The symbol of the Baron of An-Phước (安福男) in Hanoi, Tonkin showing a Traditional Chinese seal with a crown symbolising the Ancien Régime French rank of "baron".

During Vietnam's monarchial period, the Vietnamese nobility (tước) were classified into eleven classes, with names similar to their Chinese equivalent. These are listed here from the highest to the lowest, along with their equivalent European titles.[1]

Vietnamese Hán tự European equivalent Remarks
Hoàng Đế 皇帝 Emperor
Đại Vương 大王 King, or Grand Prince
Vương 王 King / Prince: King if as a separate noble title, Governing Prince if he is the son of an Emperor.
Quốc Công 國公 lit. "Duke of the State"
Quận Công 郡公 literally "Prefect Duke"
Công 公 Duke
Hầu 侯 Marquis
Bá 伯 Count
Tử 子 Viscount
Nam 男 Baron
Vinh phong 榮封 no equivalent, roughly Baronet

Terminology

Sovereigns

A postage stamp of the Empire of Vietnam (the Nguyễn dynasty under Japanese rule) using the term "Hoàng-Đế Bảo-Đại".

Sovereign rulers (both Emperors and Kings) in general are referred to in Vietnamese as Vua (君, 𢁨, 𢂜, 𢃊, 𤤰, 𪻟, 𪼀, 󰅫, 󰅻). This term, which can also be interpreted as "Patron", has no equivalent in Chinese languages, but comes from the indigenous Vietnamese vernacular and therefore had to be written in chữ Nôm when used in court documents (which were typically written in chữ Hán, i.e. Văn ngôn).[2]

The Vietnamese monarchs usually carried the titles Vua and Hoàng Đế (皇帝) in parallel, with the former predominating among the general Vietnamese people and the latter at the imperial court.[2]

Lords

Both the Trịnh and Nguyễn lords, who nominally ruled the country from the 16th to the 18th century under the de jure control of the Revival Lê dynasty, used the title Chúa (主, "lord" / "prince"), which is outside of the classical hierarchy of nobility, this title is considered to be higher than Công and lower than Vương.[3]

History

A letter from the Ministry of Rites and Labour to the Resident-Superior of Annam informing him that Léon Sogny will be given the noble title "Baron of An Bình".

The use of noble titles has existed in China since ancient times and the system of nobility used in Vietnam until 1945 dates back to the Zhou dynasty (Châu dynasty).[4] The system of nobility employed by the Later Lê dynasty and later were directly based on the Chinese system used during the Ming dynasty period, this system would remain to be used in Vietnam until 1945 (as the August Revolution overthrew the Nguyễn dynasty), but had actually ceased in China in 1911 due to the Xinhai Revolution.[4]

The noble titles of Vietnam can be divided into two categories:[4] (A) Six titles which exclusively reserved for princes of imperial blood were, in ancient China, these were devolved to kings and tributary princes, as well as twelve other less important titles intended for the descendants of princes of imperial blood, with a reduction of "one degree for each successive generation".[4] And (B) Five titles of nobility reserved for mandarins, regardless of origin (related to the Emperor or of popular origin), to reward merits, and, more particularly, military merits. These were given the five titles of "Công" (公), "Hầu" (侯), "Bá" (伯), "Tử" (子), and "Nam" (男).[4] Noble titles from both category A and B are transmissible to the eldest son of the nobleman, with a decrease of one degree with each successive generation.[4]

After the establishment of protectorates over the Nguyễn dynasty by the French in the form of Annam and Tonkin the terminology used in the table above (as "European equivalent") was used by the French to designate dignitaries endowed with titles of nobility.[4] While no protocol has regulated the matter of these designations, over 50 years of use have definitively enshrined these terms for translating Vietnamese noble titles.[4]

Symbols

Seals and other symbolic objects were also given to people after they received a noble title.[5] For example after Léon Sogny received the title of "Baron of An Bình" (安平男) in the year Bảo Đại 14 (保大拾肆年, 1939) he was also given a golden seal and a Kim Bài (金牌) with his noble title on it. The seal had the seal script inscription An Bình Nam chi ấn (安平男之印).[6]

List of French people who have received a Vietnamese noble title during the French protectorate period

After the French had established two protectorates in Vietnam, and by analogy with what was done for the Mandarins, titles of nobility were awarded by the Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty to high-ranking French colonial officials.[7] These noble titles which, formerly giving certain rights and privileges to the Vietnamese that received them, by the 1930s were reduced to being merely a simple pension, were considered to be purely honorary for the French officers who received them.[7] In fact they would usually just receive a patent and a Kim Bài on which the title was engraved in chữ Hán.[7]

Between the years 1885 and 1936 a total of 22 noble titles were awarded by the Vietnamese Emperor to French people.[7] This group of people include a French minister, an admiral, two generals, nine governors general of Indochina, and nine senior residents of Annam.[7]

List of senior French officials to whom a noble title had been awarded by the Imperial Court of the Nguyễn dynasty between 1885 and 1937:[7]

