Hàm Nghi

Hàm Nghi, born Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Lịch on August third, eighteen seventy-one, was the eighth emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam. His reign, though brief, was marked by significant historical events that shaped the nation's resistance against colonial rule. Ascending to the throne at the tender age of twelve in eighteen eighty-four, he was supported by regents Nguyễn Văn Tường and Tôn Thất Thuyết.

In the wake of a failed counterattack against French forces in the imperial capital of Huế in eighteen eighty-five, Hàm Nghi was taken away from the capital. It was during this tumultuous period that he issued the Cần Vương edict, a call to arms for scholars and patriots to unite in the fight for Vietnam's independence. This movement, known as Cần Vương, sought to rally the nation against French colonialism and lasted until eighteen eighty-eight, when Hàm Nghi was ultimately captured.

Following his capture, Hàm Nghi was exiled to Algiers, Algeria, where he spent the remainder of his life. He passed away on January fourteenth, nineteen forty-four, due to stomach cancer. Despite his contributions to the resistance, the Nguyễn dynasty did not grant him a temple name, a decision influenced by French pressure. Today, he is remembered alongside Emperors Thành Thái and Duy Tân as a symbol of patriotism during the colonial era.