HOME | DD

Description
It was the 29th of July, 1000, and Duong Vân Nga was radiant with joy. Although her health had been troubling her as of late, today she had not a care in the world. Her daughter, Lê Thį Phât Ngân, had just given birth to a healthy baby boy. The family was gathered in the temple of Duyen Ninh, where less than a year before Lê Thį Phât Ngân had pledged her love to her husband, Lý Thái Tô. By Vietnamese custom, the men were forbidden to be around for the birth, so it was her mother who stayed by her side while she brought her son into the world. While her exhausted daughter recovered from labour, the Empress Duong Vân Nga got to know her new grandson, the little Lý Thái Tông.

Family life had not always been so idyllic for the empress. Her first husband, Ðinh Bô Lĩnh, had been the first emperor of Vietnam after throwing off the yoke of Chinese dominance. He unified the country and founded the Ðinh Dynasty, and she served along several other empresses by his side. But tragedy struck the family in the autumn of 979. Inspired by a dream, a eunuch assassinated both the emperor and his eldest son while they slept in the palace courtyard.

With her husband dead, Duong Vân Nga stepped into the spotlight. Her six-year-old son Đinh Toàn was installed as a child emperor, and as Empress Dowager she ruled as his regent. But she didn't do it alone: She allied herself with a military commander of humble background called Lê Hòan. With Vietnam's independence still fragile and a child now on the throne, China sought to take advantage of the instability and reinvade. Lê Hòan led the defense against the Song Dynasty on Vietnam's frontier, and while there were others at court who sought to usurp his newfound power, Duong Vân Nga acted decisively. She disinherited her own son and married Lê Hòan, installing him as the new emperor and founder of the Lê Dynasty.

Duong Vân Nga's decision to overrule her own son's right to the throne in favour of a low-born general has been a source of controversy ever since. Confucian scholars of medieval Vietnam were disgusted that a woman would betray her husband by remarrying, something which widows were discouraged from doing under Confucianism. Some accused her and Lê Hòan of conspiring to have Ðinh Bô Lĩnh assassinated so that they could start a new dynasty together. Others have romanticized Duong Vân Nga's willingness to sacrifice her own bloodline for the sake of her country as an act of love for Vietnam and for Lê Hòan. The historical reality, however, is that Duong Vân Nga's clever and decisive realignment of Vietnamese royal power protected the country from falling back under China's control. Lê Hòan was a much more powerful threat to China as emperor than her son could ever be as a six-year-old.

While her son Đinh Toàn was cut off from the royal succession, Duong Vân Nga herself was not. The first woman ever to serve as empress for two different Vietnamese dynasties, she now ruled as Lê Hòan's primary empress. Between his empresses and concubines, Lê Hòan is reputed to have had over seventy children. Their eldest daughter, Lê Thį Phât Ngân, was born in the early 980s. In 1000, when she gave birth to her son Lý Thái Tông, her father was still emperor and her mother was still empress. But just a few years later, after the death of her father in 1005, several of her brothers would break out into a bloody contest for the throne. And yet, in 1009 when her half-brother Lê Long Đĩnh died leaving only an infant son behind, it was not any of her brothers who took power, but her husband, Lý Thái Tô.

Lý Thái Tô was only three years old when his mother dropped him off to be raised at the Dân Pagoda. The abbot took him under his wing and raised him with strict Buddhist principles. Later, the new abbot Lý Vạn Hạnh was called to the capital to be a royal advisor, and he took Lý Thái Tô with him. It was through this connection that he met the imperial princess Lê Thį Phât Ngân, and in the temple of Duyen Ninh, they pledged their love to each other and married. When his brother-in-law died in 1009, Lý Thái Tô's allies at court, especially the abbot Lý Vạn Hạnh, supported him as the new emperor. And so in 1009, with Lê Thį Phât Ngân as his empress and their son Lý Thái Tô as his heir, he took the throne and founded the Lý Dynasty.

Thus, although they didn't know it on that hot day in July at Duyen Ninh, Lê Thį Phât Ngân had just given birth to a future emperor. Duong Vân Nga would die by the end of the year and never live to see her own grandson take the throne, but after all she had done to secure the future of her country, it was her choice of Lê Hòan as the founder of an imperial line that would stand the test of time. Although she herself was only royal by her original marriage to Ðinh Bô Lĩnh, she reshaped the future of Vietnam's royal family in her image. And now, her own daughter was also the wife of a man from a low-born background who would rise to imperial power thanks to his marriage to her. Duong Vân Nga had bridged the gap between two Vietnamese dynasties, and her daughter's marriage would give rise to a third.

