In May 1380,Trần's army under the command of HồQuýLy had the first victory over Champa's troops in Thanh Hóa. After this point,general ĐỗTửBình resigned from the position of highest commander of Tran army and thus HồQuýLy began to hold all civil and military power in royal court. [7] Despite another victory by the troops of general Nguyễn Đa Phương in February 1382,Trần Dynasty had to suffer a severe attack from ChếBồng Nga in June 1383 which made NghệTông fled from capital Thăng Long in spite of the begging advice to stay from his mandarins. This decision of NghệTông was heavily criticized by the historian NgôSĩLiên in his work Đại Việt sửkítoàn thư as a "coward decision". [3] [9] In the northern border,Ming dynasty also began to expose their ambition of invading southern kingdoms like Đại Việt and Champa. [10]
Facing the unstoppable rise of HồQuýLy in royal court,PhếĐếplotted with minister Trần Ngạc to reduce HồQuýLy's power but HồQuýLy already got ahead of this plot by a defamation campaign against the Emperor which ultimately made NghệTông decide to dethrone and downgrade PhếĐếto Prince Linh Đức in December 1388. [11] [12] Some loyal generals of PhếĐếtried to bring troops in royal palace to overturn this decision,but they were stopped by PhếĐếhimself soon before his forced suicide by the order of NghệTông. On December 27 of Lunar calendar,1387,NghệTông passed the throne to his youngest son Trần Ngung,now Trần Thuận Tông,who was only eleven. In the meantime,HồQuýLy faction purged PhếĐế's supporters so that HồQuýLy became the most powerful man in royal court. [13] After the coronation,Thuận Tông had PhếĐếburied at An Bài Mountain. [14]
Trần PhếĐếhad one wife,Queen Quang Loan,who was NghệTông's daughter,and one son,Prince Thuận Đức. [15]
The Trần dynasty,,officially Great Việt,was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled from 1225 to 1400. The dynasty was founded when emperor Trần Thái Tông ascended to the throne after his uncle Trần ThủĐộorchestrated the overthrow of the Lýdynasty. The Trần dynasty defeated three Mongol invasions,most notably during the decisive Battle of Bạch Đằng River in 1288. The final emperor of the dynasty was Thiếu Đế,who was forced to abdicate the throne in 1400,at the age of five years old in favor of his maternal grandfather,HồQuýLy.
Po Binasuor,Ngo-ta Ngo-che,Cei Bunga,ChếBồng Nga ruled Champa from 1360–1390 CE. He was also known as The Red King in Vietnamese stories. He is differed from Po Binnasuar,the king of Panduranga from 1316-1361.
Trần Nhân Tông,personal name Trần Khâm,temple name Nhân Tông,was the third emperor of the Trần dynasty,reigning over Đại Việt from 1278 to 1293. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Anh Tông,Nhân Tông held the title Emperor Emeritus from 1294 to his death in 1308. During the second and third Mongol invasions of Đại Việt,the Emperor Nhân Tông and his father the Emperor Emeritus Thánh Tông were credited with the decisive victory against the Yuan dynasty and would thenceforth establish a long period of peace and prosperity over the country.
Trần Thánh Tông,personal name Trần Hoảng (陳晃),was the second emperor of the Trần dynasty,reigning over Đại Việt from 1258 to 1278. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Nhân Tông,Thánh Tông held the title of retired emperor from 1279 until his death in 1290. During the second and the third Mongol invasions of Đại Việt,Retired Emperor Thánh Tông and Emperor Nhân Tông 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,Trần Thánh Tông was considered one of the greatest emperors of not only the Trần dynasty but also the whole dynastic era in the history of Vietnam.
HồQuýLy ruled Đại Ngu (Vietnam) from 1400 to 1401 as the founding emperor of the short-lived Hồdynasty. QuýLy rose from a post as an official served the court of the ruling Trần dynasty and a military general fought against the Cham forces during the Cham–Vietnamese War (1367–1390). After his military defeat in the Ming Conquest of Dai Ngu (1406–1407),he and his son were captured as prisoners and were exiled to China,while the Dai Viet Empire became the thirteenth province of Ming Empire.
