Heavenly empire is elsewhere: genesis, conception and execution of the foreign policy of the Nguyễn of Vietnam until the mid-19th century
Author: Qian, Shenghua
Under the direction of: Hélène Blais, Emmanuel Poisson and Hai jian Mao
Université Paris sciences et lettres
Texte français
Keywords: History, Vietnam, Nguyen Dynasty, Tributary system, Modern and contemporary history.
Abstract
Based on the state historiography of the Nguyễn, collections of Vietnamese literati, and documents produced by Vietnam’s neighbours, this thesis analyses the foreign policy of the Nguyễn court, particularly the adaptation and evolution of the Chinese tributary system in Vietnam in the ancient period. It is based on several case studies such as the Nguyễn’s relations with China, Siam, Cambodia and other peninsular countries, but it is not limited to the diplomatic realm. It shows how the interpretations by Nguyễn emperors and literati of many diplomatic events, as well as the compilation of state historiographies, participated in the construction of a typically Vietnamese tributary system. Going beyond the mirage constructed by these interpretations, this thesis aims to show, beyond the rhetorical precepts of Confucianism, the pragmatic use of tributary relations in Vietnamese diplomacy.
