The tumultuous lives of two empresses of the Nguyen dynasty.

Empress Thừa Thiên Cao spent over 20 years traveling with Emperor Gia Long to build his kingdom, while Empress Nam Phương lived an unhappy life and died in loneliness in a foreign land.

The Nguyen Dynasty lasted 143 years, spanning 13 reigns, but only the first and last empresses were officially bestowed the title while still alive. These were Empress Thua Thien Cao Tong Thi Lan, wife of Emperor Gia Long, and Empress Nam Phuong Nguyen Huu Thi Lan, wife of Emperor Bao Dai. The lives of these two empresses, both named Lan, were marked by many hardships. To this day, historical records have not explained why, from the reign of Emperor Minh Mang onwards, the position of head of the harem remained vacant, with the highest title being Imperial Noble Consort, assisting the Empress Dowager in overseeing food supplies and managing internal affairs.

The wife who shared the hardships with King Gia Long.

Empress Thừa Thiên Cao (1762-1814), whose real name was Tống Thị Lan, was the first wife of Emperor Gia Long. She traveled extensively with him to rebuild the Nguyễn dynasty. In 1778, she followed her father, Duke Tống Phúc Khuông, and their family to Gia Định. When she was 18 years old, Nguyễn Phúc Ánh personally brought gifts to propose marriage and made her his principal consort. She was cautious and well-mannered, earning the affection of her husband's family.

The tomb of King Gia Long and the tomb of Empress Thừa Thiên Cao are placed side-by-side in Thiên Thọ Mausoleum. Photo: Đắc Đức.

When relentlessly pursued by the Tay Son dynasty, Nguyen Phuc Anh sought help from the Siamese army and also entrusted his three-year-old son, Prince Nguyen Phuc Canh, to the missionary Pigneau de Behaine as a hostage before going to France to seek further foreign aid. Uncertain of reunion, he cut a gold bar in half, keeping one half for himself and giving the other to his wife, saying, "Our son is gone, and I will also leave. Please take care of the Queen Mother. We don't know where or when we will meet again, so keep this gold as a token of our promise." Swallowing her tears, she accepted the responsibility of caring for her mother-in-law and looking after the family during that time.

Despite securing 50,000 Siamese reinforcements, Nguyen Phuc Anh was still crushed by the Tay Son dynasty. His wife, Tong Thi Lan, and her mother-in-law took refuge on Phu Quoc Island, anxiously awaiting news. When Nguyen Phuc Anh recaptured Gia Dinh, he sent for his mother and wife to return. From then on, she always accompanied him, attending to his affairs.

In 1793, Nguyen Phuc Anh proposed that she become the foster mother of Prince Nguyen Phuc Dam (Emperor Minh Mang), even though the prince's biological mother, Consort Tran Thi Dang (Thuan Thien Cao Empress), was still healthy. She agreed on the condition that her husband write a contract. Nguyen Phuc Anh agreed, and from then on, Prince Dam lived permanently with her.

In 1802, Nguyen Phuc Anh completely overthrew the Tay Son dynasty and ascended the throne, taking the regnal name Gia Long. A year later, she was made queen consort, and in 1806, she was elevated to empress. The king had over a hundred concubines, but only appointed her as empress. Sadly, her happiness was short-lived, as the empress passed away in 1814 at the age of 53. King Gia Long mourned her deeply and observed a year of mourning according to tradition. The empress was buried alongside King Gia Long's tomb within the Thien Tho mausoleum complex. This is the only mausoleum of the Nguyen dynasty where the tombs of the king and empress are placed side-by-side.

Empress Thừa Thiên Cao gave birth to two sons, but both died young, before Emperor Gia Long seized power. The life of the first empress of the Nguyễn dynasty was fraught with difficulties. Although her descendants were of the legitimate lineage (eldest sons) of Emperor Gia Long, they also suffered greatly, enduring hardships during the consolidation of royal power under Emperor Minh Mạng, with some dying and others being demoted to commoners.

