Trần Thánh Tông

TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng (October 12, 1240 Ã¢ÂÂ July 3, 1290), personal name TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng (), was the second emperor of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty, reigning over ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât from 1258 to 1278. After ceding the throne to his son TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng held the title of retired emperor () from 1279 until his death in 1290. During the second and the third Mongol invasions of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât, Retired Emperor ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and Emperor NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng were credited as the supreme commanders who led the nation to the final victories and, as a result, established a long period of peace and prosperity over the country. With his successful rulings in both military and civil matters, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng was considered one of the greatest emperors of not only the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty but also the whole dynastic era in the history of Vietnam.

Background and during ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng's reign

TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng was born on the 25th day of the ninth lunar month in 1240, as the second prince but the first natural son of emperor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng and Empress Consort ThuÃ¡ÂºÂn ThiÃÂªn. He had a half-brother on the mother's side, Prince TÃÂ©nh QuÃ¡Â»Âc () TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc Khang, who was born after the forced marriage by TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃ¡Â»Â§ ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â between Emperor ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng and Princess ThuÃ¡ÂºÂn ThiÃÂªn. In fact, although being ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng's first prince, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc Khang was the son of his elder brother Prince HoÃÂ i TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n LiÃ¡Â»Âu, therefore officially he was not chosen by ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng as the heir, a position which ultimately belonged to Prince TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng. Besides Prince TÃÂ©nh QuÃ¡Â»Âc, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng had other younger brothers, including Prince ChiÃÂªu Minh TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i (who was also born to Empress ThuÃ¡ÂºÂn ThiÃÂªn), Prince ChiÃÂªu QuÃ¡Â»Âc TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c, and Prince ChiÃÂªu VÃÂn TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt DuÃ¡ÂºÂt.

In 1257, Crown Prince TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng witnessed the first Mongol invasion in Vietnam. In the beginning, ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât's army suffered several defeats by the Mongols, who had already conquered a vast area in Asia. Several high-ranking officials of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty were so frightened that Prince KhÃÂ¢m ThiÃÂªn TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt HiÃ¡Â»Âu, younger brother of ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng, even suggested to the Emperor that they might escape from ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât to Song China. But because of the firm faith of Emperor ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng, Grand Chancellor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃ¡Â»Â§ ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â, and the talents of generals such as Prince HÃÂ°ng ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡o TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n and LÃÂª PhÃ¡Â»Â¥ TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n, the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty was able to repulse the invasion and ultimately re-establish peace in ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât in December 1257.

Returning to the capital ThÃÂng Long, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng decided to cede the throne to Crown Prince TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n HoÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng, now TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng, on the 24th day of the second lunar month (March 30), 1258. After the coronation, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng changed the era name to ThiÃ¡Â»Âu Long (; 1258Ã¢ÂÂ1272). During his reign, the Emperor had one more era name, BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o PhÃÂ¹ (; 1273Ã¢ÂÂ1278). Although passing the throne to his son, ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng continued to rule the country with ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng in the position of retired emperor from 1259 to his death in 1277.

As emperor

After his enthronement, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and his father began to rehabilitate both the country's economy and administrative system, which had been heavily damaged by the Mongol invasion and the troubled time at the end of the LÃÂ½ dynasty. In June 1261, the king opened an examination for scholars who wanted to be appointed as mandarins of the administrative system. The examination comprised two abilities of writing and calculating. In the royal court, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng proved to be a skilled ruler with his often right appointment of officials, such as his brother Prince ChiÃÂªu Minh TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i for the position of grand chancellor, or LÃÂª PhÃ¡Â»Â¥ TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n and Prince HÃÂ°ng ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡o TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n for the position of military commander. For members of the royal family, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng had them hire the poor to cultivate their land, thus creating social reform.

In March 1266, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng ordered his first imperial examination to be carried out, in which more than 50 scholars were chosen for high-ranking positions in the royal court and administrative system of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât. For the purpose of educating more scholars for the royal court, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng permitted his brother TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c to open a private school at the latter's palace due to his intellectual ability. Several prominent future mandarins of the royal court, including MÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c ÃÂÃÂ©nh Chi or BÃÂ¹i PhÃÂ³ng, were trained in this school. At the same time, the Emperor also reinforced ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât's army by several recruitments, and by reorganizing the military to improve its efficiency. In addition, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng always kept a vigilant eye on the northern border by sending several scout units to learn about military actions of the Yuan dynasty, the potential threat against ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât.

