂ ng trung ÃÂÃÂ´ (, in present-day Vinh), the lifetime of the dynasty may be prolonged. ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n vacillated for too long and the opportunity to accept was lost. In 1801, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh's army reached TÃÂ° Dung estuary (present-day ), defeating NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn TrÃ¡Â»Â in Quy SÃÂ¡n Hill. A naval battle broke out in NÃ¡Â»Ân estuary (present-day ThuÃ¡ÂºÂn An estuary); both NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh directed the battle personally. Many Chinese pirates were hired by TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n to fight against NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord. In NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord's side, several Western adventurers joined the battle, including Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau, Philippe Vannier, and Laurent AndrÃÂ© Barisy. Chaigneau described it as the fiercest battle between TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n dynasty and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord. The battle ended with a near annihilation of both TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n navy and Chinese pirates. Three famous pirates, Mo Guanfu, Liang Wengeng (, LÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng VÃÂn Canh), and Fan Wencai ( PhÃÂ n VÃÂn TÃÂ i), were captured by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân lord.

The NguyÃ¡Â»Ân army soon occupied the capital PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n fled to ÃÂÃ¡Â»Âng HÃ¡Â»Âi with a dozen men, then to ThÃÂng Long. In there, he was supported by his brother NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThÃÂ¹y. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n changed the Vietnamese era name to "BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o HÃÂ°ng" (). He made efforts to gain popularity among Northern Vietnamese. In foreign affairs, he sent an envoy to seek aid from the Jiaqing Emperor of Qing China. Meanwhile, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh also sent an envoy, extraditing Mo Guanfu, Liang Wengeng, and Fan Wencai to China. The three pirates confessed that they were supported by TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n dynasty, proving that the TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n dynasty had shielded many Chinese pirates. Before this incident, the Chinese government had captured two pirates, Wang Guili (, VÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng QuÃÂ½ LÃ¡Â»Â£i) and Fan Guangxi (, PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡m Quang HÃ¡Â»Â); in their vessels, the Chinese found two TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n official seals. The irate Jiaqing rejected to help NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n, and deported his envoy.

In 1802, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThÃÂ¹y was sent to attack LÃÂ©y ThÃ¡ÂºÂ§y (in present-day QuÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng BÃÂ¬nh Province). Later, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n led around 30,000 men to march to Linh River (modern Gianh River) to attack NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh. Both of their armies were beaten. ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n fled to NghÃ¡Â»Â An, where he met NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThÃÂ¹y. They fled back to ThÃÂng Long together.

NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh's army marched further north. In June, they captured ThÃÂng Long. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n fled across the NhÃ¡Â»Â River (present day Red River) along with NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThÃÂ¹y, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThiÃ¡Â»Âu (), NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn DÃ¡Â»Â¥ng (), NguyÃ¡Â»Ân VÃÂn TÃ¡Â»Â©, and the Empress dowager BÃÂ¹i ThÃ¡Â»Â NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n. In PhÃÂ°Ã¡Â»Â£ng NhÃÂ£n (LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ng Giang), They were captured alive by local villagers. NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThÃÂ¹y and BÃÂ¹i ThÃ¡Â»Â NhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n committed suicide; the others were transferred to PhÃÂº XuÃÂ¢n and executed by NguyÃ¡Â»Ân ÃÂnh. According to ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i Nam thÃ¡Â»Â±c lÃ¡Â»Â¥c, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n and his three brothers, NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang Duy (), NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang ThiÃ¡Â»Âu, and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân Quang BÃÂ n (), were executed by slow slicing, then their bodies were dismembered by five elephants ().

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