Name
(Vietnamisation)		Rank in the French administrationNoble title receivedDate of the awarding of noble titleImage of the document affirming nobility
de COURCY
(Cô-xi)		General-in-chiefBao-Ho Quan-VuongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
de CHAMPEAUX
(Sâm-bô)		Chargé d’affairesBao-Ho CongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
(Ba-duy-dam)Vice-Admiral, Chief of StaffBao-Quoc-CongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
WARNET
(Ba-nê)		General Commander-in-Chief of the Tonkin Expeditionary ForceDuc-Quoc-VuongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
(Sanh-bich)Ve-Quoc-CongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
RICHAUD
(Mi-sô)		Governour GeneralPho-Quoc Quan-VuongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
RHEINARD
(Lê-na)		Chargé d’affairesLuong-Quoc Quan-VuongOrdinance of the 10th day, 9th month, 1st year of Hàm Nghi
(17 October 1885)
ROUSSEAU
(Du xô)		Governour GeneralPho Nam VuongOrdinance of the 6th day, 2nd month, 8th year of Thành Thái
(March 19, 1896)
BRIERE
(Bo-ri-ê)		Resident Superior of AnnamHo Nam-CongOrdinance of the 6th day, 2nd month, 8th year of Thành Thái
(March 19, 1896)
DUVILLIER
(Dô-vi-ê)		1st class Vice-Resident, Government CommissionerVe-Vo-HauOrdinance of the 6th day, 2nd month, 8th year of Thành Thái
(March 19, 1896)
BOULLOCHE
(Bô-lô-so)		Senior ResidentTa Quoc VuongOrdinance of the 19th day, 6th month, 11th year of Thành Thái
(July 26, 1899)
BEAU
(Bô)		Governour GeneralPhu Quoc VuongOrdinance of the 24th day, 1st month, 2nd year of Duy Tân
(February 25, 1908)
LEVECQUE
(Le-viet)		Senior Resident of AnnamPhu Quoc CongOrdinance of the 24th day, 1st month, 2nd year of Duy Tân
(February 25, 1908)
LUCE
(Luc-so)		Governour General p. i.Pho-Nam Quan-VuongOrdinance of the 22nd day, 11th month, 5th year Duy Tân
(January 10, 1912)
GROLEAU
(Cô-rô-lô)		Resident Superior of AnnamPho-Nam-CongOrdinance of the 22nd day, 11th month, 5th year Duy Tân
(January 10, 1912)
SESTIER
(Xich-xê)		Senior Resident p. i.Pho-Nam-CongOrdinance of the 22nd day, 11th month, 5th year Duy Tân
(January 10, 1912)
SARRAUT
(Sa-lô)		Governour GeneralPhu-NamOrdinance of the 29th day, 12th month, 5th year Duy Tân
(February 16, 1912)
PASQUIER
(Bac-kê)		Governour GeneralTrach-Nam Quan-VuongOrdinance of the 2nd day, 2nd month, 6th year Bảo Đại
(May 20, 1931)
ROBIN
(Rô-binh)		Governour General p. i.An-Tinh-Cong15th day, 4th month, 8th year Bảo Đại ordinance
(May 9, 1933)
CHÂTEL
(Sa-tiên)		Resident Superior of AnnamNghe-Quoc-Cong15th day, 4th month, 8th year Bảo Đại ordinance
(May 9, 1933)
CHARLES
(Sa-lê)		Honorary Governor GeneralTe-Nam-VuongOrdinance of the 19th day, 3rd month, 9th year Bảo Đại
(May 2, 1934)
GRAFFEUIL
(Co-la-phoi)		Senior ResidentTe-Quoc-CongOrdinance of the 19th day, 3rd month, 11th year Bảo Đại (May 9, 1936)
Léon SognyChief of security of AnnamBaron of An Bình7 May 1939

See also

References

  1. ↑ Danny J. Whitfield: Historical and Cultural Dictionary of Vietnam, Scarecrow Press, 1976, S. 213 (Eintrag Nobility).
  2. 1 2 Alexander Barton Woodside: Vietnam and the Chinese Model: A Comparative Study of Vietnamese and Chinese Government in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century, Harvard University Asia Center, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA 1988, S. 10
  3. ↑ K. W. Taylor: A History of the Vietnamese, Cambridge University Press, 2013, S. 652 (Table 7).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Christophe (17 September 2013). "AP0660-Sogny-Marien - Titre : Hué, 1939 – Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d'An Binh (1). - Notice : Brevet impérial élevant M. Sogny à la dignité nobiliaire de Baron An Binh (Baron de la Paix). "Fait au Palais Kien Trung le 9° jour du 3° mois de la 14° année Bao Dai" (28 avril 1939)" (in French). L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  5. ↑ Christophe (17 September 2013). "AP0670-Sogny-Marien. Titre : Hué, 1939 – Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d'An Binh (13)" (in French). L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  6. ↑ Christophe (17 September 2013). "AP0678-Sogny-Marien. Titre : Hué, 1939 – Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d'An Binh (12)" (in French). L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Christophe (17 September 2013). "AP0663-Sogny-Marien - Titre : Hué, 1939 – Léon Sogny est élevé à la dignité nobiliaire de baron d'An Binh (11)" (in French). L’Association des Amis du Vieux Huế. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

Further reading

  • R. B. Smith (1974). "Politics and Society in Viet-Nam during the Early Nguyen Period (1802–62)". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 106 (2), pp 153–69.
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