Kingdom of Sedang
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Sedang was an ephemeral political entity established in the latter part of the 19th century by a French
adventurer Charles-Marie David de Mayréna in part of what is present-day Vietnam
.
Mayréna, a former French government official with a dubious history that allegedly involved embezzlement, was in 1888 the owner of a plantation in French Indochina
. When the King of Siam began claiming territories near those held by the French, Mayréna convinced the nervous colonial administrator to permit him to lead an expedition into the interior in order to negotiate treaties with the local tribespeople.
However, upon his arrival he instead convinced the tribesmen to form a local kingdom under his rule. To justify this he argued that the tribes involved were not subjects or vassals of the emperor of Annam (Vietnam), and hence had a right to independent statehood. The Kingdom of Sedang, as he named it, incorporated the Bahnar, Rengao, and Sedang tribes. Mayréna was elected King by the chiefs of these tribes, established his capital at Kon Gung (also called Pelei Agna, or Great City), and assumed the regnal name and style of Marie the First, King of the Sedang, on 3 June 1888.
He subsequently offered to cede his kingdom to the French Third Republic
in exchange for monopoly trade rights, and hinted that the Prussians
were interested if the French were not. When the French government failed to respond positively, Mayréna approached the British
in Hong Kong
. When he was rebuffed there he travelled to Belgium
, where in 1889 a financier named Somsy offered to provide him with arms and money in exchange for the kingdom's mineral rights. Mayréna's return to Sedang was thwarted by the French Navy
, who blockaded Vietnamese ports, and by the seizure of his arms as contraband at Singapore
.
During his travels to Southeast Asia and Europe Mayréna awarded dozens of titles of nobility, orders of knighthood and assorted medals and paraphernalia to his supporters. He also created a series of postage stamps that are the main tangible legacy of his kingdom.
The Kingdom of Sedang came to an end when King Marie the First - who had earlier become a convert to Islam
and married several local women - died under mysterious circumstances (various reports claim by poisoning, snakebite or as the result of a duel) on November 11, 1890 at Tioman
, Malaya
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
adventurer Charles-Marie David de Mayréna in part of what is present-day Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Mayréna, a former French government official with a dubious history that allegedly involved embezzlement, was in 1888 the owner of a plantation in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. When the King of Siam began claiming territories near those held by the French, Mayréna convinced the nervous colonial administrator to permit him to lead an expedition into the interior in order to negotiate treaties with the local tribespeople.
However, upon his arrival he instead convinced the tribesmen to form a local kingdom under his rule. To justify this he argued that the tribes involved were not subjects or vassals of the emperor of Annam (Vietnam), and hence had a right to independent statehood. The Kingdom of Sedang, as he named it, incorporated the Bahnar, Rengao, and Sedang tribes. Mayréna was elected King by the chiefs of these tribes, established his capital at Kon Gung (also called Pelei Agna, or Great City), and assumed the regnal name and style of Marie the First, King of the Sedang, on 3 June 1888.
He subsequently offered to cede his kingdom to the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
in exchange for monopoly trade rights, and hinted that the Prussians
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
were interested if the French were not. When the French government failed to respond positively, Mayréna approached the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. When he was rebuffed there he travelled to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, where in 1889 a financier named Somsy offered to provide him with arms and money in exchange for the kingdom's mineral rights. Mayréna's return to Sedang was thwarted by the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, who blockaded Vietnamese ports, and by the seizure of his arms as contraband at Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
During his travels to Southeast Asia and Europe Mayréna awarded dozens of titles of nobility, orders of knighthood and assorted medals and paraphernalia to his supporters. He also created a series of postage stamps that are the main tangible legacy of his kingdom.
The Kingdom of Sedang came to an end when King Marie the First - who had earlier become a convert to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and married several local women - died under mysterious circumstances (various reports claim by poisoning, snakebite or as the result of a duel) on November 11, 1890 at Tioman
Tioman Island
Tioman Island is a small island located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang, and is some 39 km long and 12 km wide. It has eight main villages, the largest and most populous being Kampung Tekek in the north...
, Malaya
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
.
External links
- The Imperial Collection - A site documenting the history and stamps issued by Sedang.
- The Kingdom of Sedang - A contemporary Canadian-based Sedang revival group. They have no link to Mayrena's kingdom.