Nguyen Thien Ke (1849-1937)

Nguyen Thien Ke, a younger brother of Nguyen Thien Thuat, was a native of Xuan Dao village, Xuan Duc commune in My Hao district. He was born on 28^th June 1849 in a Confucianism family for many generations. According to some records, his family name Nguyen originated from Nguyen Trai.

Nguyen Thien Ke was called Trung Kha and his pseudonym was Duong Van. He was a pious and brave man with many talents. When the country was under foreign invasion, he and his brothers joined to wage a national salvation insurgence. Nguyen Thien Ke, Nguyen Thien Thuat and Nguyen Thien Duong (his brothers) led Bai Say insurgence for a long time and caused much damage to the French invaders. In a battle in Ban Yen Nhan in 1889, Nguyen Thien Duong was killed.

In 1890, Nguyen Thien Thuat handed over his authority to Nguyen Thien Ke and went to China with a plan of building up the army for the purpose of national salvation. The French then strengthened their army with a view to putting an end to the insurgence. In a battle on April 12, 1892 in Bich Khe, Ngo Than (now belonging to Gia Luong district of Ha Bac province), Bai Say insurgence suffered from a big damage and Nguyen Thien Ke was captured in Son market (Tien Son district, Bac Ninh province)

The French knew that he was a talented and prestigious man in the insurgence, so they tried to entice him for cooperation but failed. They then exiled him to Con Dao Island until he was 70 years old. After that, he was under house arrest in his native village. His Xuan Dao village and his family were ruined, his children and descendants had to live vagabond lives and all his properties were depleted. Under house arrest in his home village, he lived a poor life but always kept his upright character. He often tripped to his waist, wore trousers with overturned belt and wandered in the village, thus showing his big scars. The soldiers who executed his house arrest respected him very much and often listened to his stories about fighting against the enemies. His henchmen often came to take care of him. Pham Van Thu, a native of the same village, who was a minister under the Nguyen dynasty, respected his uprightness and often sent him gifts but he refused.

Nguyen Thien Ke died in 1937 at the age of 88.

When alive, he made many poems but they were missing. His family has only kept Chinh Phu Ngam (Lament of a wife whose husband has gone to war), which praised the dignity of Nguyen Thi Tu, Nguyen Thien Hien’s wife, who continued in widowhood to bring up her children and mother-in-law in tough conditions. Nguyen Thien Ke’s family has always maintained their faithfulness to their family and the nation.