Former Lê dynasty

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The earlier Lê dynasty (also early or older Lê dynasty , vietn. Nhà Tiền Lê or Triều Tiền Lê , chữ Hán : 前 黎 朝) was the third Vietnamese ruling dynasty after the end of the approximately millennial Chinese rule . She ruled from 980 to 1009, the capital was Hoa Lư . Like the previous Ngô and Đinh dynasties , the earlier Lê dynasty was extremely short-lived and collapsed just a few years after the death of the dynasty founder Lê Hoàn ; the Lý dynasty succeeded them.

The addition “earlier” ( tiền ) serves to distinguish it from the later reigning Lê dynasty (1428–1788).

Promotion and military success

Around the year 968, Đinh Bộ L imnh gained power in the country and founded the Đinh dynasty. He moved the capital to Hoa Lư , gave his empire the name Đại Cồ Vi undt and was the first Vietnamese to become emperor. His most important followers were Nguyễn Bặc , who organized state affairs at court as Chancellor, and Lê Hoàn , who as commander in the plain of the Red River ( Giao ) was responsible for most of the military.

In 979 the emperor and two of his three sons were murdered. The new emperor was the remaining son, the only about five-year-old Đinh Toàn , for whom his mother Dương Vân Nga ruled . This brought Lê Hoàn to her side, the two probably also had a love affair. There was now a power struggle between Lê Hoàn, Dương Vân Nga and Phạm Cự Lạng on the one hand and Chancellor Nguyễn Bặc, Đinh Điền and Phạm Hạp on the other. However, Lê Hoàn was able to prevail quickly and kill his enemies. At the same time, Ngô Nhật Khánh, who once fled into exile from Đinh Bộ Lĩnh, returned from Champa with an invasion fleet , but drowned in a storm.

A little later, however, it became known that the Chinese Empire under the new Song dynasty had taken the events as an opportunity to send an invading army to Vietnam. The Song had previously temporarily recognized Đinh Bộ Lĩnh's rule because they had been employed elsewhere, but now the opportunity seemed favorable to them to reintegrate Vietnam into the imperial administration by means of military power.

In Hoa Lư the general Phạm Cự Lạng stormed into the palace and declared that the troops would not be ready to go into battle for a child and to sacrifice their life. The imperial mother Dương Vân Nga therefore handed over the imperial insignia to Lê Hoàn, who thus ascended the throne as emperor and thus founded the earlier Lê dynasty in 980. A little later he married the imperial mother and took her son, the previous emperor, into his family. In contrast to earlier and later dynasty changes, there was no upheaval in the state.

As a first task, Lê Hoàn prepared the troops for the Chinese attack. In 981 he succeeded in inflicting greater losses on the Chinese in two battles and in ambushing them to such an extent that the Song generals finally retreated. Then he turned south against the Champa Empire and destroyed its capital. After his power was secured, his accession to the throne was finally recognized by the Song Emperor Taizong .

But this did not begin a time of peace; Lê Hoàn spent most of his reign with campaigns against insurgents in the "uncivilized" (only marginally Sinic) southern provinces ( Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An ).

Struggle for succession

Lê Hoàn had numerous children. He bestowed the title of prince ( v ) ng ) on eleven of his biological sons, one adopted son and the deposed Đinh Toàn (who died early ). The oldest three remained at the court in Hoa Lư by the father's side. The other princes were given their own fiefs at a young age, which they should manage as successfully as possible with the help of advisers. This system - whether intentional or not - soon led to competition between the sons for successors. The fiefdoms of the fourth, fifth and sixth son were fortresses to defend the plain of the Red River and thus places of great strategic importance.

In the year 1000, the eldest son and previous Crown Prince Lê Long Thâu died . The fifth son Lê Long Đĩnh , who, despite his age of only fifteen, was already a strong leader, urged his father to appoint him the new Crown Prince. Lê Hoàn was initially inclined to grant him this wish, but then let his advisors change his mind: The second son Lê Long Tích , the third son Lê Long Việt and Lê Long Đĩnh all three received the crown prince title, with Lê ​​Long Việt should take precedence in succession to the throne.