But with no knowledge of the future, that day in Duyen Ninh was not so much about the cutthroat world of political ambition, but about the joy of bringing a new life into the world. The birth would mark the beginning of a period of seclusion for Lê Thį Phât Ngân, who according to Vietnamese custom had to be kept safe after expending so much of her life force giving birth. Although it was surely a day of sweltering heat in the height of the summer, she had to be kept warm and protected from drafts, so the temple doors are firmly shut. She would not even be allowed to wash her hair for at least a month, all in an effort to keep her and her son safe from bad influences and ill health. Duong Vân Nga had already been through this many times before with her own children, but now that she was the doting grandmother, she could let her daughter sleep. Relaxing against her pillow, she smiled into the little wrinkled face of Lý Thái Tông, the face of the future she had worked so hard to bring about.

Later in life, after her mother was long gone and her husband had moved the capital of Vietnam to Hà Nội, Lê Thį Phât Ngân returned to the temple of Duyen Ninh. She tended to the tomb of her father Lê Hòan, and she supported the building of new temples throughout the country. But she also gained a reputation as something of a matchmaker. Young couples would come to her at the pagoda, seeking her help in their love troubles. In her old age, she apparently had a knack for bringing the right people together in lasting matches. Lê Thį Phât Ngân's legacy lives on today, as young tourists still come to Duyen Ninh and pray for success in love. Her own pledge of love was borne out in the temple that hot day in July over a thousand years ago, when she brought her son into the world.

It was really fun researching this picture and bringing these women to life. I wasn't very satisfied with the illustration when I finished it two days ago, but it's growing on me! There is a little bit of information about Duong Vân Nga in English, but most of it is in Vietnamese, so I had to do my best with Google Translate for interpreting some of the materials. I'd like to give a special shoutout to this Reddit thread where someone offered me loads of helpful information on sources, some of which I used in reconstructing this piece. Thanks also to my friends and especially my sister norree for art help!

It turns out Lý Thái Tô is extremely famous in Vietnamese history because he is the one who moved the capital from Hoa Lua to Thăng Lon, known today as Hà Nội. They just celebrated the 1000th anniversary of its designation as the capital of Vietnam in 2010, and so there are a lot of videos online about him. Looking at how people tried to reconstruct Vietnamese settings in those videos helped inform my own reconstruction here. Duong Vân Nga's incredible maneuvering of imperial power at a crucial turning point in Vietnamese history deserves more attention, and so I hope you enjoyed learning about her story here!

Learn more on the website: womenof1000ad.weebly.com/duong…

Others in the series include...

The Skiier of Sápmi
Mahendradatta
Martha Mother of Kings
Miss Zeng
The Singer and Dancer of Calos
The Devotee of Žemyna
The Little Family of Guayaquil

High Priestess Senshi

Sophia and Adelheid

Kokannon

Description
It was the 29th of July, 1000, and Duong Vân Nga was radiant with joy. Although her health had been troubling her as of late, today she had not a care in the world. Her daughter, Lê Thį Phât Ngân, had just given birth to a healthy baby boy. The family was gathered in the temple of Duyen Ninh, where less than a year before Lê Thį Phât Ngân had pledged her love to her husband, Lý Thái Tô. By Vietnamese custom, the men were forbidden to be around for the birth, so it was her mother who stayed by her side while she brought her son into the world. While her exhausted daughter recovered from labour, the Empress Duong Vân Nga got to know her new grandson, the little Lý Thái Tông.

Family life had not always been so idyllic for the empress. Her first husband, Ðinh Bô Lĩnh, had been the first emperor of Vietnam after throwing off the yoke of Chinese dominance. He unified the country and founded the Ðinh Dynasty, and she served along several other empresses by his side. But tragedy struck the family in the autumn of 979. Inspired by a dream, a eunuch assassinated both the emperor and his eldest son while they slept in the palace courtyard.

With her husband dead, Duong Vân Nga stepped into the spotlight. Her six-year-old son Đinh Toàn was installed as a child emperor, and as Empress Dowager she ruled as his regent. But she didn't do it alone: She allied herself with a military commander of humble background called Lê Hòan. With Vietnam's independence still fragile and a child now on the throne, China sought to take advantage of the instability and reinvade. Lê Hòan led the defense against the Song Dynasty on Vietnam's frontier, and while there were others at court who sought to usurp his newfound power, Duong Vân Nga acted decisively. She disinherited her own son and married Lê Hòan, installing him as the new emperor and founder of the Lê Dynasty.

Duong Vân Nga's decision to overrule her own son's right to the throne in favour of a low-born general has been a source of controversy ever since. Confucian scholars of medieval Vietnam were disgusted that a woman would betray her husband by remarrying, something which widows were discouraged from doing under Confucianism. Some accused her and Lê Hòan of conspiring to have Ðinh Bô Lĩnh assassinated so that they could start a new dynasty together. Others have romanticized Duong Vân Nga's willingness to sacrifice her own bloodline for the sake of her country as an act of love for Vietnam and for Lê Hòan. The historical reality, however, is that Duong Vân Nga's clever and decisive realignment of Vietnamese royal power protected the country from falling back under China's control. Lê Hòan was a much more powerful threat to China as emperor than her son could ever be as a six-year-old.

