View source for Kiều Thạc Nhu

[[Category:Quenmin]] [[Category:People from Quenmin]] [[Category:Rulers of Quenmin]] [[Category:Kiếm Hoà monarchs]] [[Category:Quenminese nobles]] [[Category:First Anarchy]]
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Kiều Thạc Nhu<br/><small>Kιὴυ Θᾳκ Νιυ; 喬碩柔</small><br/>Kiều Thành Tổ<br/><small>Kιὴυ Θὰνι Τῶ; 喬成祖</small><br/>Rajadhidevi I<br/><small>นาถราชเทวี ๑</small>
| title        = Empress of [[Đại Quến]]<br/>Queen of Arantho<br/>Tengri Khanum
| titletext    = 
| more         = 
| image        = CountessKieuThacNhu.jpg
| image_size   = 300px
| alt          = 
| caption      = Portrait by [[Tống Công Bằng]], 1870
| succession   = Empress of the [[Kiếm Hoà Dynasty]]
| moretext     = 
| reign        = 14 February 1267{{spaced ndash}}26 April 1300
| reign-type   = Reign
| coronation   = 
| cor-type     = 
| predecessor  = ''Position established''
| pre-type     =  
| regent       = [[Phạm Khuê]]
| reg-type     = Imperial Chancellor
| successor    = [[Kiều Ích Tông]]
| suc-type     = 
| succession2  = Queen of Arantho
| moretext2    = 
| reign2       = 16 April 1279{{spaced ndash}}26 April 1300
| reign-type2  = Reign
| coronation2  = 
| cor-type2    = 
| predecessor2 = ''Position established''
| pre-type2    = 
| regent2      = [[Kulthorn of Praphun]]<!--Nhu arranged marriage of her eldest daughter to him-->
| reg-type2    = Viceroy
| successor2   = Kiều Ích Tông
| suc-type2    =  
| succession3  = Countess of Khoái Siêu
| moretext3    = 
| reign3       = 3 February 1263{{spaced ndash}}14 February 1267
| reign-type3  = 
| coronation3  = 
| cor-type3    = 
| predecessor3 = [[Kiều Thạc Bộ]]
| pre-type3    = 
| regent3      = 
| reg-type3    = 
| successor3   = Phạm Khuê
| suc-type3    = 
| spouse       = Kiều Thạc Bộ<br/>Lê Sáng Bảo (1249-1254)<br/>Lã Siêu Nhất (1254-1256)
| spouse-type  = Spouse
| consort      = <!-- yes or no -->
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Kiều Ích Tông]] <!--- Era name for: Khang Xuất ---> 
* [[Kiều Thạc Quyên Huệ]]
* [[Kiều Thạc Hoài]]
}}
| issue-link   = 
| issue-pipe   = 
| full name    = Kiều Thạc Nhu
| era name     = Chuyển Bình, Rajadhidevi I
| era dates    = 1268-1305, 1278-1300
| regnal name  = Somdet Phra Boromma Rajini Rajadhidevi Nueng Mahitalathibet Khewnphumiphrakun<br/>(สมเด็จ พระ บรม ราชินี นาถราชเทวี รามาธิบดี เควนกหเวนผู้มีพระคุณ)
| posthumous name = Thể Minh Thiên Hanh Trạch Vận Chí Thành Phong Đại Hoàng Hậu
| temple name  = Thành Tổ
| house        = Kiều Thạc
| house-type   = Clan
| father       = Kiều Thạc Sáng
| mother       = 
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1244|6|11|df=yes}}
| birth_place  = Residence of the Count, County of Khoái Siêu, [[Quenmin]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1300|4|26|1244|6|11|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Van Lao]], [[Quenmin]]
| burial_date  = 
| burial_place = 
| occupation   = 
| signature    = 
| religion     = [[Haimeism]]
}}

{{Infobox
|above        = Ruler of Quenmin
|abovestyle   = background:#32CD32;
|bodystyle    = width:300px;
|headerstyle  = background:#5AD75A;

|header1   = Reign Name
|label2   = Latin Script
|data2    = Chuyển Bình
|label3   = {{wp|Chữ Nôm}}
|data3    = 囀平
|label4   = {{wp|Help:IPA for Vietnamese|Pronounciation}}
|data4    = 

|header5  = Birth Name
|label6   = Latin Script
|data6    = Kiều Thạc Nhu
|label7   = {{wp|Chữ Nôm}}
|data7    = 喬碩柔
|label8   = {{wp|Help:IPA for Vietnamese|Pronounciation}}
|data8    = 

