生平

1527年，阮潢之父阮淦因不滿於莫登庸的篡位，率後黎朝遺臣逃往哀牢（今寮國）以圖東山再起。阮潢被託付給太傅阮於己照顧。後來阮淦擁立黎莊宗反抗莫朝，阮潢也從軍，在玉山縣斬莫朝將領鄭誌，獲得了黎莊宗的嘉獎。後因軍功，封端郡公（）。

元和十三年（1545年），阮淦死後，由長子阮汪任左丞相、女婿鄭檢任右丞相，同時蔭封阮潢為夏溪侯。不過鄭檢掌握了兵權，最終殺死了阮汪，獨攬朝政。阮潢非常不安，與阮於己一起自稱得病，再不上朝。阮潢為求自保，派人問阮秉謙該怎麼辦。阮秉謙告訴阮潢：「橫山一帶，萬代容身」，建議阮潢在南方建立根據地。阮潢深以為然，透過姐姐阮氏玉寶的關係，要求姐夫鄭檢讓他鎮守順化。正治元年（1558年），鄭檢同意了這個請求，阮潢便借守順化之機在南方重新奠定起阮氏基業，當地人稱之為僊主（）。

雖然阮潢身處順化，但他仍舊向後黎朝朝廷效忠，並派兵協助鄭檢攻打莫朝，並兩次率兵入朝，覲見黎帝。正治十二年（1569年）九月，阮潢入覲黎帝，正治十三年（1570年）正月返回順化，黎帝召還廣南總兵阮伯駉，以阮潢兼領順化廣南二處。嘉泰元年（1573年），黎帝晉封阮潢為太傅，令其向西都繳納貢賦。光興十六年（1593年）四月，黎帝還都東都升龍；五月，阮潢入覲。黎帝晉封中軍都督府左都督掌府事太尉端國公。慎德元年五月，阮潢回到順化，自此阮主不再前往升龍覲見黎帝。弘定五年（1604年），阮潢重劃順化廣南二處行政區劃，分為六府二十二縣。弘定十二年（1611年），阮潢初置富安府，設立同春、綏和二縣。

弘定十四年六月初三日（1613年7月20日），阮潢去世，壽八十八歲，黎帝追贈謹義公（）。阮福源諡為謹義達理顯應昭祐耀靈嘉裕王（）。景興五年四月十二日（1744年5月23日），阮世宗正式稱王，改諡其為肇基垂統欽明恭懿謹義達理顯應昭祐耀靈嘉裕太王（），廟號烈祖（）。

嘉隆五年六月初八日（1806年7月23日），阮世祖阮福映追尊其廟號為太祖（），諡號為肇基垂統欽明恭懿謹義達理顯應昭祐耀靈嘉裕皇帝（），陵為長基陵（）。

阮潢是第一代阮主，為日後的阮朝建立了基礎。並同時也開啟了廣南（大越）和日本的緊密關係，和當時日本戰國時代的大名、江戶幕府第一代征夷大將軍，即日本（1598年至1616年）實際政治領袖德川家康達成貿易等方面的協議。並曾收日本武士船本顯定（彌七郎）為義子。

家庭

妻室

子女

阮潢有10子2女。

Early life

He was the second son of Nguyễn Kim. When his father was assassinated by a Mạc supporter, his brother-in-law Trịnh Kiểm took command of the Lê royalist army. Sometime after his older brother (Nguyễn Uông) died (believed to have been poisoned), Nguyễn Hoàng requested his brother in law, and was appointed to govern the southernmost province of Vietnam. This land was formerly Champa territory which had been conquered by emperor Lê Thánh Tông and at the time was under control of Mạc force. Nguyễn Hoàng defeated the enemy commander Duke Lập and took over the province in 1558. In 1573 he was given the title Grand Master (Thai-pho) by Emperor Le The Ton. Later he was given the title Duke of Mon (Mon Cong).

Rule

In 1592, when Trịnh Tùng laid siege to the Eastern Capital (modern-day Hanoi), Nguyễn Hoàng lend him resources and troops. The Nguyen army joined the Royal (Trịnh) army and helped destroy the remainder of the Mac army. For reasons that are mysterious, when the new Emperor, Lê Kinh Tông, ascended the throne, Nguyễn Hoàng refused to recognize the new sovereign and instead took for himself the new title of Good Prince (Huu Vuong) in 1600. Perhaps an explanation is found in that his nephew Trịnh Tùng had been given a similar title just one year earlier: Pacifying Prince (Binh An Vuong). Nguyễn Hoàng had many children (10 sons) but most of them either lost their lives in the battlefields or stayed in the North. His 6th son Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên succeeded him upon his death in 1613. He ruled the south for 55 years.

The reason Trịnh Kiểm appointed Nguyễn Hoàng to the Southern provinces is not clear. As anecdote goes, Trinh Kiểm, being afraid of losing power to Nguyễn brothers, ordered the assassination of Nguyễn Hoàng's older brother. As for Hoang, Trịnh Kiểm wanted to take advantage of Mạc's southern garrison troops to eliminate his brother in law.

Legacy

Nguyễn Hoàng is considered as the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) and Southern Vietnam. In 2013, his 400th anniversary was celebrated in Hue.