Some Remarks on Kỳ Đồng and the Uprisings Organized by Him in the Late Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The papers examines the role of Kỳ Đồng (Nguyễn Văn Cẩm) and the uprisings he organized together with Mạc Đĩnh Phúc in the late nineteenth century, within the context of the failure of the Cần Vương movement, while anti-French resistance continued to spread among the populace. Kỳ Đồng is portrayed as an exceptional figure who, although rooted in Confucian learning, was also exposed to Western education, and who enjoyed significant popular prestige owing to his intellect and quasi-supernatural image. After returning from Algeria, he and Mạc Đĩnh Phúc established resistance bases and organized large-scale uprisings in Northern Vietnam (1897-1898). Although these uprisings were ultimately suppressed, they demonstrated a broad organizational scope and the participation of diverse social strata. A distinctive feature of the movement was its combination of political objectives with religious elements to mobilize the masses, reflecting the crisis in strategic orientation within the anti-colonial struggle at the end of the nineteenth century and underscoring the enduring influence of Kỳ Đồng.