Tran Thanh Tong
Encyclopedia
Trần Thánh Tông given 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 Thái thượng hoàng from 1279 to his death in 1290. During the second and the third Mongol invasions
of Đại Việt, the Retired Emperor Thánh Tông and the Emperor Nhân Tông were credited as the supreme commanders who led the Trần Dynasty to the final victories and as a result established a long period of peace and prosperity over the country. With his successful ruling in both military and civil matters, Trần Thánh Tông was considered as one of the greatest emperors of not only the Trần Dynasty but also the whole dynastic era in the History of Vietnam
.
1240 as Trần Hoảng, the second prince but the first natural son of the Emperor Trần Thái Tông
and Empress Consort Thuận Thiên
. He had a half-brother on the mother's side, Prince Tĩnh Quốc (Vietnamese
: Tĩnh Quốc đại vương) Trần Quốc Khang
, who was born after the forced marriage by Trần Thủ Độ between the Emperor Nhân Tông and Princess Thuận Thiên. In fact, although being Thái Tông's first prince, Trần Quốc Khang was son of his elder brother Prince Hoài Trần Liễu
, therefore officially he was not chosen by Thái Tông as the first in line of successor, a position which ultimately belonged to prince Trần Hoảng. Besides Prince Tĩnh Quốc, Trần Hoảng had some other younger brothers including Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải
, who was also given birth by Empress Thuận Thiên, Prince Chiêu Quốc Trần Ích Tắc
or Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật
.
In 1257, Crown Prince Trần Hoảng witnessed the first Mongol invasion
in Vietnam. In the beginning, Đại Việt army suffered several defeats by an overwhelming force which had already conquered a vast area in Asia
. Several high-ranking officials of Trần Dynasy were so scared that Prince Khâm Thiên Trần Nhật Hiệu, younger brother of Thái Tông, even suggested the Emperor that they might escape from Đại Việt to the Song Dynasty
. Thanks to the firm faith of the Emperor Thái Tông, grand chancellor Trần Thủ Độ and the talent of military generals such as Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn and Lê Phụ Trần
, the Trần Dynasty was able to drive back the invasion and ultimately re-established the peace in Đại Việt in December 1257.
Returned to the capital Thăng Long
, Trần Thái Tông decided to cede the throne to Crown Prince Trần Hoảng, now Trần Thánh Tông, on the 24th day of the second lunar month (March 30) 1258. After the coronation, Thánh Tông changed the era name to Thiệu Long (紹隆, 1258–1272), during his reign, the emperor had one more era name which was Bảo Phù (寶符, 1273–1278). Although passing the throne to his son, Thái Tông continued to co-rule the country with Thánh Tông in the position of Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) from 1259 to his death in 1277.
In March 1266 Trần Thánh Tông ordered to carry out his first imperial examination
in which over 50 scholars was chosen for high-ranking positions in the royal court and administrative system of Đại Việt. For the purpose of educating more scholars for the royal court, Thánh Tông permitted his brother Trần Ích Tắc, the prince well-known for his intelligence and knowledge, to open his own school at the palace of prince. Several prominent mandarins of the royal court in the future such as Mạc Đĩnh Chi
or Bùi Phóng were trained in this school. At the same time, the Emperor also reinforced Đại Việt army by several recruitements and reorganization of the military division in order to improve the operating and fighting effect. Besides, Trần Thánh Tông always kept a vigilant eye for the northern border by sending several scout units to learn about military actions of the Yuan Dynasty
, the potential threat for Đại Việt.
After the death of the Retired Emperor Trần Thái Tông on April 1 of Lunar calendar, 1277, the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông officially began to reign as the sole ruler of Đại Việt, but only one year later, he decided to pass the throne to his crown prince Trần Khâm, now Trần Nhân Tông, took up the post of Retired Emperor on the 22nd of the tenth lunar month (November 8) 1278.