Trần Minh Tông,real name Trần Mạnh (陳奣),was the fifth emperor of the Trần dynasty who ruled Đại Việt from 1314 to 1329. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Hiến Tông,Minh Tông held the title of Retired Emperor for 29 years. As the last emperor in the prosperous period of Trần dynasty,Minh Tông was known for his successful reign of Đại Việt with the assistance of many talented mandarins. Minh Tông was also the longest-reigning retired emperor in history of Vietnam when he acted as a regent and co-ruled with Hiến Tông and DụTông. His death marked a significant turning point in the history of the Trần Dynasty,as the country began to decline and soon fell into troubled times.
Duke Hôn Đức,real name Dương Nhật Lễ (楊日禮),was the emperor of Đại Việt from 1369 to 1370. Although not coming from the Trần clan,Dương Nhật Lễwas ceded the throne of the Trần Dynasty by an edict of Emperor Trần DụTông shortly before his death. During his short reign,Dương Nhật Lễtried to change his family name back to Dương,which enraged members of the royal family and ultimately resulted in his deposal and death and the coronation of Trần NghệTông. The rise and fall of Dương Nhật Lễwas the starting point for a series of chaotic events in the royal court that led to the collapse of the Trần Dynasty.
Trần NghệTông,given name Trần Phủ (陳暊),was the eighth emperor of the Trần dynasty who reigned Vietnam from 1370 to 1372.
Trần DuệTông,real name Trần Kính (陳曔),was the ninth emperor of the Trần dynasty who reigned Vietnam from 1373 to 1377. DuệTông succeeded the throne from his brother Trần NghệTông who was credited with the re-establishment of Trần clan's ruling in Vietnam from Hôn Đức Công. During his short-lived reign,DuệTông had to witness the rising of HồQuýLy in the imperial court and several consecutive attacks in Vietnam from ChếBồng Nga,king of Champa. In 1377 DuệTông decided to personally command a major military campaign against Champa,this campaign was ended by the disastrous defeat of Trần's army in Battle of Vijaya where DuệTông himself was killed in action with many other high-ranking mandarins and generals of Vietnam. DuệTông's death was one of the main events that led to the collapse of Trần Dynasty in 1400.
Trần Thuận Tông,given name Trần Ngung,was the eleventh emperor of the Trần dynasty who reigned in Đại Việt from 1388 to 1398. He was chosen to succeed to this position by his father,the Retired Emperor Trần NghệTông,after NghệTông decided to dethrone and force Trần PhếĐếto commit suicide. Although holding the position emperor for ten years and retired emperor for one more year,Thuận Tông's reign was totally under the control of NghệTông and HồQuýLy. It was HồQuýLy who obliged Thuận Tông to change the capital from Thăng Long to Thanh Hóa,HồQuýLy was also responsible for the resignation of Thuận Tông as emperor and his death afterward. Only one year after Thuận Tông's death,the Trần dynasty collapsed while HồQuýLy established his own dynasty,the Hồdynasty.
Trần Thiếu Đế,was the twelfth and the last emperor of the Trần dynasty who reigned over Vietnam from 1398 to 1400.
Trần Thừa was the head of the Trần clan and a high-ranking mandarin during the reign of LýHuệTông and LýChiêu Hoàng. After the overthrow of the Lýdynasty by Trần ThủĐộ,Trần Thừa's second son Trần Cảnh was enthroned as Trần Thái Tông,the first emperor of the Trần dynasty. Being the Emperor's father,Trần Thừa was honoured by the title Retired Emperor and given the temple name Trần Thái Tổ after his death. He was thus the first retired emperor of the Trần dynasty and the only one who had not held the throne.
Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải (1241–1294) was the third son of Trần Thái Tông,first emperor of the Trần dynasty of Vietnam. Being the younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and holding the position of grand chancellor of the Trần dynasty for many years,Trần Quang Khải was one of the most important figures of the Trần family and the royal court during the reigns of emperors Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông. In the second war of resistance against the Mongol invasion,Trần Quang Khải and Trần Hưng Đạo were two key commanders of the Đại Việt army who helped the Emperor defeat the troops of Kublai Khan's son prince Toghan. Besides his military and administrative activities,Prince Chiêu Minh was also a famous poet and was credited as the creator of the dance of flowers. Today,Trần Quang Khải is still considered one of the most famous historical figures of the Trần dynasty and is worshiped in several temples in Vietnam.
