Philippe Vannier
Encyclopedia
Philippe Vannier was a French Navy
officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long
of Vietnam
.
. He had served from 1778 in the Royal French Navy
, and had reportedly fought in the American War of Independence.
Philippe Vannier entered the service of Nguyễn Ánh in 1789 following the encouragements of Mgr Pigneau de Béhaine
. In 1790, Nguyễn Ánh gave him the command of one of his ships. In 1792 he was in command of a warship furnished by Jean-Marie Dayot
, and fought at the battle of Qui Nhơn
. In 1800, Philippe Vannier was commander of the Phoenix (Phuong-Phi), the largest ship of Nguyễn Ánh's navy, with 26 guns and 300 men. In April 1801, he again fought in front of the harbour of Qui Nhơn, and was nominated General (Brigadier) of the Navy. The battle opened the way for Nguyễn Ánh's invasion of northern Vietnam.
His second in command was another Frenchman, Renon, from Saint Malo.
After the end of the war in 1802 and the victory of Nguyễn Ánh, Philippe Vannier remained in the service of the Vietnamese king, as a Mandarin
. He married a Vietnamese Christian woman named Madeleine Sel-Dong, with whom he had several children. He served Nguyen under the name Nguyen Van Chan until 1826, but then left Vietnam at the same time as Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau
, soon after the accession of Minh Mạng
to the throne.
Philippe Vannier died in Lorient
on 6 June 1842. His Vietnamese wife died in the same city on 6 April 1878.
One of their grandsons, Emile Vannier, was a Navy officer who participated to the Cochinchina campaign
in 1863–1864, and died in 1885.
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...
officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long
Gia Long
Emperor Gia Long , born Nguyễn Phúc Ánh , was an emperor of Vietnam...
of 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 –...
.
Life
Vannier was born in Britany, in the town of AurayAuray
Auray is a commune located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in France. Inhabitants of Auray are called Alréens.-Geography:The city is surrounded by the communes of Crac'h to the south and west, Brech to the north and Pluneret to the east. It is crossed by the Loch, a small coastal river...
. He had served from 1778 in the Royal 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...
, and had reportedly fought in the American War of Independence.
Philippe Vannier entered the service of Nguyễn Ánh in 1789 following the encouragements of Mgr Pigneau de Béhaine
Pigneau de Behaine
Pierre Joseph Georges Pigneau , commonly known as Pigneau de Béhaine, also Pierre Pigneaux and Bá Đa Lộc , was a French Catholic priest best known for his role in assisting Nguyễn Ánh to establish the Nguyễn Dynasty in Vietnam after the Tây Sơn...
. In 1790, Nguyễn Ánh gave him the command of one of his ships. In 1792 he was in command of a warship furnished by Jean-Marie Dayot
Jean-Marie Dayot
Jean Baptiste Marie Dayot was a French Navy officer and an adventurer who went into the service of Nguyễn Ánh, the future emperor Gia Long of Vietnam....
, and fought at the battle of Qui Nhơn
Qui Nhon
Qui Nhơn , also Quy Nhơn, is a coastal city in Binh Dinh province in central Vietnam. It is composed of 16 wards and five communes with a total of 286 km². Quy Nhon is the capital of Bình Định province. As of 2009 its population was 280,900. Historically, the commercial activities of the city...
. In 1800, Philippe Vannier was commander of the Phoenix (Phuong-Phi), the largest ship of Nguyễn Ánh's navy, with 26 guns and 300 men. In April 1801, he again fought in front of the harbour of Qui Nhơn, and was nominated General (Brigadier) of the Navy. The battle opened the way for Nguyễn Ánh's invasion of northern Vietnam.
His second in command was another Frenchman, Renon, from Saint Malo.
After the end of the war in 1802 and the victory of Nguyễn Ánh, Philippe Vannier remained in the service of the Vietnamese king, as a Mandarin
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
. He married a Vietnamese Christian woman named Madeleine Sel-Dong, with whom he had several children. He served Nguyen under the name Nguyen Van Chan until 1826, but then left Vietnam at the same time as Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau
Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau
Jean-Baptiste Chaigneau was a French Navy soldier and an adventurer who played an important role in Vietnam in the 19th century...
, soon after the accession of Minh Mạng
Minh Mang
Minh Mạng was the second emperor of the Nguyễn Dynasty of Vietnam, reigning from 14 February 1820 until 20 January 1841. He was a younger son of Emperor Gia Long, whose eldest son, Crown Prince Canh, had died in 1801...
to the throne.
Philippe Vannier died in Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
on 6 June 1842. His Vietnamese wife died in the same city on 6 April 1878.
One of their grandsons, Emile Vannier, was a Navy officer who participated to the Cochinchina campaign
Cochinchina Campaign
The Cochinchina campaign , fought between the French and the Spanish on the one side and the Vietnamese on the other, began as a limited punitive campaign and ended as a French war of conquest...
in 1863–1864, and died in 1885.