Trần HưngĐạo
Trần Hưng Đạo (陳興 道) (* around 1228 ; † 1300 ) was a Vietnamese general during the Trần dynasty . He was born as Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻). His numerous victories over the Yuan Dynasty under Kublai Khan are considered to be the most important military successes in the history of Vietnam .
Trần Quốc Tuấn was the son of Trần Liễu , whose younger brother Trần Cảnh became the first emperor of the Trần dynasty . Since the marriage between Trần Cảnh and the last empress of the Lý dynasty Lý Chiêu Hoàng remained childless, his uncle Trần Thủ Độ Trần Liễu's wife, who was three months pregnant , forced him to marry him. With this Trần Thủ Độ wanted to consolidate the throne for the Trầns. Since Trần Liễu's rebellion against Trần Cảnh was unsuccessful during his lifetime, he looked for the best teachers to teach his son Trần Quốc Tuấn. On his deathbed he gave him the task of conquering the empire for his own family. Trần Quốc Tuấn (known as Trần Hưng Đạo) turned out to be a clever man, but instead of following his father's words, he considered the welfare of the empire more important. A talented military strategist, he held all military power in his hands, but was always loyal to the emperor. Together with his cousin Trần Quang Khải (son of Trần Cảnh) he was one of the first ministers of the Đại Việt Empire .
Trần Hưng Đạo was known for being able to recognize the talents of his fellow campaigners and to use them. At that time he was served by well-known men in politics and the military such as Phạm Ngũ Lão , Trương Hán Siêu, Phạm Lãm, Ngô Sĩ Thường, Nguyễn Thế Trực.
Between 1257 and 1288 the Mongols under Kublai Khan tried in three invasions to conquer the Reichi Việt and Champa empires , but failed in all three attempts. They suffered their last crushing defeat in 1284 in the Bạch-Đằng River in the Red River Delta. Trần Hưng Đạo made use of a ruse that Ngô Quyền had already used in 938 to liberate the empire from Chinese rule and thus make it independent from China for the first time. He had stakes erected in the river bed and lured the heavy Mongolian junks into the delta in small boats. When the tide set in, the Mongolian junks were destroyed. The Battle of the Bạch-Đằng River went down in Vietnamese history as a major military battle. This made Trần Hưng Đạo a Vietnamese folk hero. (To be read in Volume 23 of the American Colliers Encyclopedia under Vietnam History)
Trần Hưng Đạo wrote down his military strategies in the works " Binh thư yếu lược " and " Vạn kiếp tông bí truyền thư ", but these were lost.
He was of the opinion that a happy people and good, benevolent leadership of the troops form the basis for a powerful, united country.
After his death in 1300, the emperor named him " Hưng Đạo Vương " (royal title), so he went down in Vietnamese history as Trần Hưng Đạo.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Trần HưngĐạo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Vietnamese general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1228 |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1300 |