Mai Thúc Loan
Encyclopedia
Mai Thúc Loan
Mai Thúc Loan (or Mai Huyền Thành (梅玄成), titled Mai Hắc Đế (梅黑帝, literally Mai the Black Emperor), was the Vietnamese
leader of the 722 uprising against the rule of the Tang Dynasty
in the region of Hoan and Ái provinces (now Thanh Hóa
and Nghệ An of Vietnam
). Regarded as one of the major rebellions of Vietnamese people during the Third Chinese domination, the uprising of Mai Thúc Loan succeeded in capturing the capital Tống Bình (now Hanoi
) of the Tang protectorate and Mai Thúc Loan thus became Mai Hắc Đế, the emperor of the independent region for a short time before being put down by the military campaign after the order of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
. Today Mai Thúc Loan is praised as one of the early national heroes in the history of Vietnam
who contributed for the struggle for independence of the country.
, the date of birth of Mai Thúc Loan was unknown but he was from the Mai Phụ village, now Thạch Hà District, Hà Tĩnh
. In the Basic Records of the New Book of Tang
, his name was Mai Thúc Loan while in the Book of Tang
the name was recorded as Mai Huyền Thành and the one in the Zizhi Tongjian
was Mai Thúc Yên.
. Mai Thúc Loan's army of laborers was quickly followed by people of the Hoan and Ái provinces (now Thanh Hóa
and Nghệ An of Vietnam). Based on the mountainous and bushy region of Sa Nam – Rú Đụn near the Lam River
, the uprising united with forces from Champa
and Chân Lạp in fighting against the Chinese troops of the Tang Dynasty and eventually succeeded in occupying both Hoan and Ái provinces. After the insurgent army took down the capital Tống Bình (now Hanoi
) and forced the Tang governor Guang Suo Ge to flee to China, Mai Thúc Loan was proclaimed the emperor of the independent region, he was called Mai Hắc Đế (Mai the Black Emperor) and decided to establish his new capital in the citadel of Vạn An (now Nghệ An) with stronghold and palaces. According to Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục, the title Black Emperor originated from his distinctively dark skin colour. At the end of 722, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
ordered his generals with about 10,000 soldiers to put down the rebellion of Mai Thúc Loan. Could not stand the overwhelming opponent, Mai Thúc Loan was defeated, took refuge in the mountains and subsequently died in 723, thus ended the uprising.
The traditional record about Mai Thúc Loan's uprising in historical books of Vietnamese dynasties was brief, for example the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư of Ngô Sĩ Liên
only acknowledged that there was a rebellion led by the rebel leader Mai Thúc Loan in 722 with the said army of 30,000 soldiers with allies from Champa, Lâm Ấp and that the rebellion was quickly pacified by Tang troops. In Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục, the total number of Mai Thúc Loan's forces was 40,000 but the compilers of the book expressed their doubt about this number and thought that it might be made by Tang generals who wanted to emphasize their victory over the uprising with the Emperor Xuanzong. While Đại Việt sử ký
and Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư only regarded Mai Thúc Loan as a rebel (giặc) of the Tang authority, Ngô Thì Sĩ in Đại Việt sử ký tiền biên, compiled during the Tây Sơn Dynasty
, praised the uprising as a symbol of the independent spirit of Vietnamese people and thus criticized Lê Văn Hưu
and Ngô Sĩ Liên for misjudging the real value of Mai Thúc Loan's rebellion.
who contributed for the struggle for independence of the country. In the site of his ancient citadel of Vạn An, people erected a temple to worship Mai Thúc Loan and he was considered being equal with other Vietnamese emperors although his rule was short-lived and he was not officially called an emperor of Vietnam in dynastic historical books. According to folk legend, Mai Thúc Loan had a daughter named Mai Thị Cầu and a son named Mai Kỳ Sơn who followed their father in fighting against the Tang Dynasty, today there still remains a shrine to worship Mai Thị Cầu and Mai Kỳ Sơn in Haiphong
where people hold an annual festival in the third lunar month to celebrate the deeds of Mai Thúc Loan's children. A street of Hanoi and several places in Vietnam are named in honour of Mai Thúc Loan.
Mai Thúc Loan (or Mai Huyền Thành (梅玄成), titled Mai Hắc Đế (梅黑帝, literally Mai the Black Emperor), was the Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
leader of the 722 uprising against the rule of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
in the region of Hoan and Ái provinces (now Thanh Hóa
Thanh Hóa
Thanh Hóa is the capital city of Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province. The population is nearly 200,000 with an area of only 57.9 square kilometers....
and Nghệ An of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
). Regarded as one of the major rebellions of Vietnamese people during the Third Chinese domination, the uprising of Mai Thúc Loan succeeded in capturing the capital Tống Bình (now Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
) of the Tang protectorate and Mai Thúc Loan thus became Mai Hắc Đế, the emperor of the independent region for a short time before being put down by the military campaign after the order of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
. Today Mai Thúc Loan is praised as one of the early national heroes in the history of Vietnam
History of Vietnam
The history of Vietnam covers a period of more than 2,700 years. By far Vietnam's most important historical international relationship has been with China. Vietnam's prehistory includes a legend about a kingdom known as Van Lang that included what is now China's Guangxi Autonomous Region and...
who contributed for the struggle for independence of the country.
Background
According to Từ điển Bách khoa toàn thư Việt NamTừ điển Bách khoa toàn thư Việt Nam
Từ điển Bách khoa toàn thư Việt Nam is a state-sponsored encyclopedia that was published in 2005. It also is the first state encyclopedia of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam...
, the date of birth of Mai Thúc Loan was unknown but he was from the Mai Phụ village, now Thạch Hà District, Hà Tĩnh
Ha Tinh
Hà Tĩnh is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of the Ha Tinh province, in Vietnam's north central coast....