Her eldest son, Prince Cảnh, at the age of 3, was taken hostage by Bá Đa Lộc and wandered the world. He later became Crown Prince, but shortly after, he contracted smallpox and died at the young age of 21, leaving behind his wife and two sons. Later, Emperor Gia Long did not choose his grandson, Nguyễn Phúc Mỹ Đường, the eldest son of Prince Cảnh, to succeed him, but instead passed the throne to Prince Nguyễn Phúc Đảm.

During the reign of Emperor Minh Mạng, the daughter-in-law and granddaughter of Empress Thừa Thiên Cao were accused of adultery. One was drowned, another had to return the imperial seal and was demoted to commoner status, and the third died of illness. Later, her great-grandson was granted a title to oversee the worship of Crown Prince Anh Duệ (also known as Prince Cảnh). The suffering was not over; in 1836, the court officials continued to deliberate on the charges, forcing the descendants of Prince Cảnh to be demoted to commoners before the matter was temporarily settled.

Speaking about the life of Empress Thua Thien Cao, historian Dr. Nguyen Khac Thuan commented that forcing Nguyen Phuc Anh to sign a covenant when adopting Nguyen Phuc Dam as his son showed her caution towards Empress Thua Thien Cao, and also caution towards her own husband. Unfortunately, that caution was still insufficient. According to Dr. Thuan, at that time there were two heinous crimes that could not be forgiven: disloyalty and immorality. Regarding disloyalty, the eldest son of Prince Canh showed no signs of it, and Minh Mang, wanting to secure his position on the throne, had to accuse My Duong of immorality for committing adultery with his mother.

"Emperor Minh Mạng... was raised by Empress Thừa Thiên Cao from a young age, and was like a brother to Prince Cảnh, sharing the same parents. Yet, he willingly murdered his sister-in-law and tormented his brother's children. Someone said that an emperor cannot tolerate the eldest son of his own family. Whether this is true or false for others is unclear, but it certainly makes sense for Emperor Minh Mạng," he assessed..

The joys and sorrows of Queen Nam Phuong's life

Empress Nam Phuong (1914-1963), wife of Emperor Bao Dai, whose real name was Nguyen Huu Thi Lan, was renowned for her gentle beauty, virtue, and talent.

King Bảo Đại and Queen Nam Phương. Archival photo.

In 1932, Emperor Bảo Đại returned to Vietnam after 10 years of studying in France. The handsome young emperor, who enjoyed sports and hunting, became the ideal husband for many noblewomen. According to researcher Nguyễn Đắc Xuân, the first woman chosen to be Bảo Đại's wife was not Nam Phương, but Bạch Yến, the daughter of Nguyễn Đình Tiến, a high-ranking official from Phong Điền (Thừa Thiên-Huế). Yến had been taught music, singing, and court etiquette in preparation for entering the palace, but was ultimately not chosen.

Through the arrangements of Charles and his wife – the former Resident Commissioner of Central Vietnam – Bao Dai met the beautiful Lan, a three-time winner of the Miss Indochina pageant and granddaughter of Huyen Sy, the wealthiest man in Southern Vietnam at the time, at a party in Da Lat. The young emperor was captivated by the girl in the black silk ao dai, her delicate face without makeup. They often met again "unexpectedly" after that first encounter.

When Bảo Đại proposed, Lan agreed to marry him on three conditions: she would be crowned empress on the wedding day; she would be allowed to remain a Catholic; all their children would be baptized and raised in the Catholic faith; and the marriage had to be sanctioned by the Holy See in Rome, with neither party forcing the other to change their religion.

