Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Bảo


Nguyễn Phúc Hồng Bảo was a prince of the Nguyễn dynasty, Vietnam.

Early life

He was the eldest son of his Emperor Thiệu Trị, and Đinh Thị Hạnh. In 1843 he was granted the title An Phong Công. Prince Nguyễn Phúc Miên Bửu was appointed as the teacher of Hồng Bảo and his younger brother Hồng Nhậm.
According to Việt Nam sử lược, historian Trần Trọng Kim described Hồng Bảo as "an ignorant man and disliked studying". Thiệu Trị did not like him.

Conflict with Tự Đức

Thiệu Trị died in 1847, and Hồng Nhậm became the new emperor. Four high ministers, Trương Đăng Quế, Võ Văn Giải, Nguyễn Tri Phương and Lâm Duy Hiệp, were appointed as regents. Why Thiệu Trị changed the primogeniture rule of succession is unknown; Western missionaries claimed that Trương Đăng Quế conducted a plot to depose Hồng Bảo, and crowned Hồng Nhậm as the new emperor. Rumors held that Hồng Nhậm was the illegitimate child of Trương Đăng Quế.
Hồng Bảo was deeply resentful; he always regarded himself as the heir presumptive of the former emperor, and hoped to seize the throne. Hồng Bảo tried to seek support from Roman Catholic missionaries; he promised that if he ascended the throne, he would convert to Catholicism, and make Vietnam a Catholic country.
In 1851, Hồng Bảo tried to escape to Singapore, but was arrested. He asked for forgiveness, and was pardoned by Tự Đức. In 1854, he plotted a rebellion against Tự Đức. He was arrested and forced to commit suicide by hanging. He was buried simply without a funeral.

Legacy

Hồng Bảo's four sons, Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Đạo, Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Tự, Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Chuyên and Nguyễn Phúc Ưng Tương, were banished from the royal court, and renamed Đinh Đạo, Đinh Tự, Đinh Chuyên and Đinh Tương respectively, then exiled to Khánh Hòa.
In 1866, Đinh Đạo launched a rebellion against Tự Đức together with Đoàn Hữu Trưng, Đoàn Hữu Ái, Đoàn Tư Trực, Trương Trọng Hòa and Phạm Lương. The rebellion was quickly put down. As a result, Hồng Bảo's four sons were put to death together with their mother Trần Thị Thụy.
In 1898, Hồng Bảo was rehabilitated by Thành Thái posthumously.