in the Battle of Yamen
which marked the end of the Song Dynasty and 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 Đại Việt or Champa
. Aware of the situation, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông began to prepare the Trần Dynasty for the obvious and inevitable war while tried to keep a flexible policy with the Yuan Dynasty. Firstly, Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật was appointed for the mission of pacifying the revolt led by Trịnh Giác Mật in Đà Giang by diplomatic means in order to keep the country in stability before the war. With his knowledge of minority people's language and culture, Trần Nhật Duật successfully accomplished his task in 1278, hence, the Trần Dynasty had free hand to deal with the threat from the North. In October 1282, the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông gathered all members of royal family, Trần clan and officials in royal court in Bình Than to discuss about the unadvoidable war. Two prominent generals of the Đại Việt army who were noticed on this occasion were Trần Khánh Dư
, former commander of the army but was deprived of all titles after his guilt, and Trần Quốc Toản
, a only 16-year-old marquis. In 1283, Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn was appointed as commander in chief (Quốc công tiết chế) of Đại Việt army, the Retired Emperor and the Emperor began to hold military exercises with their generals and troops.
In December 1284, the second Yuan invasion of Đại Việt was opened under the command of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Đại Việt was attacked in two directions, Toghan himselft conducted the infantry invaded from the northern border while the Yuan navy under general Sogetu advanced from the southern border through Champa
's territory. In the beginning of the war, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông had to order the army retreat to avoid the pressure from the Yuan force when Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải commanded troops try to stop Sogetu's fleet in the province of Nghệ An. During this time, there were several high-ranking officials and members of royal family of the Trần Dynasty defected to Yuan's side including Thánh Tông's own brother, Prince Chiêu Quốc Trần Ích Tắc and Trần Kiện who was son of Prince Tĩnh Quốc Trần Quốc Khang. For the safeness of Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông's retreat, Princess An Tư was offered as present and diversion for prince Toghan while Marquis Bảo Nghĩa Trần Bình Trọng
was captured and later killed in the Battle of Đà Mạc in defending the two emperors. In the southern border, Trần Quang Khải also had 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 Trần Dynasty still kept their harmony and determination owing to accurates decisions and actions from the leaders Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Trần Quốc Tuấn and Trần Quang Khải.
The critical situation of the Trần Dynasty began to change after their victory in Battle of Hàm Tử in April 1285, where the troops commanded by Trần Nhật Duật
, Prince Chiêu Thành, Trần Quốc Toản
, and Nguyễn Khoái were finally able to defeat the fleet of general Sogetu. On May 10 of Lunar calendar 1285, Trần Quang Khải fought the decisive battle in Chương Dương where Yuan's navy was almost destroyed and therefore the balance in battlefield titled definitely in favour of the Trần Dynasty. 10 days after Sogetu was killed and the Trần Emperor Nhân Tông and Retired Emperor Thánh Tông returned to the capital, Thăng Long, on June 6 of the Lunar calendar, 1285.
launched their third invasion of Đại Việt. Unlike the second attack, this time commander in chief Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn affirmed with the Emperor that Đại Việt's army could easily break the Yuan's military campaign. Indeed this invasion was ended one year later by a disastrous defeat of the Yuan navy in Battle of Bạch Đằng on March 8 of the Lunar calendar, 1288. Besides Trần Quốc Tuấn, other notable generals of the Trần Dynasty during this time were Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư
who destroyed the logistics convoy of Yuan navy in the Battle of Vân Đồn or general Phạm Ngũ Lão
who took charge of ambushing prince Toghan's retreating troops.
In rewarding Trần Dynasty generals and mandarins after the victory, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông also reminded them of the caution to the northern border. About the defectors to Yuan side, the Emperor issued an order in which the family name of every defected member of Trần clan was changed to Mai, for example Trần Kiện was renamed as Mai Kiện, being the only defected prince of Trần clan, Trần Ích Tắc was exempted from this order but he was called in historical accounts of the Trần Dynasty by the name "Ả Trần" ("the woman named Trần") meaning that Trần Ích Tắc was "coward as a woman".
The Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông died on May 25 of the Lunar calendar, 1290 at the age of 50. He was buried in Dụ Lăng with the posthumous name
Huyền công thịnh đức nhân minh văn vũ tuyên hiếu hoàng đế (玄功盛德仁明文武宣孝皇帝).