Prince Tĩnh Quốc Trần Quốc Khang (1237–1300) was the first prince of the Emperor Trần Thái Tông,the eldest brother of Trần Thánh Tông and princes Trần Quang Khải,Trần Ích Tắc and Trần Nhật Duật. Although a son of Thái Tông in name,Trần Quốc Khang's father was actually Prince Hoài Trần Liễu,who was forced by grand chancellor Trần ThủĐộto give up his wife,Princess Thuận Thiên,to his younger brother Thái Tông when she was already pregnant with Trần Quốc Khang. For this reason,Trần Quốc Khang was not chosen as successor of Thái Tông for the throne,and he did not have a significant role in royal court either,as his younger brothers did. Afterwards he was appointed as governor of NghệAn,a position that his descendants inherited. Since Trần Quốc Khang was in fact a son of Trần Liễu,he was also a natural brother of general Trần Hưng Đạo,commander-in-chief of Đại Việt army.
Emperor LýAnh Tông of Đại Việt was the sixth emperor of the later Lýdynasty,from 1138 until his death in 1175. Since LýAnh Tông,given name LýThiên Tộ,was chosen as the successor of his father LýThần Tông at the age of only two,the early period of his reign witnessed the dominant position of ĐỗAnh Vũin the royal court until his death in 1157,afterwards the Emperor ruled the country with the assistance of a prominent official named TôHiến Thành. The reign of LýAnh Tông was considered the last relatively stable period of the Lýdynasty before the turbulence during the reign of LýCao Tông.
TôHiến Thành was an official in the royal court of LýAnh Tông and LýCao Tông,the sixth and seventh emperors of the Lýdynasty. Being a capable official of LýAnh Tông who helped the emperor in civil and military matters,TôHiến Thành was chosen by LýAnh Tông for the regentship of his son LýLong Trát. He was granted the title Prince and thus became the only possessor of the title who did not come from the Lýroyal family. The achievements and loyalty of TôHiến Thành to the infant emperor LýCao Tông made him a highly praised figure in the history of Vietnam. Today,TôHiến Thành is considered one of the most prominent mandarins in the dynastic time of Vietnam.
Dương ThịNgọc Vân courtesy name Vân Nga (雲娥) was the only empress dowager of the Đinh dynasty and afterwards empress of LêĐại Hành,the first emperor of the Early Lêdynasty. When her husband Đinh Tiên Hoàng was assassinated in 979,Dương Vân Nga became the Empress Dowager of the Đinh dynasty as her son Đinh PhếĐếsucceeded the throne. During the short-lived reign of Đinh PhếĐế,Dương Vân Nga and the general LêHoàn jointly held the regentship for the 6-year-old emperor,later it was Dương Vân Nga and general Phạm CựLượng who decided to cede the Đinh dynasty's throne for LêHoàn in 980 so that Đại CồViệt could stand the Song dynasty's invasion with a capable ruler. Subsequently,LêHoàn entitled Dương Vân Nga as his empress,hence she became the first woman in the history of Vietnam to be married to two emperors.
Following is the family tree of Vietnamese monarchs from the autonomous period of the Khúc clan (905–923) to the reign of Bảo Đại (1926–1945),the last emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty. Emperors,kings and lords of each monarch are denoted by different colours with the period of their reigns.
The Champa–Đại Việt War (1367–1390) was a costly military confrontation fought between the Đại Việt kingdom under the ruling Trần dynasty and the kingdom of Champa led by the King of ChếBồng Nga in the late 14th century,from 1367 to 1390. By 1330s,Đại Việt and Khmer Empire both felt into swiftly declining due to climate changes,population expansion,widespread bubonic plague,famines and many other factions,which contributed to Champa's resurgence of the 14th century. In 1360,ChếBồng Nga,son of king ChếA Nan was enthroned as king of Champa,reunited the Chams under his banner,and in 1367 he demanded Trần DụTông the return of two former provinces Ôand Lýto Champa. Declined to this demand,Trần DụTông sent an army to strike Champa but was repulsed.