Treaty of Huế (1883)
The Treaty of Huế from 1883 (also known as the Harmand Treaty ) was an unequal treaty between the colonial power of France and the Empire of Vietnam . The treaty came about under military pressure from France after the Battle of Thuận An through a dictation of the French negotiator Jules Harmand . The treaty was not ratified by the French government under Jules Ferry in view of the military involvement in the Sino-French War . After military successes against China, the slightly modified Patenôtre contract was concluded in the following year .
background
After the French conquest with the establishment of the colony of Cochinchina and the conclusion of the Treaty of Saigon in 1862, the French government pursued the goal of breaking the rest of the Ngyuen Empire from its traditional ties to the hegemonic power of China . The government under Jules Ferry decided in March 1883, one month after the formation of the government, to change the previous Modus Vivendi in Indochina through military force. The previous arrangement divided the region into a southern French sphere of influence of the French, while the northern part of the country with the Nguyen dynasty belonged to the Chinese sphere of influence. By sending an expeditionary force to lead the Tonkin campaign, the French sought to induce the military escalation around the imperial court to conclude a contract. At the same time, the military conflict with China escalated in the Sino-French War .
Conclusion of contract
The French naval officer Henri Rivière had occupied the citadel of Hanoi in 1882 with a small unit of marine infantry . In the following year he was killed in skirmishes with the Vietnamese military and Black Flag bandit groups near Hanoi . The French leadership took this as an opportunity for a military escalation and sent an expedition fleet. In the Battle of Thuan An in July 1883, they defeated the coastal fortifications in front of the imperial city of Hue. In view of the military helplessness, the imperial court was forced to agree to the terms of the contract dictated by the diplomat Jules Harmand . These included the transfer of sovereignty over the borders and the military of the Nguyen Empire to France. It also envisaged the annexation of the imperial provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe Anh and Ha Tinh. During the negotiations, Harmand threatened the annihilation of the imperial dynasty in order to emphasize his demands.
consequences
The treaty was not ratified by the French government because it wanted to avoid a two-front war due to the military engagement. After France had given up hegemonic status with regard to Vietnam from China in the Tientsin Agreement , the Treaty of Hue of 1884 was concluded in August 1884, which contained similar conditions except for the annexation of the provinces.