Editing Annam (French protectorate) (section)

== Administration ==
[[File:Expo coloniale 1906.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Postcard of the Annam Tower, built in [[Marseille]] for the 1906 [[Colonial Exhibition]]]]

Annam was ruled in theory by its emperor (from the [[House of Nguyễn Phúc|Nguyễn Phúc family]], which was also the ruling dynasty of the [[Nguyễn lords|previous Vietnamese state]] in the region), assisted by the "''comat''" or secret council. This council was composed of the heads of the [[Six Ministries of the Nguyễn dynasty|six ministerial departments]] nominated by the emperor, namely interior, finance, war, ritual, justice, and public works. Formally the four protectorates of [[French Indochina]] were ruled by their respective monarchs, but in fact the protectorates were all under the close control of the French senior residents.<ref name="Encyclopedia-1914-1918-French-Indochina">{{cite web|url= https://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/indochina|title= Indochina (Version 1.0).|date=11 January 2022|accessdate=17 August 2022|author= Claire Thi Liên Trân|publisher= 1914-1918-online - International Encyclopedie of the First World War ([[Free University of Berlin]], [[Bavarian State Library]], and [[Deutsch-Französische Gymnasium]], among others)|language=en}}</ref> As a [[Governor-General of French Indochina]], [[Pierre Pasquier (colonial administrator)|Pierre Pasquier]], stated: “The King reigns but the Resident superior rules.”<ref>Edwards, Penny: ''Cambodia. The Cultivation of a Nation 1860-1945'', [[Honolulu]] (2007), p. 86.</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia-1914-1918-French-Indochina"/> The effective power in the protectorate was in the hands of the resident-superior with both the monarch and the local high officials playing a subordinate role to his office.<ref name="Encyclopedia-1914-1918-French-Indochina"/>

The Resident Superior, stationed at Huế, was the representative of France and the virtual ruler of the country. He presided over a council (''Conseil de Protectorat'') composed of the chiefs of the French services in Annam, together with two members of the "''comat''"; this body deliberated on questions of taxation affecting the budget of Annam and on local public works. A native governor (''Tong Doc'' or ''Tuan Phu''), assisted by a native staff, administered each of the provinces into which the country was divided, and native officials of lower rank governed the areas into which these provinces were subdivided. The governors took their orders from the imperial government, but they were under the eye of French residents.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=62}}

Native officials were appointed by the court, but the Resident Superior had power to annul an appointment. The mandarinate or official class was recruited from all ranks of the people by competitive examination. In the province of Tourane ([[Da Nang]]), a French tribunal alone exercised jurisdiction, but it administered native law where natives were concerned. Outside this territory the native tribunals survived.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=62}}

From 1 January 1898, the French directly took over the right to collect all taxes in the protectorate of Annam and to allocate salaries to the Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty and its mandarins.<ref name="Bảo-tàng-Lịch-sử-Quốc-gia-tháng-7-biến-động">{{cite web|url= http://baotanglichsu.vn/vi/Articles/2001/66916/nha-nguyen-va-nhung-thang-7-bien-djong.html|title= Nhà Nguyễn và những tháng 7 biến động. – Phải chăng tháng 7 với triều Nguyễn là một sự trùng hợp, khi Pháp mở đầu cuộc tấn công 1/9/1885 (nhằm vào 24/7/1858 âm lịch) và trận chiến đấu cuối cùng dưới sự lãnh đạo của triều đình nhà Nguyễn cũng diễn ra vào 5/7/1885.|quote=Trong một thông tri ngày 24/8/1898, Khâm sứ Trung kỳ đã viết “Từ nay, trên vương quốc An Nam không còn tồn tại hai chính quyền nữa mà chỉ tồn tại một chính quyền thôi” (tức chính quyền Pháp).|date=28 July 2016|accessdate=7 August 2021|author= Thu Nhuần (tổng hợp) |publisher= [[National Museum of Vietnamese History|Bảo tàng Lịch sử Quốc gia]] |language=vi}}</ref> In a notice dated 24 August 1898, the Resident-Superior of Annam wrote: "From now on, in the Kingdom of Annam there are no longer two governments, but only one" (meaning that the French government completely took over the administration).<ref name="Bảo-tàng-Lịch-sử-Quốc-gia-tháng-7-biến-động"/>