. In the Basic Records of the New Book of Tang
New Book of Tang
The New Book of Tang , is a classic work of history about the Tang Dynasty edited by Ouyang Xiu and Song Qi and other official scholars of the Song Dynasty. The emperor called for a revision of the former Book of Tang in 1044. The New Book was presented to the throne in 1060. It was given its...
, his name was Mai Thúc Loan while in the Book of Tang
Book of Tang
The Book of Tang , Jiu Tangshu or the Old Book of Tang is the first classic work about the Tang Dynasty. The book began when Gaozu of Later Jin ordered its commencement in 941...
the name was recorded as Mai Huyền Thành and the one in the Zizhi Tongjian
Zizhi Tongjian
The Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
was Mai Thúc Yên.
Uprising
In 722, Mai Thúc Loan appealed Vietnamese laborers for an uprising against the rule of the Tang DynastyTang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
. Mai Thúc Loan's army of laborers was quickly followed by people of the Hoan and Ái provinces (now Thanh Hóa
Thanh Hóa
Thanh Hóa is the capital city of Vietnam's Thanh Hoa province. The population is nearly 200,000 with an area of only 57.9 square kilometers....
and Nghệ An of Vietnam). Based on the mountainous and bushy region of Sa Nam – Rú Đụn near the Lam River
Ca River
The Cả River is a river in mainland Southeast Asia. It originates in the Loi Mountains of Laos, crossing Lao PDR's Xiangkhouang Province, Vietnam’s Nghệ An and Ha Tinh provinces and empties into the Gulf of Tonkin, on the North Central Coast of Vietnam, after a 612 km journey....
, the uprising united with forces from Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
and Chân Lạp in fighting against the Chinese troops of the Tang Dynasty and eventually succeeded in occupying both Hoan and Ái provinces. After the insurgent army took down the capital Tống Bình (now Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
) and forced the Tang governor Guang Suo Ge to flee to China, Mai Thúc Loan was proclaimed the emperor of the independent region, he was called Mai Hắc Đế (Mai the Black Emperor) and decided to establish his new capital in the citadel of Vạn An (now Nghệ An) with stronghold and palaces. According to Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục, the title Black Emperor originated from his distinctively dark skin colour. At the end of 722, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang , also commonly known as Emperor Ming of Tang , personal name Li Longji , known as Wu Longji from 690 to 705, was the seventh emperor of the Tang dynasty in China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 43 years was the longest during the Tang Dynasty...
ordered his generals with about 10,000 soldiers to put down the rebellion of Mai Thúc Loan. Could not stand the overwhelming opponent, Mai Thúc Loan was defeated, took refuge in the mountains and subsequently died in 723, thus ended the uprising.
The traditional record about Mai Thúc Loan's uprising in historical books of Vietnamese dynasties was brief, for example the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư of Ngô Sĩ Liên
Ngô Sĩ Liên
Ngô Sĩ Liên was an historian of the Lê Dynasty. He is best known for being the principal compiler of the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, a comprehensive chronicle of the history of Vietnam and the oldest official historical record of a Vietnamese dynasty that remains today...
only acknowledged that there was a rebellion led by the rebel leader Mai Thúc Loan in 722 with the said army of 30,000 soldiers with allies from Champa, Lâm Ấp and that the rebellion was quickly pacified by Tang troops. In Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục, the total number of Mai Thúc Loan's forces was 40,000 but the compilers of the book expressed their doubt about this number and thought that it might be made by Tang generals who wanted to emphasize their victory over the uprising with the Emperor Xuanzong. While Đại Việt sử ký
Đại Việt sử ký
The Đại Việt sử ký is the official historical text of the Trần Dynasty, that was compiled by the royal historian Lê Văn Hưu and was finished in 1272...
and Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư only regarded Mai Thúc Loan as a rebel (giặc) of the Tang authority, Ngô Thì Sĩ in Đại Việt sử ký tiền biên, compiled during the Tây Sơn Dynasty
Tây Son Dynasty
The name of Tây Sơn is used in many ways to refer to the period of peasant rebellions and decentralized dynasties established between the eras of the Later Lê and Nguyễn dynasties in the history of Vietnam between 1770 and 1802...
, praised the uprising as a symbol of the independent spirit of Vietnamese people and thus criticized Lê Văn Hưu
Lê Văn Hưu
Lê Văn Hưu was an historian of the Trần Dynasty. He is best known for his work the Đại Việt sử ký, the first comprehensive historical record of the history of Vietnam...
and Ngô Sĩ Liên for misjudging the real value of Mai Thúc Loan's rebellion.
Legacy
Today Mai Thúc Loan is appreciated as one of the early national heroes in the history of VietnamHistory of Vietnam
The history of Vietnam covers a period of more than 2,700 years. By far Vietnam's most important historical international relationship has been with China. Vietnam's prehistory includes a legend about a kingdom known as Van Lang that included what is now China's Guangxi Autonomous Region and...
who contributed for the struggle for independence of the country. In the site of his ancient citadel of Vạn An, people erected a temple to worship Mai Thúc Loan and he was considered being equal with other Vietnamese emperors although his rule was short-lived and he was not officially called an emperor of Vietnam in dynastic historical books. According to folk legend, Mai Thúc Loan had a daughter named Mai Thị Cầu and a son named Mai Kỳ Sơn who followed their father in fighting against the Tang Dynasty, today there still remains a shrine to worship Mai Thị Cầu and Mai Kỳ Sơn in Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
where people hold an annual festival in the third lunar month to celebrate the deeds of Mai Thúc Loan's children. A street of Hanoi and several places in Vietnam are named in honour of Mai Thúc Loan.