Phan Đình Phùng

Phan Đình Phùng

Phan Đình Phùng (1847 – January 21, 1896) was a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in Vietnam. He was the most prominent of the Confucian court scholars involved in anti-French military campaigns in the 19th century and was cited after his death by 20th-century nationalists as a national hero. He died in 1896 after being captured by the French and taken to Algeria.

About Phan Đình Phùng in brief

Summary Phan Đình PhùngPhan Đình Phùng (1847 – January 21, 1896) was a Vietnamese revolutionary who led rebel armies against French colonial forces in Vietnam. He was the most prominent of the Confucian court scholars involved in anti-French military campaigns in the 19th century and was cited after his death by 20th-century nationalists as a national hero. Born into a family of mandarins from Hà Tĩnh Province, Phan continued his ancestors’ traditions by placing first in the metropolitan imperial examinations in 1877. He quickly rose through the ranks under Emperor Tự Đức of the Nguyễn Dynasty, gaining a reputation for his integrity and uncompromising stance against corruption. Phan was appointed as the Imperial Censor, a position that allowed him to criticise his fellowMandarins and even the emperor. He refused to surrender even after the French had desecrated his ancestral tombs and had arrested and threatened to kill his family. The decade-long campaign eventually wore Phan down, and he died from dysentery as the French surrounded his forces. His report led to the ousting of many officials who were deemed corrupt or incompetent, including the viceroy of the northern region of Vietnam, which led to him being transferred to the Huế court as a member of the censor’s watchdog body. Despite this, the court eventually removed Phan from this post and he went on to become a high-ranking mandarin.

He rose to become the Nguoi Su, or high Nguoy, or Imperial Censor, which allowed him a position in which he could criticise the emperor and other court officials. He died in 1896 after being captured by the French and taken to Algeria. His son, Hàm Nghi, became the first Vietnamese emperor to be deposed and killed in just over a year by the Regent Tôn Thất Thuyỿt, who was deposed in a coup d’etat in 1881. Phon was never known for his scholarly abilities; it was his reputation for principled integrity that led to his quick rise through the. ranks under the reign of Emperor Tây Ĺn. He avoided blaming the unpopular alliance between Vietnamese Catholics and the French on Catholicism itself, stating that the partnership had arisen out of the military and political vulnerabilities of Vietnam’s imperial government. At the time, France had just conquered Vietnam and made it a part of French Indochina. Phan cited Japan as an example of how an Asian country could make rapid military progress given sufficient willpower. He was stripped of his honours and briefly jailed, before being exiled to his home province. This campaign continued for three years until 1888, when the French captured HàM NghI and exiled him to Algeria, and Phan and his military assistant Cao Thᚯng continued their guerrilla campaign.