Ang Mey | |
---|---|
Queen of Cambodia | |
Queen of Cambodia | |
Reign | 1834 – 1840 |
Predecessor | Ang Chan |
Successor | Ang Duong |
Born | 1815 |
Died | December 1874 (aged 59) Oudong, French Cambodia |
Issue | 20 sons and daughters |
Father | Ang Chan II |
Mother | Anak Moneang Krachap |
Religion | Buddhism |
Ang Mey (Khmer: ក្សត្រីអង្គម៉ី) (1815 – December 1874) was the 97th monarch of Cambodia during the Dark ages of Cambodia. Her official title was Her Majesty Samdech Preah Maha Rajini Ang Mey. She was one of few female rulers in Cambodia's history. Installed on the Cambodian throne by the Vietnamese, her reign was dominated by the Siamese-Vietnamese War (1841-1845)
Queen Ang Mey or Ksat Trey is also known by her Vietnamese title Ngọc-Vân-công-chúa (Princess Ngọc Vân) was proclaimed monarch on the death of her father by the Vietnamese faction at court with the title of "Chân Lạp quận chúa" (Duchess of Cambodia) in January 1835, then deposed in August 1840 with the demoted title of "Mỹ-Lâm-quận-chúa" (Duchess of Mỹ Lâm). She was reinstated in 1844, and again removed from the throne by the Vietnamese and taken to Huế with her sisters in 1845.
Ang Mey was born in 1815 as the second daughter of Ang Chan II, King of Cambodia during the Oudong period, by his second wife, Anak Munang Krachap.
After King Ang Chan II died in 1834, there was no heir apparent to the Khmer throne. The king had no son but four daughters: Princess Baen, Mey, Peou and Sngon. This delighted Vietnam and Siam, both of which wanted to eliminate the royal rulers in Cambodia. Although Ang Chan's surviving brothers, Ang Im and Ang Duang, immediately laid claim to the throne, the Vietnamese currently occupying Cambodia did not allow them to be crowned.
Instead, the Vietnamese emperor and the Cambodian courtiers chose to install Ang Chan II's eldest daughter, Princess Ang Baen as the sovereign. However, she was passed over due to her being sympathetic to the Thai court's interests and her refusal to marry the emperor's son. Ang Mey was an alternative to her sister, Baen. A Thai manuscript stated that the Vietnamese had tried to persuade Ang Mey to marry the son of emperor Gia Long in order to facilitate the incorporation of Cambodia into Vietnam, however this plan was abandoned at strong objections from Cambodian nobles.