Marie-Charles David de Mayréna
Encyclopedia
Marie-Charles David de Mayréna (also known as Charles-Marie David de Mayréna and Marie I, King of Sedang; January 31, 1842 - November 11, 1890), was an eccentric French adventurer who became the self-styled king of the Sedang
of the northern Central Highlands in what is now southern Vietnam
.
De Mayréna was born in Toulon
. He fled Paris for Java
in June 1883, fearing prosecution for embezzlement
. The next year, he was expelled from the Dutch East Indies
. He returned to Paris and organized an arms shipment to Aceh
. While returning to the East Indies, he stopped in Vietnam and started a plantation. In 1888, the King of Siam began claiming territory west of French territory. Anxious, the Governor-General of French Indochina
agreed to a proposal from Mayréna to lead an expedition into the interior in order to negotiate treaties with the local tribespeople.
Once there however, he convinced some tribal chiefs to form a new Kingdom of Sedang
- with himself as king. Mayréna, his supporters and some tribespeople claimed that the tribes were not vassals of the Annamese (Vietnamese) emperor and therefore could form their own kingdom. The Kingdom of Sedang was founded when Mayréna was elected King by the chiefs of the Bahnar
, Rengao, and Sedang tribes in the village of Kon Gung on June 3, 1888. He then assumed the style and title Marie the First, King of Sedang .
King Marie declared Roman Catholicism to be the official tribal religion. However, he did not try to force the conversion of his subjects, most of whom were Muslims; instead, he announced his own adoption of Islam
. He designed a national flag and an honorary insignia—the Order of Marie the First—which he had cast by goldsmiths in Hong Kong.
He also sought to obtain official diplomatic recognition of his kingdom, and offered to cede his kingdom to France in exchange for monopoly rights, and hinted that the Prussians were interested if the French were not. When the French government became understandably chilly, Mayréna approached the English at Hong Kong in 1889. When he was rebuffed there, Mayréna went to Belgium. In 1889, a Belgian financier named Somsy offered arms and money to Mayréna in exchange for mineral rights. Unfortunately, the French Navy blockaded Vietnamese ports to prevent his return, and his arms were seized as contraband at Singapore. Mayréna retired to British Malaya
. There, on November 11, 1890, Marie I died under mysterious circumstances (various reports claim by poisoning, snakebite or as the result of a duel) at Tioman Island
.
The Kingdom of the Sedang was subsequently conquered by the French Republic and her protectorate, Annam
, without the consent of the government or people of Sedang .
French writer and statesman André Malraux
wrote an unpublished novel about Mayréna while Malraux' friend and character in La Condition Humaine, Baron de Clappique, wrote a movie script about him (in Anti-mémoires by Malraux).
Sedang
Sedang may refer to* Sedang people, a people in Vietnam* Kingdom of Sedang, a defunct nineteenth-century kingdom in Indochina...
of the northern Central Highlands in what is now southern 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 –...
.
De Mayréna was born in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. He fled Paris for Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
in June 1883, fearing prosecution for embezzlement
Embezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
. The next year, he was expelled from the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. He returned to Paris and organized an arms shipment to Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
. While returning to the East Indies, he stopped in Vietnam and started a plantation. In 1888, the King of Siam began claiming territory west of French territory. Anxious, the Governor-General of French Indochina
Governor-General of French Indochina
-External links:*...
agreed to a proposal from Mayréna to lead an expedition into the interior in order to negotiate treaties with the local tribespeople.
Once there however, he convinced some tribal chiefs to form a new Kingdom of Sedang
Kingdom of Sedang
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....
- with himself as king. Mayréna, his supporters and some tribespeople claimed that the tribes were not vassals of the Annamese (Vietnamese) emperor and therefore could form their own kingdom. The Kingdom of Sedang was founded when Mayréna was elected King by the chiefs of the Bahnar
Bahnar people
The Bahnar are an ethnic group of Vietnam living primarily in the Central Highland provinces of Gia Lai and Kon Tum, as well as the coastal provinces of Bình Định and Phú Yên...
, Rengao, and Sedang tribes in the village of Kon Gung on June 3, 1888. He then assumed the style and title Marie the First, King of Sedang .
King Marie declared Roman Catholicism to be the official tribal religion. However, he did not try to force the conversion of his subjects, most of whom were Muslims; instead, he announced his own adoption of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. He designed a national flag and an honorary insignia—the Order of Marie the First—which he had cast by goldsmiths in Hong Kong.
He also sought to obtain official diplomatic recognition of his kingdom, and offered to cede his kingdom to France in exchange for monopoly rights, and hinted that the Prussians were interested if the French were not. When the French government became understandably chilly, Mayréna approached the English at Hong Kong in 1889. When he was rebuffed there, Mayréna went to Belgium. In 1889, a Belgian financier named Somsy offered arms and money to Mayréna in exchange for mineral rights. Unfortunately, the French Navy blockaded Vietnamese ports to prevent his return, and his arms were seized as contraband at Singapore. Mayréna retired to British Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
. There, on November 11, 1890, Marie I died under mysterious circumstances (various reports claim by poisoning, snakebite or as the result of a duel) at Tioman Island
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...
.
The Kingdom of the Sedang was subsequently conquered by the French Republic and her protectorate, Annam
Annam (French Colony)
Annam was a French protectorate encompassing the central region of Vietnam. Vietnamese were subsequently referred to as "Annamites." Nationalist writers adopted the word "Vietnam" in the late 1920s. The general public embraced the word "Vietnam" during the revolution of August 1945...
, without the consent of the government or people of Sedang .
French writer and statesman André Malraux
André Malraux
André Malraux DSO was a French adventurer, award-winning author, and statesman. Having traveled extensively in Indochina and China, Malraux was noted especially for his novel entitled La Condition Humaine , which won the Prix Goncourt...
wrote an unpublished novel about Mayréna while Malraux' friend and character in La Condition Humaine, Baron de Clappique, wrote a movie script about him (in Anti-mémoires by Malraux).