After the death of Retired Emperor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡i TÃÂ´ng on April 1, 1277 (in the lunar calendar), TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng officially began his reign as the sole ruler of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât, but he decided to pass the throne to Crown Prince TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KhÃÂ¢m, now TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng, only one year later. He took up the post of retired emperor on the 22nd day of the tenth lunar month (November 8), 1278.<Ref name=calendar> The second option on the left tab allows for the lunar date to be entered on the top green row, and gives a conversion to Gregorian date, and vice versa.</ref>

Negotiations with Kublai

In 1268, the Yuan court sent Hulonghaiya to the Vietnamese capital to replace Nanladin as overseer of Annam with his assistant Zhang Tingzhen. The next year Zhang replaced Hulonghaiya as overseer while holding the prestigious title of Grant Master for the Court Precedence. Arriving in the Vietnamese capital ThÃÂng Long, Zhang delivered Kublai Khan's edict, but king ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng stood (rather than kowtowed) to receive it. Zhang accused the king of maintaining connections with the Song dynasty in Southern China, and threatened him with Yuan military forces Ã¢ÂÂ a million Yuan troops who were besieging Xiangyang "could reach ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât" in less than two months. According to Chinese sources, this scared the Vietnamese king and made him kowtow to the edict. The king nonetheless had more complaints which can be seen in his dialogue with Zhang. After few sentences, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng felt increasingly angry. Hence he ordered guards to draw their swords and surround Zhang to threaten him. Seeing this, Zhang untied his bow and sword and lay them down on the floor in middle of the hall, saying: "See what you can do to me!". The Vietnamese king and his guards were impressed with Zhang's courage.

In 1269, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng memorialized the Yuan court that the two Muslim merchants had died, so he would send two large elephants demanded by Huilonghaiya in the proper tribute year. In the next year, the Secretariat of the Yuan sent to the Vietnamese king a message, quoting the words from the Spring and Autumn Annals to chastise him for not "having kowtowed to the imperial edict; for having treated the emissary of the Son of Heaven (Kublai) improperly; for having presented bad-tasting medicine; and for having dishonest in the matter of the Muslim merchants." TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng refused these accusations in his letter written in Classical Chinese to Kublai next year (1271). In the next two years, Kublai sent new overseers to ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât, demanded for searching the lost copper columns of Ma Yuan which erected after the Trung sisters' rebellion was suppressed in 43 AD, and once again wanted TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng to be presented in Dadu in person. He refused.

As retired emperor

Second Mongol invasion

In 1279, the Yuan dynasty decisively defeated the Song dynasty in the Battle of Yamen, which marked the end of the Song dynasty and began the total control of Kublai Khan over China. As a result, Kublai Khan began to expose his attempt to take over the southern countries like ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât or Champa. Aware of the situation, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng began to prepare the military for the obvious and inevitable war while trying to maintain a flexible policy towards the Yuan dynasty. Prince ChiÃÂªu VÃÂn TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt DuÃ¡ÂºÂt was appointed with the task of pacifying the revolt led by TrÃ¡Â»Ânh GiÃÂ¡c MÃ¡ÂºÂt in ÃÂÃÂ Giang by diplomatic means to keep the country stable before the war. With his knowledge of the minority people's language and culture, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt DuÃ¡ÂºÂt successfully accomplished his task in 1278; the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty was hence free to deal with the threat from the north. In October 1282, Retired Emperor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and Emperor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng gathered all members of the royal family, the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n clan, and officials at the royal court in BÃÂ¬nh Than to discuss the unavoidable war. Two prominent generals of the ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât army who were noticed on this occasion were TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KhÃÂ¡nh DÃÂ°, the former commander of the army but who was deprived of all titles after his guilt, and TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n, a marquis who was only sixteen years old. In 1283, Prince HÃÂ°ng ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡o TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n was appointed the commander-in-chief () of the ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât army, and the Retired Emperor and the Emperor began to hold military exercises with their generals and troops.

In December 1284, the second Yuan invasion of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât began under the command of Kublai Khan's son Toghan. ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât was attacked from two directions, with Toghan himself commanding the infantry's invasion from the northern border while the Yuan navy under General Sogetu advanced from the southern border through Champan territory. At the beginning of the war, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng ordered the army to retreat to avoid pressure from the Yuan force when Prince ChiÃÂªu Minh TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i commanded troops try to stop Sogetu's fleet in the NghÃ¡Â»Â An Province. During this time, several high-ranking officials and members of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n royal family defected to Yuan forces, including ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng's own brother Prince ChiÃÂªu QuÃ¡Â»Âc TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c, and TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KiÃ¡Â»Ân, who was the son of Prince TÃÂ©nh QuÃ¡Â»Âc TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc Khang. For the safety of ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng's retreat, Princess An TÃÂ° was offered as a gift and a diversion for Toghan, while Marquis BÃ¡ÂºÂ£o NghÃÂ©a TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n BÃÂ¬nh TrÃ¡Â»Âng was captured and later killed in the Battle of ÃÂÃÂ MÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c while defending the two emperors. At the southern border, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i was also forced to retreat under the pressure of Sogetu's navy and the defection of the governor of Nghe An. Despite the repeated problems, the royal family and royal court of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty maintained their harmony and determination owing to favourable decisions and actions from ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng, NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n and TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i.

