Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau (2 November 1741 in
Origny-en-Thiérache – 9 October 1799, in
Qui Nhơn
Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...
), commonly known as Pigneau de Béhaine (), also Pierre Pigneaux, Bá Đa Lộc ("
Pedro
Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter.
The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, mean ...
"
百 多 祿), Bách Đa Lộc (
伯 多 祿) and Bi Nhu ("Pigneau"
悲 柔), was a French
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
best known for his role in assisting
Nguyễn Ánh
Gia Long ( (''North''), ('' South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh, was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam. His dynasty would rule the unif ...
(later Emperor
Gia Long) to establish the
Nguyễn dynasty in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
after the
Tây Sơn rebellion.
Early life
Pierre Pigneau was born in
Origny-en-Thiérache (later
Aisne, France), where the family of his mother lived. His father's family owned a small estate named Béhaine, in the nearby
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...
of
Marle. Despite the ''
particule'' "de Béhaine" in his name, Pigneau was not of noble extraction, and it seems the ''particule'' first appeared only in the
1787 Treaty of Versailles.
Pigneau de Behaine was trained as a
missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...
and sent abroad by the
Paris Foreign Missions Society
The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...
(''Séminaire des Missions Étrangères''). He left France from the harbour of
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
in December 1765, to work in
southern Vietnam
Southern Vietnam ( vi, Nam Bộ) is one of the three geographical regions of Vietnam, the other two being Northern and Central Vietnam. It includes 2 administrative regions, which in turn are divided into 19 ''First Tier units'', of which 17 ar ...
. He landed in
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
, then a French possession in India, on 21 June 1766.
Pigneau had arrived just prior to the
Burmese capture of
Ayutthaya in
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. After waiting for a few months in the Portuguese colony of
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
, Pigneau travelled on a Chinese ship to reach the small coastal town
Hà Tiên
Hà Tiên is a Provincial city in Kiên Giang Province, Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Its area is and the population as of 2019 is 81,576. The city borders Cambodia to the west. Hà Tiên is a tourist site of the region thanks to its beaches and l ...
in
Cochinchina
Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...
(Southern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
) near the Cambodian border, set up by missionaries who had been displaced by the Burmese. He arrived there in March 1767.
Superior of the College General (1767–1774)
In Ha Tien, Pigneau worked as head of the
Seminary of the Holy Angels, the seminary established in Asia by the Paris Foreign Missions Society, which had relocated from
Ayutthaya in
Siam
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
following the 1765
Burmese invasion, with approximately forty students of
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
,
Siamese, and
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
extraction.
In 1768, the missionaries were jailed for three months when Siamese authorities complained to the local ruler
Mạc Thiên Tứ
Mạc Thiên Tứ ( vi-hantu, 鄚天賜, , km, ម៉ាក់ ធានទឺ, 1700–1780), also known as Mạc Thiên Tích () or Mạc Tông (, km, ម៉ាក់ តុង), was a Vietnamese leader who ruled Hà Tiên from 1736 to 17 ...
that the school had afforded shelter to a fugitive Siamese prince. Pigneau was put into a
cangue, a wooden and iron frame fastened around his limbs weighing eight pounds. He ignored family requests to return to France, saying that his missionary work was more important than a comfortable life. In 1769, the school was attacked by Chinese and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
n
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
s, who massacred some of the students and burnt down the establishment...
[Mantienne, p.53] Pigneau was forced to flee in December 1769 with the survivors to
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
, then a French territory, after a long sea journey through
Malacca. The College was established a few miles from Pondicherry, in
Virampatnam.
While in Pondicherry, Pigneau continued mastering Chinese and Vietnamese languages until he was fully conversant with both.
In 1773, he compiled a Vietnamese-Latin dictionary with the help of eight southern Vietnamese,
[Mantiennne, p.67] following in the footsteps of
Alexandre de Rhodes
Alexandre de Rhodes (15 March 1593 – 5 November 1660) was an Avignonese Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who had a lasting impact on Christianity in Vietnam. He wrote the '' Dictionarium Annamiticum Lusitanum et Latinum'', the first triling ...
