Tran Thi Dung

Who is Tran Thi Dung?

Mother of the Nation Lady Linh Từ Trần Thị Dung was the last empress and the last empress mother of the Lý Dynasty. She was entitled by the Emperor Lý Huệ Tông as Empress Consort of the Lý Dynasty from 1216 to 1225 before becoming Empress Mother of the Lý Dynasty when her daughter Lý Phật Kim was enthroned as Lý Chiêu Hoàng in 1225. After Trần Thủ Độ, Trần Thị Dung's cousin, successfully overthrew the Lý Dynasty and founded the Trần Dynasty, Trần Thị Dung was downgraded to Princess Thiên Cực while her brother Trần Thừa's son became Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of the Trần Dynasty. Besides Lý Chiêu Hoàng, Trần Thị Dung had another daughter who eventually also became Empress of the Trần Dynasty, the Empress Thuận Thiên.

The first husband of Trần Thị Dung, the former emperor Lý Huệ Tông, was killed in 1226 by order of Trần Thủ Độ, who afterwards married Trần Thị Dung, now Lady Linh Từ. During the troubled times of the Early Trần Dynasty with the revolt of Trần Liễu, son-in-law of Trần Thị Dung, and the first Mongol invasion of Đại Việt, she had a significant role in the reconciliation between Trần Thái Tông and his brother Trần Liễu, Lady Linh Từ also had many activities to help the royal family during the Mongol invasion. After her death in 1259, Trần Thị Dung was posthumously entitled as Mother of the Nation Lady Linh Từ. Trần Thị Dung's complicated biography was a fine example for the complex period of the Late Lý and Early Trần Dynasty in History of Vietnam.