In the Nguyen dynasty, Ham Nghi was the only king of our country who lived in Africa for many years. According to the book “Nine Kings, Thirteen Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty,” King Ham Nghi lived in Africa for 56 years. King Ham Nghi was the most famous king of the Nguyen dynasty in terms of patriotism. Due to his anti-French ideas, he was captured by the French colonialists and exiled to Algeria from 1888 until his death in 1944.
According to the book “History of Vietnam,” King Ham Nghi was the leader of the Can Vuong movement (helping the king fight the enemy to save the country). After the Can Vuong movement failed, King Ham Nghi was captured by the French colonialists, dethroned, and exiled abroad.
According to the book “Nine Kings, Thirteen Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty,” in 1904, Ham Nghi got engaged to Marcelle Laloe (1884-1974), the daughter of Mr. Laloe – Chief Judge of the Higher Court of Algiers. Their wedding became a cultural event in the capital city of Algiers. King Ham Nghi and his foreign wife Marcelle Laloe had 3 children together, including 2 princesses (Nhu Mai, Nhu Ly) and Prince Minh Duc. Among them, Princess Nhu Mai graduated as an agronomy engineer. Princess Nhu Luan earned a medical doctorate and married Duke François Barthomivat de la Besse.
According to the book “Nine Kings, Thirteen Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty,” during his exile in Algeria, King Ham Nghi became a skilled painter by learning the art of painting. According to the book “Nine Kings, Thirteen Kings of the Nguyen Dynasty,” in 1944, King Ham Nghi passed away in Algeria. His remains were initially buried there and later transferred to a tomb in the Thonac village, within the castle grounds of Princess Nhu Mai in the Dordogne region of France.
Ascending the throne at a young age Ham Nghi, whose real name was Ung Lich, was the fifth child of King Nguyen Phuc Hong Cai and his consort Phan Thi Nhan. The event of Ung Lich being crowned king took place in the context of a turbulent national situation. After the death of King Tu Duc, the prime ministers Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet held full power in dethroning him and replacing him with another king. However, these high-ranking officials were passive in finding a person within the royal family with the same anti-French mindset to ascend the throne. Prior to Ham Nghi’s time, the three kings Dục Đức, Hiệp Hoà, and Kiến Phúc had all gone against the path of the pro-war faction or died young, becoming individuals that could not be excluded from the complicated political situation in the court. King Kiến Phúc passed away suddenly at a time when the momentum was favorable for the pro-war faction within the Hue court. After the king’s death, according to the logical succession order, Nguyen Phuc Ung Ky, the second adopted son of King Tu Duc, should have ascended the throne. However, fearing that having an older king would jeopardize their power, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet chose to select a person with nationalistic spirit who could support their anti-French stance as the new king, and that person was Ung Lich. This person had the qualifications in terms of lineage, and his spirit of nationalism had not been tainted by the wealthy life of the capital. Importantly, he could easily orient the king’s focus towards the great cause of the country. Therefore, the 13-year-old boy Ung Lich was crowned as the 8th emperor of the Nguyen dynasty.
King Ham Nghi lived in Africa for 56 years, specifically in Algeria, from 1888 until his death in 1944. His time in Africa began when he was exiled by French colonialists due to his resistance against their rule.
King Ham Nghi was the leader of the Can Vuong movement, which aimed to help the king fight against foreign enemies to save the country. However, the movement ultimately failed, and King Ham Nghi was captured, dethroned, and exiled by the French colonialists.
In 1904, King Ham Nghi became engaged to Marcelle Laloe, the daughter of the Chief Judge of the Higher Court of Algiers. Their wedding was a cultural event in the Algerian capital city, and they had three children together: Princesses Nhu Mai and Nhu Ly, and Prince Minh Duc.
During his exile, King Ham Nghi learned the art of painting and became a skilled painter. He passed away in Algeria in 1944, and his remains were initially buried there before being transferred to a tomb in the Thonac village, within the castle grounds of his daughter, Princess Nhu Mai, in the Dordogne region of France.
Ung Lich, or Ham Nghi, was chosen to be king due to his strong nationalist spirit and anti-French stance. He had a legitimate claim to the throne through his lineage, and it was believed that he could easily be oriented towards the great cause of the country. The prime ministers, Nguyen Van Tuong and Ton That Thuyet, who held full power at the time, feared that an older king would jeopardize their power, so they chose the young Ung Lich as the new king.
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