While her son Đinh Toàn was cut off from the royal succession, Duong Vân Nga herself was not. The first woman ever to serve as empress for two different Vietnamese dynasties, she now ruled as Lê Hòan's primary empress. Between his empresses and concubines, Lê Hòan is reputed to have had over seventy children. Their eldest daughter, Lê Thį Phât Ngân, was born in the early 980s. In 1000, when she gave birth to her son Lý Thái Tông, her father was still emperor and her mother was still empress. But just a few years later, after the death of her father in 1005, several of her brothers would break out into a bloody contest for the throne. And yet, in 1009 when her half-brother Lê Long Đĩnh died leaving only an infant son behind, it was not any of her brothers who took power, but her husband, Lý Thái Tô.

Lý Thái Tô was only three years old when his mother dropped him off to be raised at the Dân Pagoda. The abbot took him under his wing and raised him with strict Buddhist principles. Later, the new abbot Lý Vạn Hạnh was called to the capital to be a royal advisor, and he took Lý Thái Tô with him. It was through this connection that he met the imperial princess Lê Thį Phât Ngân, and in the temple of Duyen Ninh, they pledged their love to each other and married. When his brother-in-law died in 1009, Lý Thái Tô's allies at court, especially the abbot Lý Vạn Hạnh, supported him as the new emperor. And so in 1009, with Lê Thį Phât Ngân as his empress and their son Lý Thái Tô as his heir, he took the throne and founded the Lý Dynasty.

Thus, although they didn't know it on that hot day in July at Duyen Ninh, Lê Thį Phât Ngân had just given birth to a future emperor. Duong Vân Nga would die by the end of the year and never live to see her own grandson take the throne, but after all she had done to secure the future of her country, it was her choice of Lê Hòan as the founder of an imperial line that would stand the test of time. Although she herself was only royal by her original marriage to Ðinh Bô Lĩnh, she reshaped the future of Vietnam's royal family in her image. And now, her own daughter was also the wife of a man from a low-born background who would rise to imperial power thanks to his marriage to her. Duong Vân Nga had bridged the gap between two Vietnamese dynasties, and her daughter's marriage would give rise to a third.

But with no knowledge of the future, that day in Duyen Ninh was not so much about the cutthroat world of political ambition, but about the joy of bringing a new life into the world. The birth would mark the beginning of a period of seclusion for Lê Thį Phât Ngân, who according to Vietnamese custom had to be kept safe after expending so much of her life force giving birth. Although it was surely a day of sweltering heat in the height of the summer, she had to be kept warm and protected from drafts, so the temple doors are firmly shut. She would not even be allowed to wash her hair for at least a month, all in an effort to keep her and her son safe from bad influences and ill health. Duong Vân Nga had already been through this many times before with her own children, but now that she was the doting grandmother, she could let her daughter sleep. Relaxing against her pillow, she smiled into the little wrinkled face of Lý Thái Tông, the face of the future she had worked so hard to bring about.

Later in life, after her mother was long gone and her husband had moved the capital of Vietnam to Hà Nội, Lê Thį Phât Ngân returned to the temple of Duyen Ninh. She tended to the tomb of her father Lê Hòan, and she supported the building of new temples throughout the country. But she also gained a reputation as something of a matchmaker. Young couples would come to her at the pagoda, seeking her help in their love troubles. In her old age, she apparently had a knack for bringing the right people together in lasting matches. Lê Thį Phât Ngân's legacy lives on today, as young tourists still come to Duyen Ninh and pray for success in love. Her own pledge of love was borne out in the temple that hot day in July over a thousand years ago, when she brought her son into the world.

It was really fun researching this picture and bringing these women to life. I wasn't very satisfied with the illustration when I finished it two days ago, but it's growing on me! There is a little bit of information about Duong Vân Nga in English, but most of it is in Vietnamese, so I had to do my best with Google Translate for interpreting some of the materials. I'd like to give a special shoutout to this Reddit thread where someone offered me loads of helpful information on sources, some of which I used in reconstructing this piece. Thanks also to my friends and especially my sister norree for art help!

It turns out Lý Thái Tô is extremely famous in Vietnamese history because he is the one who moved the capital from Hoa Lua to Thăng Lon, known today as Hà Nội. They just celebrated the 1000th anniversary of its designation as the capital of Vietnam in 2010, and so there are a lot of videos online about him. Looking at how people tried to reconstruct Vietnamese settings in those videos helped inform my own reconstruction here. Duong Vân Nga's incredible maneuvering of imperial power at a crucial turning point in Vietnamese history deserves more attention, and so I hope you enjoyed learning about her story here!

Learn more on the website: womenof1000ad.weebly.com/duong…

Others in the series include...

The Skiier of Sápmi
Mahendradatta
Martha Mother of Kings
Miss Zeng
The Singer and Dancer of Calos
The Devotee of Žemyna
The Little Family of Guayaquil

High Priestess Senshi

Sophia and Adelheid

Kokannon