| Domain of the Crown | |
|---|---|
| Collection of autonomous territories of theState of Vietnam (a part ofFrench Indochina until 1954) | |
| 1950–1955 | |
.png) The Domain of the Crown, coloured yellow, withinFrench Indochina before 1954 (note the modern provincial names and boundaries). | |
| Capital | Đà Lạt |
| Area transferred | |
| • 1954 | Crown domains inBắc phần ceded toNorth Vietnam |
| Government | |
| • Type | Autonomous administrative divisions |
| Chief of State | |
• 1950–1955 | Bảo Đại |
| Historical era | Cold War |
• Autonomy granted | 15 April 1950 |
| 13 March – 7 May 1954 | |
| 21 July 1954 | |
• Disestablished | 24 March 1955 |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Autonomous territories, provinces, districts, communes |
| Today part of |  Vietnam |
TheDomain of the Crown (Vietnamese:Hoàng triều Cương thổ;Chữ Hán: 皇朝疆土;French:Domaine de la Couronne; Modern Vietnamese:Đất của vua) was originally theNguyễn dynasty's geopolitical concept for its protectorates and principalities where theethnic Kinh did not make up the majority, later it became a type of administrative unit of theState of Vietnam.[1] It was officially established on 15 April 1950.[1] In the areas of the Domain of the Crown, the Chief of StateBảo Đại was still officially (and legally) titled as the "Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty".[2]
The Domain of the Crown was established to preserve French interests in French Indochina and to limit Vietnamese immigration into predominantly minority areas, halting Vietnamese influence in these regions while preserving the influences of both French colonists and indigenous rulers.
After the1954 Geneva Conference, the Domain of the Crown lost considerable amounts of territory, as the entirety ofBắc phần was ceded to theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam, reducing it only toTây Nguyên. On 11 March 1955 Prime MinisterNgô Đình Diệm dissolved the Domain of the Crown (officially 24 March) reducing both the power of the Chief of State Bảo Đại and the French directly annexing these areas into the State of Vietnam as the crown regions still in South Vietnam would later becomeCao nguyên Trung phần in theRepublic of Vietnam.[1][3]
During theNguyễn dynasty period (1802–1945)ethnic minorities retained a level of autonomy and their tribal societies and principalities were a part of what was considered to be the "Domain of the Crown" as an informal division.[1][4]
This Domain included the Montagnard territories of Central Vietnam. TheChampa Kingdom and theChams in the lowlands of Central Vietnam were traditional suzerains whom theMontagnards in the highlands acknowledged as their lords, while autonomy was held by the Montagnards.[5] After 1945, concept of "Nam tiến" (the southward expansion of Vietnam) was celebrated by Vietnamese scholars.[6] ThePays Montagnard du Sud-Indochinois (or "Montagnard country of South Indochina") was the name of the Central Highlands from 1946 underFrench Indochina.[7] Up until French rule, the Central Highlands was almost never entered by the Vietnamese since they viewed it as a savage (Mọi) populated area with fierce animals liketigers, "poisoned water" and "evil malevolent spirits." The Vietnamese expressed interest in the land after the French transformed it into a profitable plantation area to grow crops on,[8] in addition to the natural resources from the forests, minerals and rich earth and realisation of its crucial geographical importance.[9]
Furthermore, the Domain would include areas in Northern Vietnam populated by various ethnic minorities, primarilyTai peoples. Even though the upland Tai had stronger ethnic and cultural ties toLaos,Sip Song Chau Tai was incorporated into theFrench protectorate of Tonkin—and therefore French Indochina—after the year 1888. This was arranged by the French explorer and colonial representativeAuguste Pavie who signed a treaty withĐèo Văn Trị, the White Tai lord of Muang Lay (Lai Châu) on 7 April 1889.[10] Thereby the Sip Song Chau Tai accepted the French overlordship, while the colonial power promised to respect the positions of the Tai lords and their autonomy in internal affairs.