The marriage was met with much debate and defied centuries-old customs and traditions of the previous dynasty. However, with the determination of the Western-educated emperor, the wedding was still held on March 20, 1934, at the Can Chanh Palace – the emperor's place of court. For the first time in the history of the Nguyen dynasty, a woman appeared in the imperial court, wearing a golden-orange ceremonial robe – a color reserved exclusively for the emperor. Immediately after the wedding, Bao Dai bestowed the title of Empress upon Nguyen Huu Thi Lan. Her title, Nam Phuong, means "fragrance of the South."

The king also renovated the interior of the ancient Kien Trung Palace into a modern space with many amenities such as multiple bedrooms, a dining room, and a study. Having studied abroad for many years, Queen Nam Phuong assisted her husband in diplomacy, receiving foreign dignitaries, interacting with the French, and domestically promoting education and helping the poor. She bore King Bao Dai five children: Crown Prince Bao Long, Princesses Phuong Mai, Phuong Dung, Phuong Lien, and Prince Bao Thang..

Queen Nam Phuong during her time studying in France. Archival photo.

Queen Nam Phuong had a peaceful youth, entered a seemingly perfect marriage which later crumbled, and lived unhappily in her later years, dying in loneliness in a foreign land.In August 1945, Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and went to Hanoi to serve as an advisor to the Provisional Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the invitation of President Hồ Chí Minh. Empress Nam Phương and her children moved to An Định Palace, on the banks of the An Cựu River.

Leaving behind the opulent life of a queen, she devoted herself to raising her children, contributing gold and silver, and mobilizing the people of Hue to raise funds for the new government. In her capacity as the former queen of Vietnam, she represented 13 million Vietnamese women in sending a message urging women worldwide to denounce the French colonialists' plot to return and invade Vietnam.

Despite publicly declaring his opposition to the polygamous customs of Vietnamese monarchs, former Emperor Bảo Đại still had numerous mistresses outside of his marriage.Unhappy national and domestic affairs led the former empress and her children to move to France, while Bảo Đại remained in Vietnam.In 1949, unable to endure the hardships and challenges of the circumstances, he returned to collaborate with the French.In 1955, upon assuming power in South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem confiscated the former emperor's family's assets in Saigon and France. Bao Dai, resentful, left home to hunt and pursue his mistress. The family was torn apart, causing immense grief to Empress Nam Phuong.

Queen Nam Phuong and her children, with a portrait of King Bao Dai in the background. Archival photo.

The former empress lived quietly in the village of Chabrignac, a rural area of ​​France. Bảo Đại rarely visited her, only a few times, and each visit was very brief. Empress Nam PhươngShe passed away on September 14, 1963. That day, she felt unwell and called a doctor, who diagnosed her with a mild sore throat, requiring only a few days of medication. However, just a few hours after the doctor left, she experienced difficulty breathing and passed away that night at the age of 49. She was the last empress of the Nguyen dynasty.She lived an unhappy life, died in loneliness, with no family by her side except for her maids. At that time, her children were all studying and working in Paris.

Queen Nam Phuong's funeral was held at Chabrignac Church, attended by all the villagers who admired her. Her sons and daughters all came to mourn their mother, but her husband, Bao Dai, was nowhere to be seen.She was buried right next to the tomb of the Countess De La Besse's family. The Countess, who was Princess Nhu Ly (daughter of King Ham Nghi), upon hearing the news, bitterly said, "We lived close to each other for five years without knowing each other, only to find out after my niece Nam Phuong passed away. What a pity."

The tomb of the last empress of the Nguyen dynasty is simple, with the inscription in Chinese characters on the tombstone: "Dai Nam Nam Phuong Hoang Hau Chi Lang," and on the back, a French inscription that translates to: "This is the resting place of the Empress of Annam, née Maria Thérèse Nguyen Huu Thi Lan." According to Mr. Nguyen Dac Xuan, out of affection for her, valuable jewelry was buried with her. However, this had negative consequences, as thieves repeatedly dug up the tomb in search of gold.

The villagers of Chabrignac considered the tomb of Queen Nam Phuong to be one of the three precious heritage sites of the village.

According to Ngoisao.net