Nguyen Phuc Chu

Who was Nguyen Phuc Chu?

Nguyễn Phúc Chu was a Vietnamese warlord who ruled the southern provinces of Vietnam from 1691 to 1725.

Phuc Chu was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled southern Vietnam from the city of Phú Xuân. During his time in power, he had to deal with a Champa rebellion and the first major war against the Cambodians. Nguyễn Phúc Chu was the eldest son of Nguyễn Phúc Trăn. He gained the throne on his father's early death, at just 15 years old. He took for himself the title Tong Quan-Cong.

Early in his reign the Champa ruler of Panduranga, Po Sot, began a rebellion against the Nguyễn. The revolt was at first unsuccessful and after the Nguyễn army put down the revolt there was an outbreak of plague in Panduranga. Three years later, a Cham aristocrat, Oknha Dat, obtained the help of General A Ban.

Together they defeated a Nguyễn military force in 1695. The new Champ king, Po Saktiray Da Patih, made a treaty with Nguyễn Phúc Chu. The result was the Cham rulers in Panduranga were recognised as Trấn Vương for the next 135 years, though they had no authority over Vietnamese living in the area. In 1714, Nguyễn Phúc Chu sent an army into Cambodia to support Keo Fa who claimed the throne against Prea Srey Thomea. The army of Siam also got involved in the war, the Siamese sided with the Prea Srey Thomea against the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese won several battles against the Siamese but shifting fortunes led to the war ending with negotiations rather than military defeat on either side.