Death[edit]
Emperor Tự Đức did not live to see the worst effects of colonialism on his country, but he is often regarded as the last Emperor of Vietnam, since he was the last to rule independently. A case of smallpox left him impotent so he had no children despite a huge harem of wives he kept in his palace. According to legend, he died in 1883, cursing the French with his dying breath. After his death his adopted son Dục Đức was deposed by court officials after a reign of three days.[2]