The critical situation of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty began to change after their victory at the Battle of HÃÂ m TÃ¡Â»Â in April 1285, where troops commanded by TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt DuÃ¡ÂºÂt, Prince ChiÃÂªu ThÃÂ nh, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc ToÃ¡ÂºÂ£n, and NguyÃ¡Â»Ân KhoÃÂ¡i were finally able to defeat Sogetu's fleet. On May 10, 1285 (in the lunar calendar), TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i fought a decisive battle at ChÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng DÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng where Yuan's navy was almost destroyed; the balance on the battlefield tilted definitively in favour of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty. Ten days after Sogetu was killed, Emperor NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng and Retired Emperor ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng returned to the capital, ThÃÂng Long, on June 6, 1285 (in the lunar calendar).

Third Mongol invasion

In March 1287, the Yuan dynasty launched their third invasion of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât. Unlike in the second attack, Prince HÃÂ°ng ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡o TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n, the commander-in-chief, affirmed that ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât's army could easily break the Yuan military campaign. Indeed, this invasion ended one year later with a disastrous defeat of the Yuan navy at the Battle of BÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ch ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ±ng on March 8, 1288 (in the lunar calendar). Besides TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n, other notable generals of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty during this time included Prince NhÃÂ¢n HuÃ¡Â»Â TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KhÃÂ¡nh DÃÂ°, who destroyed the Yuan navy's logistics convoy at the Battle of VÃÂ¢n ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ân, and General PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡m NgÃÂ© LÃÂ£o, who was responsible for ambushing Toghan's retreating troops.

In rewarding generals and mandarins TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty after the victory, ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng and NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng also reminded them to be cautious of the northern border. The Emperor also issued an order in which the family name of every defector from the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n clan was changed to Mai Ã¢ÂÂ TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KiÃ¡Â»Ân, for instance, was renamed Mai KiÃ¡Â»Ân. As the only prince from the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n clan who defected, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c was exempt from this requirement, but was referred to in historical accounts of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty by the name "Ã¡ÂºÂ¢ TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n" ('the woman named TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n'), implying that TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c was as cowardly as a woman.

Retired Emperor TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng died on May 25, 1290 (in the lunar calendar), at the age of 50. He was buried in DÃ¡Â»Â¥ LÃÂng with the posthumous name HuyÃ¡Â»Ân cÃÂ´ng thÃ¡Â»Ânh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â©c nhÃÂ¢n minh vÃÂn vÃÂ© tuyÃÂªn hiÃ¡ÂºÂ¿u hoÃÂ ng ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¿ (Ã§ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂÃ§ÂÂÃ¥Â¾Â·Ã¤Â»ÂÃ¦ÂÂÃ¦ÂÂÃ¦ÂÂ¦Ã¥Â®Â£Ã¥ÂÂÃ§ÂÂÃ¥Â¸Â).

Family

TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng had one consort, Empress ThiÃÂªn CÃ¡ÂºÂ£m TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThiÃ¡Â»Âu, the fifth daughter of his uncle TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n LiÃ¡Â»Âu. ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng's first son, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KhÃÂ¢m, was born on November 11, 1258 (in the lunar calendar), only eight months after the Emperor's enthronement; he was entitled as Crown Prince in December 1274. His second son, Prince TÃÂ¡ ThiÃÂªn TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â©c ViÃ¡Â»Âp, was born in 1265. TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng's only daughter was Princess ThiÃÂªn ThÃ¡Â»Â¥y, who married to Prince HÃÂ°ng VÃÂ© TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc NghiÃ¡Â»Ân, son of TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n QuÃ¡Â»Âc TuÃ¡ÂºÂ¥n. She had an adulterous affair with General TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n KhÃÂ¡nh DÃÂ°, which almost led to the latter's death by order of the Emperor. Princess ThiÃÂªn ThÃ¡Â»Â¥y and her younger brother TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃÂ¢n TÃÂ´ng died on the same day, November 3, 1308 (in the lunar calendar).

Legacy

The LÃÂª dynasty historian NgÃÂ´ SÃÂ© LiÃÂªn praised TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng as one of the finest monarchs of the TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n dynasty, as not only a righteous ruler, but also a dutiful son, kind-hearted brother and father with sense of responsibility who was credited for the stability of both the royal family and the whole country. ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng's successful reign was the foundation for the subsequent long period of prosperity and peace in ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¡i ViÃ¡Â»Ât. Moreover, like his brother TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n Quang KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£i, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ÃÂch TÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c and TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n NhÃ¡ÂºÂt DuÃ¡ÂºÂt, TrÃ¡ÂºÂ§n ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng was a renowned scholar. ThÃÂ¡nh TÃÂ´ng taught his princes with his own poems, and he also had a literary work named Di hÃ¡ÂºÂu lÃ¡Â»Â¥c. As a Confucian historian, NgÃÂ´ SÃÂ© LiÃÂªn did, however, sometimes criticize the Emperor for his devotion for Buddhism, which was seen as not being suitable for a person in a high position like him.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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