. His work, ''
Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum'', would be published in 1838 by Mgr
Jean-Louis Taberd
Jean-Louis Taberd (1794–1840) was a French missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, and titular bishop of Isauropolis, ''in partibus infidelium''.
Career
Born in Saint-Étienne, Jean-Louis Taberd was ordained priest in Lyon in 1817. ...
.
[Manteigne, p.67]
Pigneau de Behaine was appointed
bishop ''in partibus infidelium'' of
Adran in Syria, and
Apostolic Vicar
Apostolic may refer to:
The Apostles
An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission:
*The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles
*Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Chur ...
of
Cochinchina
Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...
on 24 September 1771. After his ordination on 24 February 1774 in São Tomé near
Madras, he went to
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
to gather more staff before returning to resume his work in Ha Tien. In Macau, he was able to publish and print a
catechism in Vietnamese (containing an introduction in Chinese, the body of the text in the
Vietnamese alphabet
The Vietnamese alphabet ( vi, chữ Quốc ngữ, lit=script of the National language) is the modern Latin writing script or writing system for Vietnamese. It uses the Latin script based on Romance languages originally developed by Portuguese m ...
, and a translation in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
), and despatched a copy to Rome.
He left Macau on 1 March 1775, and reached Ha Tien later in the month, where he again re-established missionary operations.
In 1775-76, Pigneau attempted to convert the
Stieng people
The Stieng people ( vi, Xtiêng) are an ethnic group of Vietnam and Cambodia. They speak Stieng, a language in the Bahnaric group of the Mon–Khmer languages.
Most Stieng live in Bình Phước Province (81,708 in 2009) of the Southeast
Th ...
, but the missionaries he sent suffered greatly, and either fell ill or returned.
Encounter with Nguyễn Ánh
In 1777, the
Tây Sơn brothers attacked
Saigon and eliminated almost the entire
Nguyễn dynasty, with the fifteen-year-old
Nguyễn Ánh
Gia Long ( (''North''), ('' South''); 8 February 1762 – 3 February 1820), born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (阮福暎) or Nguyễn Ánh, was the founding emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last dynasty of Vietnam. His dynasty would rule the unif ...
managing to escape into the far south. He took refuge at Pigneau's seminary from September to October before both were forced to flee to the island of
Pulo Panjang in the
Gulf of Siam. The move was a political step taken by Pigneau to align himself with Nguyễn Ánh, allowing himself a foray into politics. He became less of a missionary and more of a politician thereafter.
In November 1777, Nguyễn Ánh was able to recapture Saigon, and in 1778 pursued the retreating Tây Sơn as far as
Bình Thuận.
[Mantienne, p.78]
In neighbouring
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
, a pro-Cochinchinese revolt erupted to topple the pro-Siam king
Ang Non
Batom Reachea ( km, បទុមរាជា, born Ang Non ( km, អង្គនន់); 1616–1642) was King of Cambodia from 1640 to 1642.
Ang Non was the eldest son of the ''uprayorach'' ( ឧភយោរាជ, "Great Joint King") Outey. ...
. In 1780, Cochinchinese troops intervened, and Pigneau helped them procure weapons from the Portuguese. The Bishop attracted accusations by the Portuguese of manufacturing weapons for the Cochinchinese, especially
grenades, a new weapon for Southeast Asia.
Pigneau de Behaine also organized the supply of three Portuguese warships for Nguyễn Ánh.
In his activities, Pigneau was supported by a French adventurer, Manuel.
[Mantienne, p.81]
In 1782, the Tây Sơn led a new offensive to the South. Manuel died in his command of a warship in the Saigon river against Tây Sơn troops.
The defeat, with its battle plan deemed faulty, towers high in the list of setbacks suffered. Nguyễn Ánh was forced to retreat to the island of
Phú Quốc
Phú Quốc () is the largest island in Vietnam. Phú Quốc and nearby islands, along with the distant Thổ Chu Islands, are part of Kiên Giang Province as Phú Quốc City, the island has a total area of and a permanent population of appr ...
. In October 1782, the tide turned again and Nguyễn Ánh and Pigneau returned to Saigon.