|header9  = Posthumous Name
|label10   = Latin Script
|data10    = Thể Minh Thiên Hanh Trạch Vận Chí Thành Phong Đại Hoàng Hậu 
|label11   = {{wp|Chữ Nôm}}
|data11    = 世明天至宅武成運豐大皇厚  
|label12   = {{wp|Help:IPA for Vietnamese|Pronounciation}}
|data12    = 

|header13 = Temple Name
|label14  = Latin Script
|data14   = Kiều Thành Tổ
|label15  = {{wp|Chữ Nôm}}
|data15   = 喬成祖
|label16   = {{wp|Help:IPA for Vietnamese|Pronounciation}}
|data16    = 
}}
'''Kiều Thạc Nhu''' ({{wp|Chữ Nôm}}: 喬碩柔; {{wp|Greek alphabet|Chữ Hy Lạp}}: Kιὴυ Θᾳκ Νιυ; 11 June 1244-26 April 1300), byname '''Hổ Đen''' ("Black Tigress"), {{wp|era name}} '''Chuyển Bình''' (囀平; Ϫυῆν Βιν) and {{wp|temple name}} '''Thành Tổ''' (成祖; Θὰνι Τῶ), was a [[Quenmin|Quenminese]] noble during the [[Third Quenminese Anarchy|Third Anarchy]]. She was the founder of the [[Kiếm Hoà Dynasty]] as well as being its first Empress, ruling from 1267 to 1300. She was also the founder of the succeeding [[Arantho Kingdom]] in present-day [[Tamau]], taking the name '''Rajadhidevi I''' as Queen. 

Born to Count [[Kiều Thạc Sáng]], a skillful military commander, Nhu learned and mastered military strategy and warfare as she grew up. In her adolescent years, she became an advisor to her father and older brother, but became a concubine of Prince [[Lã Siêu Nhất]] for three years after they were killed in battle. She was then rescued on a secret mission overseen by [[Phạm Khuê]], the political advisor to her uncle [[Kiều Thạc Bộ]], who would later assist Nhu in ousting and killing the latter subsequently. Nhu then ascended as Countess in 1263, with Khuê acting as both her advisor and mentor. After a period of relative peace of three years, Nhu proclaimed herself empress of the newly established Kiếm Hoà Dynasty<!--Felt the need to unify Dai Quen again-->, and partook in a set of military conflicts that would extend beyond the Dynasty’s borders called the [[Hodenic Wars]]. In its first years, Nhu subjugated the four rivaling kingdoms to officially reunify [[Đại Quến]] and cement her authority in the capital city. Afterwards, she integrated the western and northern territories of the [[Chamian Kingdom]], and vassalized the state. Then, in 1278, Nhu [[Kiem Hoa-Tuntayakul War|invaded]] the [[Tuntayakul Kingdom]] which resulted in the capture of the Kingdom's capital, [[Prachinsanulok]], and the overthrow of the [[Tuntayakul dynasty]]. Nhu declared herself Queen of the Tayamese dominion, and moved the capital to [[Arantho]] to establish the [[Arantho Kingdom|eponymous kingdom]].

Nhu introduced several reforms in the Imperial government, while retaining a considerable number from the previous [[Early Hoạn dynasty]]. She reintroduced [[Luatcaoism|Luatcaoist]] tenets into the bureaucracy and legal code, advocating and emphasizing {{wp|meritocratic}} precepts with relatively harsh punishments. This was exhibited in her [[Luật Kế Vị Hoàng Gia|Imperial Succession Law]], which allowed a monarch to bequeath the throne to a succeeding progeny based on ability and talent. Moreover, a notable legal code implemented by her was the [[Kiếm Hoà Code]], which instituted land and financial reforms that benefitted both aristocrats and peasants overall. It also granted land and financial rights to women, also both aristocrat and peasant, enabling modern Quenminese historians to state that the Code was one of the most progressive in her time. She also supplemented the imperial examination system with questions related to Luatcaoist texts to further exhibit knowledge and competence, and allowed upper-class women to become civil servants.

