Nguyễn Phúc Chu ( vi-hantu, , 1675 – 1 June 1725) was one of the
Nguyễn lords
The Nguyễn lords (, 主阮; 1558–1777, 1780–1802), also known as the Nguyễn clan (; ), were Nguyễn dynasty's forerunner and a feudal noble clan ruling southern Đại Việt in the Revival Lê dynasty. The Nguyễn lords were membe ...
who ruled southern Vietnam (Đàng Trong) from 1691 to 1725.
[Anh Thư Hà, Hồng Đức Trần ''A Brief Chronology of Vietnam's History'' 2000 Page 163 "Nguyễn Phúc Tăn was previously wrongly referred to as Nguyễn Phúc Trãn6. Lord Nguyễn Phúc Chu (Quốc Chúa) (1691-1725) Nguyễn Phúc Chu was born in 1675. He was the eldest son of Nguyễn Phúc Thái."]
During his time in power, he had to deal with a
Champa
Champa (Cham language, Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ, چمڤا; ; 占城 or 占婆) was a collection of independent Chams, Cham Polity, polities that extended across the coast of what is present-day Central Vietnam, central and southern Vietnam from ...
rebellion and the first major war against the Cambodians. Nguyễn Phúc Chu was the eldest son of
Nguyễn Phúc Trăn. He gained the throne on his father's early death, at just 15 years old. He took for himself the title ''Tong Quan-Cong'' (Duke of Tong).
Early in his reign the Champa ruler of Panduranga (in present-day
Phan Rang,
Ninh Thuận),
Po Sot, began a rebellion against the Nguyễn. The revolt was at first unsuccessful and after the Nguyễn army put down the revolt there was an outbreak of plague in Panduranga. Three years later, a Cham aristocrat, Oknha Dat, obtained the help of General ''A Ban'' (a somewhat mysterious figure).
Together they defeated a Nguyễn military force in 1695. The new Cham king,
Po Saktiray Da Patih (younger brother of Po Sot), made a treaty with Nguyễn Phúc Chu. The result was the Cham rulers in Panduranga were recognised as ''Trấn Vương'' (local lords) for the next 135 years, though they had no authority over Vietnamese living in the area. In 1714, Nguyễn Phúc Chu sent an army into
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
to support
Keo Fa who claimed the throne against
Prea Srey Thomea (see also the article on the
Post-Angkor Period
The post-Angkor period of Cambodia (), also called the Middle period, refers to the historical era from the early 15th century to 1863, the beginning of the French protectorate of Cambodia. As reliable sources (for the 15th and 16th centuries, ...
). The army of
Siam also got involved in the war, the Siamese sided with the Prea Srey Thomea against the Vietnamese (this was during the time of the
Ayutthaya Kings of Siam). The Vietnamese won several battles against the Siamese (including the battle of
Banteay Meas) but shifting fortunes led to the war ending with negotiations rather than military defeat on either side.
Last years
In 1720, near the end of his reign, Nguyễn Phúc Chu, took formal control over the last lands of the Champa. Whether this was a violation of the peace treaty he signed with the Cham 25 years earlier is not known. On 1 June 1725, Nguyễn Phúc Chu died and was succeeded by his second son,
Nguyễn Phúc Trú.
See also
*
Lê dynasty
The Lê dynasty, also known in historiography as the Later Lê dynasty (, chữ Hán: 朝後黎, chữ Nôm: 茹後黎), officially Đại Việt (; Chữ Hán: 大越), was the longest-ruling List of Vietnamese dynasties, Vietnamese dynasty, h ...
*
List of Vietnamese dynasties
Sources
* ''Encyclopedia of Asian History'', Volume 3 (''Nguyen Lords'') 1988. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
* ''The Encyclopedia of Military History'' by R. Ernest Dupuy and Trevor N. Dupuy. Harper & Row (New York).
* ''Vietnam, Trials and Tribulations of a Nation'' by D. R. SarDesai, ppg 33–34, 1988
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen Phuc Chu
Chu
1675 births
1725 deaths
17th-century Vietnamese people
18th-century Vietnamese people