Cầm Bá Thước

Definition
  1. Proper Noun:
    • Cầm Bá Thước (1858-1895): A Thai ethnic minority leader and a military commander in the Cần Vương (Aid the King) movement, which resisted French colonial rule during the reign of Emperor Hàm Nghi. He was originally a chieftain in the upland areas of Thanh Hóa province.
Usage Examples
  • Proper Noun:
    • Cầm Bá Thước là một thủ lĩnh xuất sắc của phong trào Cần Vương. (Cầm Bá Thước was an outstanding leader of the Cần Vương movement.)
    • Nhà thờ Cầm Bá Thước tọa lạc tại thị trấn Thường Xuân. (The shrine of Cầm Bá Thước is located in Thường Xuân town.)
Advanced Usage
  • This name is primarily used in historical and academic contexts concerning Vietnamese anti-colonial resistance in the late 19th century. It is often mentioned alongside other leaders like Phan Đình Phùng and Tống Duy Tân.
Historical Context and Significance
  • Cầm Bá Thước responded to the call of scholar Phan Đình Phùng to fight the French. He commanded troops from Thanh Hóa province and later participated in the uprising led by Tống Duy Tân, being appointed as an administrator for Thường Xuân and Lang Chánh districts.
  • He was instrumental in fundraising for the resistance by trading cinnamon to purchase supplies and weapons.
  • He died in action in 1895. The mandarin Tôn Thất Thuyết composed a classical poem in Chinese to honor him.
  • A pair of parallel sentences (câu đối) at his shrine in Cửa Đặt reads: ("His great name, immortal, is left to the universe; His righteous spirit, as if alive, inspires the mountains and rivers").
Related Terms
  • Cần Vương: Refers to the "Aid the King" loyalist movement against French colonization (1885-1889).
  • Phan Đình Phùng: The principal leader of the Cần Vương movement in central Vietnam.
  • Tống Duy Tân: A scholar-gentry leader who led an uprising in Thanh Hóa, with which Cầm Bá Thước was associated.