In 1288, Nhu [[Kiều Thạc Nhu's invasion of the Rideva Empire|invaded]] the [[Rideva Empire]] after being informed of its declining state and a subsequent emerging desire to become its new Empress. Regarded as her longest military campaign, Nhu managed to conquer most of its eastern territories, and during this time, Nhu had a famous affair with [[Anuprabha Rudrani]]. Nhu eventually had to abandon her goal by returning to the dynasty's homeland after much discontent from most of her soldiers. The last years of her life focused on administering the dynasty's internal affairs and newly-obtained territories. Although, signs of paranoia and megalomania increasingly affected her mental health, with conflicts of foreign policy between her and Khuê leading to the latter's resignation and the sacking of other competent mandarins, and alleged coups and assassination plots by her illegitimate son [[Lã Khởi]] and other noble lords either jealous of her achievements or expressed conservative grievances. Eventually, this demeanor culminated during the [[Peasant Uprising of 1299]], where peasants that refused to comply with a doubled land tax to mitigate the effects of the [[Flood Disaster of 1299]] were brutally suppressed; aristocrats that supported the peasants, especially Khuê, [[Bùi Ðình Thiện]]<!--- Her last appointed Palace Librarian --->, [[Ngô Bạch Xí]], [[Ngư Lâm Dũng]], [[Tạ Vũ Uy]] and [[Nguyễn Thủ Khoan]] were apprehended and tortured. On 26 April 1300, she was assassinated during her vacation in [[Van Lao]].  

Nhu was one of the most prominent warlords during the era, as well as one of the most renowned woman in the history of Quenmin. During the last years of the Anarchy, she had managed to establish a strong, unified state that extended from Quenmin to present-day [[Tamau]] and Kansdoen militarily and politically, with the cost of her own sanity and life. Despite being also known for her megalomania and subsequent erratic behavior, she remains one of the most revered figures in Quenmin. Military academies throughout the country still teach her strategies and tactics, placing them alongside those of [[Quảng Thái Tổ]], [[Tư Mã Bằng]], [[Hầu Chiến]], [[Orestes II]], and [[Hoạn Quốc Tổ]]<!-- Personal name: Hoạn Lập --->. The Kiếm Hoà Code would become the basis for the [[Great Lận Code]] and the [[Reformed Dynastic Code for the Modern Epoch]] for the next two centuries. Her status as a woman is still celebrated, particularly in her deification as a Sanctified Goddess in [[Siêu Việt Haimeism|Siêu Việt denomination]] of [[Haimeism]].

==Early Life==

Nhu was born to [[Kiều Thạc Sáng]] on 11 June 1244 the Third Anarchy. Growing up, she displayed intelligence when she memorized the poems ''[[Return to the Capital]]''. Nhu then took upon learning martial arts and swordsmanship with recommendation from her father, who sensed her talent and potential. She often dueled with her brother [[Kiều Thạc Chương]], who was already proficient and had accompanied his father and lead armies to fight against their opponents, and at the age of 14, she was able to beat him. According to the ''[[Records of the Kiếm Hoà Dynasty]]'', her father remarked to Chương upon seeing her victory: "watch out, my son. She'll grow up to be the tigress that our enemies will fear to hunt." 

Sometime at the age of 11, she took the opportunity to learn military strategy. Whenever her father and son relaxed, Nhu would often play ''{{wp|xiangqi|cờ tướng}}'' with either one or both of them. Her father and son would often give her lessons as they played, much to the discouragement of her mother. She would learn further when she read copies of the texts from the ''Giảng võ đường'', a military school built during the [[Early Hoạn dynasty]], and when her father took her to the barracks of his troops on his review during August. Proving herself adept by making suggestions to his father’s generals, Nhu had gained their respect, and eventually from many soldiers whom she conversed with, earning her the nickname ''Công chúa chiến lược Kiều'' ("Princess Strategist Kiều"). Subsequently, Nhu participated in her father's battles as one of his advisors.  

When she was 16, her father fell during the [[Battle of Phan Rang Son]] against the [[Võ Đính Principality]], one of Khoái Siêu’s bitter rivals. At his funeral, she was recorded by historians to mourn him profoundly, more so than her brother. After her brother ascended as Count, she accompanied him on his battles, and would often be offered a portion of the army to carry out tasks designated for her. At times, she offered him advice, but her brother, more cautious than their father, often dismissed them for being too risky in his eyes. One exemplary case was the [[Battle of Tuy Cai]]; after securing advantageous positions against Võ Đính, Nhu urged Chương to commit a column to smash through the center of Prince [[Lã Siêu Nhất]]'s army, but he refused her advice, reportedly three times, and allowed Nhất to slip away, proving consequential in his later defeats. Eventually, at the [[Battle of Thanh Thiet]], her brother was killed on the marshlands behind him, and with his army overwhelmed, Nhu was captured by Nhất. 

For the next three years of her life, Nhu resided in Nhất's palace and rendered a concubine. According to historical accounts, Nhu was often considered a favorite of Nhất, and the latter would often have plenty of intercourses with her to the point of abuse. Upon her second year in captivity, she gave birth to a son named [[Lã Khởi]]; during her eventual escape to Khoái Siêu however, she would abandon him. 