In March 1783, the Nguyễn were again defeated, and Nguyễn Ánh and Pigneau once more set sail for Phú Quốc. Sanctuary was at once both fleeting and illusory. They had to escape again when their hideout was discovered, being chased from island to island until they reached Siam. Pigneau de Behaine visited the Siamese court in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
in late 1783. Nguyễn Ánh also arrived there in February 1784, where he enlisted an army to accompany him back to Vietnam.
[Mantienne, p.84] In January 1785 however the Siamese fleet met with disaster against the Tây Sơn in the Mekong river.
Nguyễn Ánh again took refuge with the Siamese court, and again tried to seek help from the Siamese. Resolving to muster any support he could from Western powers.,
Nguyễn Ánh asked Pigneau to appeal for French aid, and pledged to allow Pigneau to take his son
Prince Cảnh
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
with him. Pigneau in return attempted to obtain assistance from
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
, but the party of
Dominicans he sent was captured by the Tây Sơn.
[Mantienne, p.85] From
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
, he also sent a request for help to the Portuguese Senate in
Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...
, which would ultimately lead to the signature of a Treaty of Alliance between Nguyễn Ánh and the Portuguese on 18 December 1786 in Bangkok.
Embassy to France
The party reached
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
in February 1785. The French administration in Pondicherry, led by the interim Governor
Coutenceau des Algrains, successor of
Bussy, seconded by Captain
d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux () (8 November 1737 – 21 July 1793) was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while ...
, was resolutely opposed to intervening in southern Vietnam, stating that it was not in the national interest. In July 1786, Pigneau was allowed to travel back to France to ask the royal court directly for assistance. News of his activities reached Rome where he was denounced by the Spanish Franciscans. Pigneau at that point offered Prince Cảnh and his political mandate to the Portuguese. They left Pondicherry for France in July 1786. which they reached in February 1787.
Arriving in February 1787 with the child prince Canh at the court of
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
, Pigneau had difficulty in gathering support for a French expedition to install Nguyễn Ánh on the throne. This was due to the poor financial state of the country prior to the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
. Pigneau was helped by
Pierre Poivre
Pierre Poivre (23 August 1719 – 6 January 1786) was an 18th-century horticulturist and botanist. He was born in Lyon, France.
He was a missionary to East Asia, intendant of French colonial islands in the Indian Ocean, and wearer of the cordon ...
who had been involved previously in French interests in Vietnam.
Eventually, he was able to seduce military figures with precise instructions as to the conditions of warfare in Indochina and materiel for the proposed campaign. He explained how France would be able to "dominate the seas of China and of the archipelago." The party met with King
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
, Minister of the Navy
de Castries and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Montmorin on 5 or 6 May 1787. Prince Cảnh created a sensation at the court of Louis XVI, leading the famous hairdresser
Léonard to create a hairstyle in his honour "''au prince de Cochinchine''". His portrait was made in France by
Maupérin, and is now on display at the
Séminaire des Missions Étrangères in Paris. Prince Cảnh dazzled the Court and even played with the son of Louis XVI,
Louis-Joseph, Dauphin of France
Louis Joseph Xavier François (22 October 1781 – 4 June 1789) was Dauphin of France as the second child and first son of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. As son of a king of France, he was a '' fils de France'' ("Child of France"). L ...
, who was about the same age.
By November, his constant pressure had proved effective. On 21 November 1787, the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
was concluded between France and Cochinchina in Nguyễn Ánh's name. Four frigates, 1650 fully equipped French soldiers and 250 Indian
sepoys were promised in return for
Pulo Condore
Pulo may refer to:
Places
* Pulo, Cabuyao, a village in the Philippines
* Pulo do Lobo, a waterfall in Portugal
* Pulo Gadung, a subdistrict in Jakarta, Indonesia
* Pulo Jehat, an island in Malaysia
* Duri Pulo, Gambir, a village in Indonesia
...
and harbour access at Tourane (
Da Nang).
De Fresne was supposed to be the leader of the expedition.
