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| More Patriots of the Nguyen Dynasty |
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| Emperor Thanh Thai was the son of Emperor Duc Duc, who grew up in very modest surroundings, and was chosen as the ideal successor to the throne after the death of Emperor Dong Khanh. From early on in his reign Emperor Thanh Thai proved to be very intellectual, with a great deal of compassion toward his people, and a growing hostility against the French protectorate over Indochina. He was very in touch with the common people of Vietnam and was known to leave the Forbidden City to go amongst his people to talk to them about the issues and concerns they had at the time. He also began planning a resistance movement against the French. He was captured on his way to take charge of his freedom fighters and was exiled in 1916. |
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| The great Father of the modern nation of Vietnam was the Prince Nguyen Phuc Anh, the last surviving member of the Nguyen Dynasty when the Tay Son rival clan was attempting to wipe the ancient family out completely. Prince Anh survived though, and through great skill and bravery, managed to build an army and lead it to victory over the Tay Son in 1802 when the nation was finally united and Prince Phuc Anh was enthroned as Emperor Gia Long, uniting the north and south. It was Emperor Gia Long who gave the country its name, Viet Nam. He built the capitol at Hue and was a great Confucian scholar who built the foundation of a great country. He rewarded those who helped him and allowed religious freedom but stopped any further encursion. |
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