==Countess of Khoái Siêu==

During her capture, [[Phạm Khuê]], an able political advisor to Sáng, was employed to [[Kiều Thạc Bộ]], Nhu's uncle who succeeded Chương. However, his loyalty to Bộ would become strained as he opposed the latter's pacifist policies with Võ Đính, which he believed would end Khoái Siêu's sovereignty. After hearing from his spies that Nhu accepted the proposal to escape, Khuê clandestinely organized a small party to retrieve her as Bộ's replacement. However, Bộ's servants became aware of Khuê's actions, leading Bộ to sack him. Bộ then sent assassins to rid Nhu once she was within the County, but in a stroke of luck Khuê and the rest of his followers managed to kill them. After a month of secrecy, Khuê incited a revolt against Bộ, and Nhu lead an army to take the Residency, kill her uncle, and take her office as Countess. She would then defend the County from attacks from the [[County of Thành Bắc]], [[Duchy of Rach Liêu]], Võ Đính and the [[Duchy of Tế Giang]] in 1263, upon hearing of Bộ's death.   

Khuê would become an instrumental figure in Nhu's life. As she ruled as Countess, Nhu appointed Khuê as her First Advisor. Khuê then instructed her on political decisions and strategy, to which Nhu comprehended his suggestions and instructions with relative ease and learned with due diligence on the way. Upon reinvigorating Khoái Siêu's economy and infrastructure, Nhu negotiated peace treaties with the rest of the warring polities in 1264 with his help. Upon meeting with Nhất, it was said that Nhu grew immensely angered upon his offensive remarks, that Khuê had his hand cut to continue negotiations and prevent another conflict. After peace was retained, Nhu spent the rest of her rule implementing policies that grew the economy of the County and provided benefits to affected peasants, ruling with much competence. 

==Empress of the Kiếm Hoà Dynasty==
{{main|Kiếm Hoà Dynasty}} 

Sensing a bold opportunity, Nhu declared herself empress of the newly formed Kiếm Hoà Dynasty, named after a conquered province. Khuê warned of the risks of her declaration, but Nhu dismissed them, firmly defending that her decision was the opportune moment to reunite Đại Quến. Upon accepting her views, Nhu appointed Khuê as her Imperial Chancellor and her successor as Count. Rival warlords informed of the news openly voiced their opposition, and united themselves into the [[Camdoc Grand Coalition]] to challenge her legitimacy. A couple of emissaries were executed as a display of defiance; Lã Siêu Nhất was one of the warlords who famously beheaded a Kiếm Hoà emissary and sent his head back to Nhu. She then raised an army to partake in a series of conflicts that are to become known as the "Hodenic Wars."

===Military endeavors===
{{See also|Hodenic Wars}}

====Against the Warlords====
{{Main|Kiều Thạc Nhu's Northern Campaigns|Kiều Thạc Nhu's Eastern Campaigns}}

====Against Chamia====
{{Main|Cham-Quenminese War of 1270-71|Cham-Quenminese War of 1274}}

===Töbedar Expedition===

====Trần Lãm Thạc's Rebellion====

====Queen of the Arantho Kingdom====
{{Main|Arantho Kingdom|Kiem Hoa-Tuntayakul War}}
* Admired Purusaprabhu II
====Invasion of the Nambyan Republic====

====Invasion of the Rideva Empire====

[[File:NhuAndRudrani.jpg|thumb|200px|Nhu with Rudrani. Painting by [[Úc Phúc Sinh]], 1868]]

===Political acts===

==Later reign==

==Assassination and death==

* Was assassinated by [[Phạm Khuê]].

==Memory and image==

===Siêu Việt Haimeism===
{{main|Siêu Việt Haimeism}}

During her conquests of the western territories of the Rideva Empire, Nhu managed to come into contact with [[Hahtta]] priests and sages. 

Practitioners of this form of Haimeism regarded her with utmost reverance. 

==See also==
* [[Hodenic Wars]]

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou | [[House of Kiều Thạc]]| 11 June | 1244 | 26 April | 1300 }}
{{S-reg}}
{{S-new|reason=Dynasty established}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of the Kiếm Hoà dynasty|Empress of the Kiếm Hoà Dynasty]]|years=14 February 1267 – 26 April 1300}}
{{S-aft|rows=2|after=[[Kiều Ích Tông]]}}
{{S-new|reason=Kingdom created}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[List of monarchs of the Arantho Kingdom|Queen of Arantho]]|years=16 April 1279 – 26 April 1300}}
{{S-end}}