The French government, on the eve of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
, was in dreadful financial trouble, and saw its position weakened even more with the outbreak of civil war in
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
. French enthusiasm for Pigneau's plan was severely dampened. A few days after the treaty was signed, the foreign minister sent instructions on 2 December 1787 to the Governor of Pondicherry
Thomas Conway
Thomas Conway (February 27, 1735 – c. 1800) served as a major general in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became involved with the alleged Conway Cabal with Horatio Gates. He later served with Émigré for ...
, which left the execution of the treaty to his own appreciation of the situation in Asia, stating that he was "free not to accomplish the expedition, or to delay it, according to his own opinion" Louis XVI himself told Pigneau that Conway was appointed Governor of Pondicherry simply to remove him from Europe.
Return to Vietnam
The party left France in December 1787 on board the ''Dryade'', commanded by M. de Kersaint and accompanied by the ''Pandour'', commanded by M. de Préville. They would again disembark in
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
from May 1788 to July 1789. The ''Dryade'' was ordered by Conway to continue to
Poulo Condor to meet with Nguyễn Ánh and deliver him 1,000 muskets bought in France and Father
Paul Nghi, a Cochinchinese missionary devotee of Mgr Pigneau.
However, Pigneau found the governor of Pondicherry unwilling to further fulfill the agreement. Although the Royal Council had already decided in October 1788 to endorse Conway, Pigneau was not informed until April. Pigneau was forced to use funds raised in France and enlist French volunteers. Of this duplicity, he defiantly noted: "I shall make the revolution in Cochinchina alone." He rejected an offer from the English, and raised money from French merchants in the region. Conway finally provided two ships to Pigneau, the ''Méduse'', commanded by
François Étienne de Rosily-Mesros,
and another frigate. Pigneau used the raised funds to equip two more ships with weapons and ammunition, which he named the ''Long'' ("''Dragon''"), commanded by
Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau, and the ''Phụng'' ("''Phoenix''"), commanded by
Philippe Vannier
Philippe Vannier (Vietnamese name: Nguyễn Văn Chấn / 阮 文 震, 1762–1842)Tran and Reid, p.206 was a French Navy officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long of Vietnam.
Life
Vann ...
, and enticed volunteers and deserters to man the vessels.
Jean-Marie Dayot
Jean Baptiste Marie Dayot (Vietnamese name: Nguyễn Văn Trí / 阮 文 智, 1759–1809) was a French Navy officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long of Vietnam.
Originally from a Brittany ...
deserted the ''Pandour'' and was put in charge of supplies, transporting weapons and ammunitions on his ship the ''St. Esprit''. Rosily, who had been commanding the ''Méduse'' deserted with 120 of his men, and was put in charge of recruitments.
[''A History of Vietnam'' by Oscar Chapuis p.178]
Pigneau's expedition left for Vietnam on 19 June 1789 and arrived at
Vũng Tàu
Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is the largest city of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province in southern Vietnam. The city area is , consists of 13 urban wards and one commune of Long Sơn Islet. Vũng Tàu was the capital of the p ...
on 24 July 1789.
The foreign contingent helped to consolidate southern Vietnam and modernized its army, navy and fortifications.
Olivier de Puymanel, a former officer of the ''Dryade'' who has deserted in Poulo Condor, built in 1790 the
Citadel of Saigon
The Citadel of Saigon ( vi, Thành Sài Gòn ) also known as the Citadel of Gia Định ( vi, Thành Gia Định ) was a late 18th-century fortress that stood in Saigon (also known in the 19th century as Gia Định, now Ho Chi Minh City), Viet ...
and in 1793 the Citadel of
Diên Khánh according to the principles of
Vauban. He also instructed Vietnamese troops in the modern use of artillery, and implemented European infantry methods in the Vietnamese army of Nguyễn Phúc Ánh. In 1792, Olivier de Puymanel was commanding an army of 600 men who had been trained with European techniques. Puymanel is said to have trained the 50,000 men of Nguyen's army. French bombs were used at the siege of Qui Nhơn in 1793.
French Navy officers such as
Jean-Marie Dayot
Jean Baptiste Marie Dayot (Vietnamese name: Nguyễn Văn Trí / 阮 文 智, 1759–1809) was a French Navy officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long of Vietnam.
