De Tham

(full name, Hoang Hoa Tham). Born circa 1857; died Feb. 2, 1913. Leader of armed insurrections against the French colonialists in North Vietnam at the turn of the 20th century. Joined the national liberation movement in 1887.

From 1893 to 1913, De Tham headed the peasant movement in En The District of Bac Giang Province, which until 1896 was one of the sections of the can vuong liberation movement. In 1897 the French colonialists, whose attempts to break De Tham’s armed resistance were unsuccessful, concluded a truce with him and agreed to recognize his sovereignty over this separate region. In the beginning of the 20th century, De Tham gave support to the followers of Phan Boi Chau, one of the ideologues of the growing bourgeoisie. At the same time he organized a number of anti-French insurrections. In 1909 the French colonialists, breaking the agreement of 1897, began to attack De Tham’s fortified region. His forces did not receive support from other regions of the country and were defeated. De Tham was forced to go into hiding among the peasantry. In 1913 he was killed by traitors. De Tham is one of the national heroes of the Vietnamese people.