Mường Autonomous Territory
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The Mường Autonomous Territory (French: Territoire Autonome Muong; Vietnamese: Khu tự trị Mường; Muong: Khu tư tli Mường), or the Mường Country (French: Pays Muong; Vietnamese: Xứ Mường)[2] or the Mường Federation (French: Fédération Muong), abbreviated as TAM, was an autonomous territory created by the French during the First Indochina War as a homeland for the Mường people in an effort to get indigenous "Montagnard" support against the Kinh-dominant, Việt Minh-led Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Mường Autonomous Territory was an autonomous homeland within the French Union and covered the Hòa Bình Province. The French hoped that granting the Mường more autonomy would allow them to recruit more soldiers to fight against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as the French did not have enough French soldiers in their Indochina to maintain control over the territory. The Mường Autonomous Territory became a part of the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam in 1950,[3] this area consisted of autonomous territories made up of ethnic minorities that nominally were under the direct control of the Nguyễn dynasty Emperor Bảo Đại.[4][5]
Mường Autonomous Territory Pays Muong / Territoire Autonome Muong / Fédération Muong Xứ Mường / Khu tự trị Mường | |||||||||
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1947–1952 | |||||||||
Flag | |||||||||
Status | Autonomous territory of Tonkin (1947–1948) Autonomous Federation within the French Union (1947–1950) Crown domain of the Vietnamese Emperor (1950–1952) | ||||||||
Capital | Hòa Bình | ||||||||
Common languages | Mường, French, Kinh | ||||||||
Ethnic groups | Mường, Thái, Kinh | ||||||||
Government | Feudal Lordships (Autonomous territory) | ||||||||
Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
• Established | 1947 | ||||||||
10 November 1951 – 25 February 1952 | |||||||||
• Việt Minh capture Hòa Bình | 25 February[1] 1952 | ||||||||
Area | |||||||||
• Total | 45,966 km2 (17,748 sq mi) | ||||||||
Currency | piastre | ||||||||
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Today part of | Hòa Bình Province, Vietnam |
Despite the French efforts to hold back the Communist Việt Minh, the Hòa Bình Province was reconquered by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1952[6] and the Mường Autonomous Territory was dissolved. Despite the loss of their territory to the Việt Minh, Mường battalions could continue to serve for the French for the remainder of the First Indochina War.