Originally from a Brittany ...
and
Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau were used to drill the navy. By 1792, a large naval fleet was formed, with two European warships and 15 frigates of composite design. In 1792, Dayot attacked the strategically important port of
Qui Nhơn
Quy Nhon ( vi, Quy Nhơn ) is a coastal city in Bình Định province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of . Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2019 its population was 457,400. H ...
, opening the way to the Cochinchinese ships which then defeated the Tây Sơn fleet.
In 1793, Dayot led a raid in which 60 Tây Sơn
galleys were destroyed.
[Mantienne, p.130]
From 1794, Pigneau took part in all campaigns, accompanying Prince Cảnh. He organized the defense of Diên Khánh when it was besieged by a numerically vastly superior Tây Sơn army in 1794.
Death
Heavy fighting raged in Qui Nhơn for control of the fortress until it was captured in 1799. Pigneau died there of
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
on 9 October in the same year, after serving his final years as an advisor and ''de facto'' foreign minister to Nguyễn Ánh. He was buried at Saigon with full military honours. Nguyễn Ánh's funeral oration described him as "the most illustrious foreigner ever to appear at the court of Cochinchina." He was buried on 16 December 1799 in the presence of the crown prince, all mandarins of the court, the royal bodyguard of 12,000 men and 40,000 mourners.
Pigneau de Behaine was the object of several funeral orations on behalf of emperor
Gia Long and his son
Prince Cảnh
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
. In a funeral oration dated 8 December 1799, Gia Long praised Pigneau de Behaine's involvement in the defense of the country, as well as their personal friendship:
Pigneau de Behaine was granted the position ''Thái tử Thái phó'' (太子太傅, "Crown Prince's Tutor") and the noble title ''Bi Nhu Quận công'' (悲柔郡公, lit. "provincial duke ''Bi Nhu''") posthumously. He also received the
posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments ...
''Trung Ý'' (忠懿 lit. "loyalty and kindness") from Gia Long.
['' Đại Nam chính biên liệt truyện'', (Sơ tập, Quyển 28)]
Only a few of Pigneau's men stayed for more than two or three year, disappointed in the lack of a quick fortune. Pigneau himself had wanted a Catholic as ruler of Vietnam. His ambition never materialised with the failure to convert Canh, who predeceased his father Nguyễn Ánh by twenty years in any case.
Pigneau often compromised his religious principles when they came into conflict with political and diplomatic imperatives. He had initially taught Canh to refuse to engage in ancestor worship, something that greatly shocked and angered Nguyễn Ánh. He later changed his mind on the papal ban and proposed to consider
ancestor worship
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...
as a civil ceremony, a simple manifestation of respect for the dead. He cited the apostles as being tolerant of local customs as his justification.
In 1983, the tomb of Pigneau de Behaine was dismantled by the Vietnamese government, and the area was replaced by a park. His remains were cremated and sent to France where they are now housed in the
Paris Foreign Missions Society
The Society of Foreign Missions of Paris (french: Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris, short M.E.P.) is a Roman Catholic missionary organization. It is not a religious institute, but an organization of secular priests and lay persons de ...
.
[Mantienne, p.229]
Works
* ''Dictionarium Anamitico-Latinum'', 1772.
See also
*
France–Vietnam relations
Notes
References
*
*
* Daughton, James P. 2006). ''Recasting Pigneau de Behaine: Missionaries and the Politics of French Colonial History, 1894–1914'', pp. 290–322 in Nhung Tuyet Tran and Reid, Anthony J.S. ''Viêt Nam Borderless Histories'', The University of Wisconsin Press, 2006, ix + 386 pp.
*
*
*''Les Missions Etrangères. Trois siecles et demi d'histoire et d'aventure en Asie'' Editions Perrin, 2008,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pigneau, de Behaine
Thiérache
1741 births
1799 deaths
French Roman Catholic missionaries
Roman Catholic missionaries in Vietnam
Paris Foreign Missions Society missionaries
French expatriates in Vietnam
People from Aisne
Mandarins of the Nguyễn lords