Following theabolition of the Nguyễn dynasty and the subsequentProclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 the French sought to regain the pre-war status quo in French Indochina after thesurrender of Japan and tried reinstalling Bảo Đại.[11] After months of negotiations with French PresidentVincent Auriol, he finally signed theÉlysée Accords on 9 March 1949, which led to the establishment of theState of Vietnam with Bảo Đại as Chief of State.[11] However, the country was still only partially autonomous, with France initially retaining effective control of the army and foreign relations.[11] Bảo Đại himself stated in 1950: "What they call a Bảo Đại solution turned out to be just a French solution... the situation in Indochina is getting worse every day".[11]
_03.jpg)
The Central Highland tribes were conquered by Franco-Vietnamese forces from 1887 to 1902. In order to meet the demand of the rubber market during theFirst World War, under industrial brokerage pressures to open up the Central Highlands, the French colonial government permitted establishment of colonial rubber plantations in 1916. By 1941, 42,000 Kinh and 5,100 French colonists had made the area their residence. There was some serious Montagnard revolts against French colonialists. Colonialism in Central Highlands nevertheless was halted during theSecond World War, when the fascistPetain regime and its Decoux administration of Indochina attempted to boast the native Montagnards' warrior culture and recruit indigenous loyalism, first to reject Vietnamese nationalist claim to the region, second to circumvent indigenous liberation, third to prevent Japanese access. After the Second World War, worries about rising nationalist movements in Cambodia and Vietnam andVietminh potential takeover of the highlands prompted France to negotiate and establish several autonomous entities assigned to indigenous minority peoples to retain direct French control under the camouflage of granting independence.[12]
On 30 May 1949, the French delegated the authority to manage the Central Highlands from theMontagnard country of South Indochina to theProvisional Central Government of Vietnam.[1] Chief of State Bảo Đại separated the Central Highlands from the central government and established a special administrative system called the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam ascrownlands of Bảo Đại throughDụ số 6/QT/TG on 15 April 1950.[1] The Montagnard country of South Indochina was renamed to the "Crown Domain of the Southern Higlander Country" (Domaine de la couronne du pays montagnards du Sud) or PMS.[13] In the crown areas, Bảo Đại held both the titles of "Chief of State" (國長,Quốc trưởng) and "Emperor" (皇帝,Hoàng Đế).[1] In Central Vietnam (Trung phần) the Domain of the Crown was assigned 5 provinces and in Northern Vietnam (Bắc phần) it received 11.[1]
The leader of the Domain of the Crown was entitled theKhâm mạng Hoàng triều and the firstKhâm mạng Hoàng triều wasNguyễn Đệ, who was previously general manager for the Chief of State.[14][15] Despite this, all actual decisions regarding the administration of Cao nguyên were made by theCommissioner of Annam (Khâm sứ Trung Kỳ, Resident-Superior of Annam).[14]
According to the agreement between French PresidentVincent Auriol and the State of Vietnam, after the French ceded control over the Montagnard country of South Indochina to the Vietnamese, the autonomous status of the ethnic minorities would be subject to separate regulations and would continue to fall under special protection (statut particulier) from the French Government.[2][15] Therefore, when promulgating a law, the government of the State of Vietnam must have an agreement from France in order to pass it.[2][15] The crown domains in the central highlands area continued to be administered through a French special delegate and not a representative of the State of Vietnam.[13]
According to a letter written by the French President Vincent Auriol the areas populated by the ethnic minorities should be seen as "theprivate property of the Emperor of Annam" rather than belonging to the Vietnamese state.[15] According to the bookCựu hoàng Bảo Đại written byHoàng Trọng Miên the Domain of the Crown was created by Bảo Đại in response to a lament uttered by his motherEmpress Dowager Từ Cung, where he stated: "Well, at some point, my mother and daughter will have no land to dwell in this country!".[15] In his own memoires Bảo Đại wrote that the creation of the Domain of the Crown was suggested to him byLéon Pignon inParis who argued that the lands of ethnic minorities were never directly administered by the imperial court of the Nguyễn dynasty and could be assigned to the Chief of State in order to help the unification of Vietnam.[15] Bảo Đại claimed that he accepted the proposal because he believed that he could help in the ethnic minority tribes in their development and enjoy the serene environment of the territories.[15]
Dụ số 6/QT/TG also specifiedĐà Lạt as the capital city of the Domain of the Crown.[15] Đà Lạt was created as special resort city and the French hoped to develop it into "a European-style city in the Orient" that would ease the homesickness of the French colonists.[15] Đà Lạt was ambitiously built with many large architectural projects in the hopes of making it the capital city of French Indochina by the 1940s.[15] The return of Bảo Đại made Đà Lạt change its face as the capital city of Domain of the Crown.[15] On 10 November 1950 Bảo Đại issuedDụ số 4/QT-TG which separated the administration of the city from Lâm Viên Province giving it the status of "independent township" (Thành thị xã độc lập) where the mayor would be directly appointed by the Chief of State of Vietnam.[15] Only two mayors were appointed during the Domain of the Crown period, namelyTrần Đình Quế andCao Minh Hiệu.[16] Đà Lạt was also the headquarters of theService de documentation extérieure et de contre-espionnage (SDECE) as well asBritish andAmerican intelligence services such as theCIA during this period and Bảo Đại had to report to the SDECE.[16]
