生平

幼年登基

維新帝是成泰帝的第五子，為才人阮氏定所生。1907年7月29日，成泰帝在未經法國殖民政府的允許之下任命了一些官員。法國派駐的中圻欽使黎曰（Fernand Ernest Lévecque）決定廢黜成泰帝，將成泰帝軟禁在宮中。9月3日，輔政大臣張如岡在殖民政府的授意下，宣佈成泰帝精神病發作，無法管理朝政。9月5日（七月二十八日），年僅8歲的阮福永珊被立為皇帝，改名阮福晃，改年號為維新。尊人府尊正安城公阮福綿𡫯擔任輔政親臣，協辦大學士吏部尚書張如岡、禮部尚書黎貞、戶部尚書兼管都察院左副都御史黃琨、刑部尚書尊室訢、工部尚書兼管兵部事務阮有排五人擔任輔政大臣，一起執掌朝政。

維新六年（1912年），中圻欽使喬治·瑪麗·約瑟夫·馬埃（Georges Marie Joseph Mahé）在越南尋找黃金。他懷疑在天姥寺的福緣塔下面埋藏有黃金，於是派人前去亂挖，又準備派人去嗣德帝的謙陵以及順化皇城裡挖掘。維新帝表示強烈抗議，馬埃不予理會。維新帝便派人去阻止，但遭到馬埃的拒絕，甚至威脅要強行闖入順化皇城。法屬印度支那總督薩羅得知後制止了馬埃的行為，但此次事件卻在十三歲的維新帝的心中留下深刻的傷痛。維新帝閱讀了1884年簽訂的《第二次順化條約》，發現這是個不平等條約。他命令阮有排去找殖民政府重新簽署一個平等條約，但朝廷裡沒有人敢這麼做。

維新八年（1914年），十五歲的維新帝召集了六位輔政大臣，強迫他們去找中圻欽使簽訂一份平等條約。輔政大臣們不敢這麼做，並且都認為他瘋了。後來他們尋求維新帝母親的幫助，才迫使維新帝放棄了這個想法。但維新帝從此開始很討厭這些大臣。與此同時，潘佩珠在維新六年（1912年）成立了越南光復會。

起義失敗退位

維新十年（1916年），法國正在全神貫注於第一次世界大戰，一時無暇他顧。而殖民政府雇傭的越南軍人非常恐懼自己會被送到歐洲戰場上去。越南光復會的成員陳高雲和蔡璠便決定發動起義，推翻法國的殖民統治。當他們得知了維新帝對法國不滿的事之後，收買了皇室的司機范有慶，給維新帝送信，尋求他的支持。4月底，維新帝與陳高雲、蔡璠在後湖秘密見面，表示支持這次政變。將起義的時間定為5月3日凌晨1時；起義者先佔據順化京城、廣南、廣義的重要街道，奪取武器，並協助維新帝暗中逃出順化。然後在放炮為暗號，繼續向南攻取歸仁、沱㶞（峴港）等地，希望得到德國的支持，共同抗擊法國。起義的另一個計劃是攻取順化皇城附近的鎮平臺，維新帝希望將鎮守在那裡的德裔法國人拉到自己陣營來。

然而，一個廣義省的官員事先發現了起義的苗頭，抓獲了一個光復會的低級成員，對他進行拷打，迫使他說出所知的所有密謀內容。機警的中圻欽使也發現越南士兵的家屬正在遷離順化京城。廣南省的一系列不尋常活動也證實了光復會正在醞釀一場政變。殖民政府沒收了越南籍士兵的武器，把他們限制在兵營裡不准活動。這一切，無論是維新帝還是陳高雲、蔡璠都一無所知。

5月2日夜，陳高雲、蔡璠如期發動起義，維新帝也成功逃離了順化皇城。但由於未取得軍隊的支持，政變被殖民政府迅速鎮壓。只有三岐的起義軍成功殺死了一小隊法軍，但隨後便被制服了。

隨後，殖民政府展開大搜捕。5月6日，殖民政府在順化京城以南的一個寺院裡將維新帝、陳高雲、蔡璠等人抓獲。胡得忠將陳高雲、蔡璠、阮光超、尊室提等人斬首。殖民政府本打算將維新帝送回皇城當皇帝，但維新帝不希望繼續充當法國人的傀儡，因此怎麼也不同意。於是，殖民政府擁立奉化公阮福寶嶹為皇帝，並將維新帝送往南圻的聖雅克角（今頭頓），與父親寶嶙（即成泰帝）暫時關押在一起。11月3日，阮福永珊與父親寶嶙一同出發，被放逐到非洲之法國屬地留尼旺島，並於同月20日到達該島。

阮福永珊一家拒絕接受法國給予的任何優待，而在聖但尼市租了一間很小的房子，靠維修收音機為生。後來，他在當地上了法律學校，並學習了外語。他創辦了一些報社，並加入了共濟會。

二次大戰

保大十四年（1939年），第二次世界大戰爆發。保大十五年（1940年），巴黎被納粹德國攻陷，維琪法國政府成立。原法國國防部次長夏爾·戴高樂流亡英國，組織自由法國流亡政府，號召法國人起義反抗納粹的統治。永珊建立了一個組織，反抗維琪法國在留尼旺島的統治。保大十七年（1942年），留尼旺島被自由法國佔領之後，永珊參加了自由法國軍隊，在大型驅逐艦「利奧巴德」號（Léopard）上擔任一名無線電接收員，軍銜為少尉。保大十八年（1943年）升中尉。保大十九年（1944年）升上尉。保大二十年（1945年7月）升少校，9月升中校。

