In many ways the Emperor Thanh Thai was a revolutionary monarch, a much more devoted and concerned king than most other countries were fortunate enough to have. He was the son of the short-lived "3-day king" Emperor Duc Du'c and became Emperor of Viet-Nam in 1889 after the death of H.M. Dong Khanh. The French had continued to interfere with the Imperial Court and refused to allow a descendant of Emperor Dong Khanh to take the throne, choosing the young Prince Nguyen Buu Lan instead. They hoped he would be easier to control but the new Emperor Thanh Thai proved to be very concerned and devoted to his people and quite troublesome for the French.
He realized very soon that even though he was treated as Emperor, he was not given any freedom or authority in the government of his country. It was clear that France was in charge of all Vietnamese affairs. They only wished Thanh Thai to go along with their rule to give their laws legitimacy. This, however, Emperor Thanh Thai firmly refused to do. Any edicts that were prepared by the French the Emperor would not sign. He openly spoke out against the French and was determined to improve his country and fight for the freedom of the people.
Emperor Thanh Thai was the first ruler of Viet-Nam to cut his hair short or learn to drive a car. The French had always tried to keep Emperor Dong Khanh isolated in Hue and away from his people, but Emperor Thanh Thai managed to find a way to thwart the French. He would dress in the clothes of a common citizen or even a poor beggar and escape from the Forbidden City to walk with his people and hear their honest opinions about the situation of the country. Thanh Thai would also hold informal meetings, seated on the floor with his people gathered in a circle around him to discuss the important issues that affected them. He also began plotting against the Colonial authorities to restore the independence of Viet-Nam.
In secret he began planning a revolution and building a secret army. Since the Emperor had always been honest about his opinions regarding France, they were very suspicious and planted spies throughout the Palace to catch the Emperor working against them in order to remove him from the throne. When H.M. Thanh Thai discovered this, he began to feign insanity. The French assumed he had gone mad and stopped paying such close attention. Finally, in 1907, Emperor Thanh Thai left the Palace at Hue and started on a journey to China where he would join the revolutionary "Dong Du" movement of the Nguyen prince, Marquis Cuong De. Unfortunately, the Emperor was arrested by the French at Thanh Hoa. The French deposed Emperor Thanh Thai, reduced him in rank to Duke and imprisoned him on Vung Tau Island.
From Vung Tau he continued to speak out against colonial rule and passively oppose the French presence in Vietnam. He so angered the colonial administration that when his son, the heroic Emperor Duy Tan, was cought leading a rebellion against France, they decided to exile both of them to La Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Many years later, during the reign of Emperor Bao Dai, H.M. Thanh Thai was allowed to return to Viet-Nam thanks to the efforts of his son-in-law, but died a short time later on March 24, 1954 in Saigon. He was buried in the tomb of his father, Emperor Duc Du'c. |