After Lê Hoàn's death in 1005, there was, as expected, a war of succession between the sons, with the main conflict initially being between the eldest two Lê Long Tích and Lê Long Việt. Lê Long Tích was defeated and killed while trying to escape. Lê Long Việt then moved victoriously into Hoa Lư and was crowned emperor there. Three days later he was murdered by Lê Long Đĩnh.

After taking power in the capital, Lê Long Đĩnh moved north again to subjugate his other brothers. He had the last serious competitor, Lê Long Kính , executed. With 19 years he had secured the throne.

According to the later Vietnamese historians, he soon developed into a sadistic and pleasure-seeking tyrant. When he was not campaigning against insurgents, he celebrated excessive feasts, during which prisoners were slowly tortured to death for his entertainment. His dissolute lifestyle led to a rapid deterioration in his health, and soon he could no longer even sit upright. In 1009, after only four years of reign, he died at the age of 24.

The earlier Lê dynasty ended with the death of Lê Long Đĩnh. His son was still a toddler who was ignored in the succession to the throne. Instead , the new emperor was Lý Công Uẩn , the monk-trained commander of the palace guard. Lý Công Uẩn was originally a follower of Lê Long Việts, but continued his career under Lê Long Đĩnh even after his assassination. As the health of the latter deteriorated and an imminent death was foreseeable, the monks from the plain of the Red River, under the leadership of Vạn Hạnh, created a massive mood for Lý Công Uẩn in the population and presented him as a kind of prophesied successor The dying Lê Long Đĩnh watched helplessly as his dynasty lost all support. After his death, Lý Công Uẩn was declared the new emperor by the chief court official Đào Cam Mộc without any resistance worth mentioning, which marked the beginning of the long-lived Lý dynasty . As one of his first official acts, the emperor moved the capital to Đại La , which was given the new name Thăng Long - today's Hanoi .

Culture

Despite the almost permanent state of war, the reign of the Former Lê was also a time of cultural progress: the promotion and organization of religion begun by Đinh Bộ Lĩnh continued, and the traditional indigenous beliefs were increasingly supplemented by more complex Buddhist , Confucian and Daoist teachings. In 1007 Lê Long Đĩnh sent a diplomatic mission to the Song Imperial Court to obtain the scriptures of the Buddhist canon .

The Buddhist monasteries gained significantly in influence. They administered extensive estates, assisted the monarch in diplomacy with China, and recruited capable personnel for his court. In addition, they offered larger population groups access to education for the first time. Important monks were Pháp Thuận and the aforementioned Vạn Hạnh , both of whom belonged to the Zen school ( Vietnamese Thiền ), as well as Khuông Việt . The latter is considered the first Vietnamese poet, as he regularly exchanged poems with the Song envoy Li Jiao ( Lý Giác ); his traditional farewell poem is considered to be one of the first works of Sino- Vietnamese literature . Even the dignitaries at court had already mastered the literary arts. The written language was Chữ Hán , classical Chinese . The spoken Vietnamese , however, was only used in written form ( Chữ Nôm ) several centuries later .

Monarchs of the Former Lê Dynasty

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ KW Taylor : A History of the Vietnamese , Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 48–57
  2. ↑ KW Taylor: A History of the Vietnamese , Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 57–61
  3. ↑ KW Taylor: A History of the Vietnamese , Cambridge University Press, 2013, pp. 49, 55/56, 59/60;
    Danny J. Whitfield: Historical and Cultural Dictionary of Vietnam , Scarecrow Press, 1976, p. 79 (entry Early Lê Dynasty );
    Philippe Langlet, Dominique de Miscault: Un livre des moines bouddhistes dans le Việt Nam d'autrefois: l'école de l'esprit (Thiện tông) aux Xe-XIIe siècles , Aquilon, Paris 2005, p. 137;
    Upendra Thakur: Indian Missionaries in the Land of Gold , Kashi Prasad Jayaswal Research Institute, Patna 1986, p. 89.