空難逝世

二戰結束後不久，胡志明發動八月革命，在越盟的要求下，保大帝於8月30日退位，阮朝滅亡。由於維新帝頗受越南人民愛戴，戴高樂於12月14日會見他，希望他能夠返國登基、復闢阮朝。12月24日，永珊乘坐Lockheed C-60號軍用飛機歸國。然而途經今中非共和國姆拜基附近上空時，飛機卻失事墜毀，永珊不幸罹難，享年45歲。永珊在臨行前便預感到了自己將會遭遇不測；人們普遍懷疑永珊遭到越盟的暗殺。其遺骸被運往美國安葬。

法國政府得知永珊遇難之後，追授給他和解放勳章，以紀念其在二戰中的功績。因維新帝曾反抗法國的殖民統治，越共對其評價很高，越南各地都有以他名字命名的「維新路」。

1987年，維新帝的遺骸由其子伊夫·克勞德·永珊運回越南，改葬於祖父育德帝的安陵。

家族

妻

子女

Life

Early childhood

Duy Tân (at the time, known by his birth name, Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San) was son of the Thành Thái emperor. Because of his opposition to French rule and his erratic, depraved actions (which some speculate were feigned to shield his opposition from the French) Thành Thái was declared insane and exiled to Vũng Tàu in 1907. The French decided to pass the throne to his son Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San, despite the fact that he was only seven years old. The French hoped that someone so young would be easily influenced and controlled, and thus raised to be pro-French.

Reign 1906–1916

The efforts on the part of the French to raise the prince to support them largely failed. Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San was enthroned with the reign name of Duy Tân, meaning "friend of reform", but in time he proved incapable of living up to this name. As he became older he noticed that, even though he was treated as the emperor, it was the colonial authorities who were actually obeyed. As he became a teenager, Emperor Duy Tân came under the influence of the mandarin Trần Cao Vân, who was very much opposed to the colonial administration. Emperor Duy Tân began to plan a secret rebellion with Trần Cao Vân and others to overthrow the French.

In 1916, while France was preoccupied with fighting World War I, Emperor Duy Tân was smuggled out of the Forbidden City with Trần Cao Vân to call upon the people to rise up against the French. However, the secret was revealed and France immediately sent troops there, and after only a few days, they were betrayed and captured by the French authorities. Because of his age and to avoid a worse situation, Emperor Duy Tân was deposed and exiled instead of being killed. Trần Cao Vân and the rest of the revolutionaries were all beheaded. Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh San was exiled with his father to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

Exile in Reunion Island

Prince Vĩnh San continued to favor national liberation for Vietnam in exile. During World War II he resisted the Vichy Regime until the Liberation of La Réunion, after which he joined the Free French Forces and became a low-ranking naval officer on the French destroyer Léopard, serving as radio officer. He then joined the Free French army as a second lieutenant in December 1942, receiving successive promotions to lieutenant (1943), captain (1944), major (July 1945) and lieutenant-colonel (September 1945).

Plane crash in Central Africa

When France was facing defeat by the Viet Minh, and the regime of Emperor Bảo Đại proved incapable of gaining any public support, French leader Charles de Gaulle talked to Prince Vĩnh San, who was still very popular in the Vietnamese public memory for his patriotism, about returning to Vietnam as emperor. However, he died in a plane crash in Central Africa on his way home to Vietnam in 1945 and the great hopes of many died with him – as a patriotic challenge to Hồ Chí Minh. For his wartime service, the French posthumously awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour and the Officer's Médaille de la Résistance, also appointing him a Companion of the Ordre de la Libération.

Reburial in Vietnam

In 1987, his son, Prince Bảo Vàng, and the royal family of Vietnam accompanied his father's remains, which were removed from Africa and brought home to Vietnam in a traditional ceremony to rest in the tomb of his grandfather, Emperor Dục Đức.

In 2001, Prince Bảo Vang wrote a book titled Duy Tân, Empereur d'Annam 1900–1945 about his father's life.

Most cities in Vietnam have named major streets after him.

Family

• 1st Wife: Mai Thị Vàng (1899-1980)

• 2nd Wife: Marie Anne Viale (b.1890)

　• Armand Viale (b.1919)

• 3rd Wife: Fermande Antier (b.1913)

　• Thérèse (1928-1928)

　• Rita Suzy Georgette Vinh-San (b.1929)

　• Solange (1930-1930)

　• Guy Georges Vinh-San (b.1933)

　• Yves Claude Vinh-San (b.1934)

　• Joseph Roger Vinh-San (b.1938)

　• Ginette (1940–1940)

• 4th Wife: Ernestine Yvette Maillot (b.1924)

　• Andrée Maillot Vinh-San (1945–2011)

Images

File:Nguyễn Hữu Bài.jpg|Nguyễn Hữu Bài, Minister of personnel of Duy Tân court.

File:Duy Tan.jpg|The Emperor Duy Tân on a litter, probably on the occasion of the coronation celebrations, 1907

File:Empereur duy-tham jeune.jpg|Emperor Duy Tan in 1907.