On 21 May 1951, Chief of State Bảo Đại issuedQuy chế 16 which was written to promulgate the creation of a “special regulation” designed to provide more Montagnard participation in local affairs in these provinces, all the while these regulations reaffirmed the "eminent rights" of the State of Vietnam.[13]Quy chế 16 contained the following regulations related to highland areas of the Domain of the Crown:[2][15]
These regulations were heavily criticised by the Vietnamese for giving too much power to the French, especially after an economic council was established that was heavily influenced by French planters working to preserve their interests.[2] Furthermore, the Domain of the Crown was criticised for limitingKinh immigration and maintaining the French colonial structures and administrators, as the French President Vincent Auriol retained a lot of powers in the domain.[2] In the provinces ofKontum,Pleiku, andDarlac the old French colonial administrators remained in power.[2] In fact, in the central highlands theKhâm mạng was ColonelPierre Didelot, the husband ofAgnès Nguyễn Hữu Hào making him the brother-in-law of empress consortNam Phương.[2][15]
After enactingQuy chế 16, Bảo Đại and High Commissioner Léon Pignon attended a ceremony inBuôn Mê Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province, to receive the symbol of the lands of the "Domain of the Crown" and took the oath of the chiefs of the Southern Montagnards.[15] In his book "The Dragon of Vietnam" (Con rồng Việt Nam) written by Bảo Đại as his memoirs, he recorded: "Personally, I am worshiped by them, for the Emperor is the king of the gods who protects their forests and plains".[15]
In the Domain of the Crown all aspects of society were strictly managed.[14] All activities from building houses to the felling trees required a government license to be carried out.[14]
According to records from June 1953 the imperial government of the Domain of the Crown sought to develop the societies of the ethnic minorities into a more modernised state and increase their population through development.[15] While the central government of the State of Vietnam hoped to use the more sparsely populated crown lands to settle people from the overpopulated areas of Central and Northern Vietnam from.[15]
The headquarters of the Chief of State Bảo Đại was situated in a building entitled "Palace I" (Dinh I), this is a palace of 60 hectares created in 1940 using French money and was designed and constructed byRobert Clément Bougery, following its acquisition by Bảo Đại it was renovated.[16]
The effects of this period of history on the Montagnard people was profound.[13] While the central highland Montagnards had to navigate at least one French colonial and two Vietnamese national projects during 9 years of war, this period saw rapid developments in their areas.[13] Both the French colonial authorities and the State of Vietnam promoted efforts to create an educated anti-Việt Minh elite in the central highlands region.[13] During this period hundreds of young Montagnard men from across the region met each other in the classrooms of theCollège Sabbatier in the city ofBan Mê Thuột, Đắk Lắk Province, and these young men studied what became a common upland language, theRade language.[13] The educated Montagnards from this period would accept administrative positions outside of their native tribal areas, which would develop long-lasting and often unprecedented relationships extending across the region, among which marriages across clan were common.[13]
On 10 August 10, 1954, the special status of the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam was abolished.[1] On 11 March 1955 Prime MinisterNgô Đình Diệm signedDụ số 21 formally abolishing the Domain of the Crown as a separate entity altogether.[1] Chief of State Bảo Đại accepted the signedDụ số 21 into law and the leftover areas of the Domain of the Crown were formally annexed intoTrung phần.[1]
On 24 March 1955 a ceremony was held in front ofKontum Administrative Court, with the presence of thousands of ethnic minorities where the Chief of State Bảo Đại read the declaration which formally ended the 4 year and 11-month existence of the Domain of the Crown.[14]
After the end of the abolition of the Crown, Ngô Đình Diệm enacted new policies that allowed Kinh people to settle in the region and to freely conduct business there.[14] Furthermore, Ngô abolished many specific regulations dating to the French and Nguyễn dynasty period that limited Kinh interests in Cao nguyên.[14]
The Domain of the Crown contained the following five provinces which were established from the formerMontagnard country of South Indochina:[2][15]
InBắc Việt,[17] laterBắc phần, it contained the following provinces:[2][15]
[Pavie] signed with Deo Van Tri .. a Protectorate treaty on 7 April 1889 ... The hereditary leader of the Sip Song Chau Tai was from now on to be referred to in French official documents as theSeigneur de Lai Chau, the Lord of Lai Chau, after the name of the town lying at the heart of his domain.
| Domain | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
Nguyễn dynasty topics | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overview |
|   _colour_scheme_-_%25C4%2590%25E1%25BA%25A1i_Nam_(%25E5%25A4%25A7%25E5%258D%2597).svg) | |||||||||||
| History |
| ||||||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||||||
| Military |
| ||||||||||||
| Special administrative regions | |||||||||||||
| Palaces &mausoleums |
| ||||||||||||
| Society &culture | |||||||||||||
| Education | |||||||||||||
| Currency |
| ||||||||||||
| Laws | |||||||||||||
| Treaties | |||||||||||||
| Orders, decorations, and medals | |||||||||||||
| Other topics | |||||||||||||
.svg)