. The first son of Thánh Tông, Trần Khâm, was born on November 11 of Lunar calendar, 1258, only 8 months after the enthronement of the Emperor, he was entitled as Crown Prince in December 1274. His second son, Prince Tá Thiên Trần Đức Việp was born in 1265 The only daughter of Trần Thánh Tông was Princess Thiên Thụy who married to Prince Hưng Vũ Trần Quốc Nghiễn, son of Trần Quốc Tuấn. She had with general Trần Khánh Dư an adulterous affair which almost led to Trần Khánh Dư's death by order of the Emperor. Princess Thiên Thụy and her younger brother Trần Nhân Tông died on the same day, November 3 of Lunar calendar, 1308.
praised Trần Thánh Tông as one of the finest emperor of the Trần Dynasty. He was 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. Thánh Tông's successful reign was the solid foundation for the long period of prosperity and peace in Đại Việt afterwards. Moreover, like his brother Trần Quang Khải, Trần Ích Tắc and Trần Nhật Duật, Trần Thánh Tông was a renowned scholar, Thánh Tông taught his princes by his own poems, and he also had a literary work named Di hậu lục. The Emperor was only criticized sometimes for his devotion for Buddhism
, which was not suitable for a person in such a high position like him.
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
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 Thái thượng hoàng from 1279 to his death in 1290. During the second and the third Mongol invasions
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Mongol invasions of Vietnam or Mongol-Vietnamese War refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt during the Trần Dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa: in 1257–1258, 1284–1285, and 1287–1288. The Mongols were defeated by Đại...
of Đại Việt, the Retired Emperor Thánh Tông and the Emperor Nhân Tông were credited as the supreme commanders who led the Trần Dynasty to the final victories and as a result established a long period of peace and prosperity over the country. With his successful ruling in both military and civil matters, Trần Thánh Tông was considered as one of the greatest emperors of not only the Trần Dynasty but also the whole dynastic era 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...
.
Background and during Thái Tông's reign
Thánh Tông was born on September 25 of Lunar calendarLunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
1240 as Trần Hoảng, the second prince but the first natural son of the Emperor Trần Thái Tông
Trần Thái Tông
Trần Thái Tông, born name: Trần Cảnh , July 17, 1218-May 4, 1277) was the first emperor of the Trần Dynasty, seated on the throne for 33 years , being Grand Emperor for 19 years.-Biography:...
and Empress Consort Thuận Thiên
Thuận Thiên (empress)
Empress Thuận Thiên Empress Thuận Thiên Empress Thuận Thiên (Lý Ngọc Oanh (1216–1248) was the second empress of Trần Dynasty, she succeeded her younger sister Empress Chiêu Thánh in 1237 by an arrangement of Trần Thủ Độ in which Prince Hoài Trần Liễu was forced to give up his 3-month pregnant...
. He had a half-brother on the mother's side, Prince Tĩnh Quốc (Vietnamese
Vietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
: Tĩnh Quốc đại vương) Trần Quốc Khang
Trần Quốc Khang
Prince Tĩnh Quốc Trần Quốc Khang 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...
, who was born after the forced marriage by Trần Thủ Độ between the Emperor Nhân Tông and Princess Thuận Thiên. In fact, although being Thái Tông's first prince, Trần Quốc Khang was son of his elder brother Prince Hoài Trần Liễu
Trần Liễu
Prince Yên Sinh Trần Liễu was the elder brother of the Trần Thái Tông, the first emperor of Trần Dynasty. Initially, Trần Liễu was honoured by his younger brother with the title King Hiển but he was downgraded to Prince Yên Sinh after the short-lived revolt in fury of losing his pregnant wife,...
, therefore officially he was not chosen by Thái Tông as the first in line of successor, a position which ultimately belonged to prince Trần Hoảng. Besides Prince Tĩnh Quốc, Trần Hoảng had some other younger brothers including Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải
Trần Quang Khải
Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải was the third son of Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of the Trần Dynasty. Being 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...
, who was also given birth by Empress Thuận Thiên, Prince Chiêu Quốc Trần Ích Tắc
Trần Ích Tắc
Trần Ích Tắc , title before defection Prince Chiêu Quốc was the fifth prince of Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of the Trần Dynasty, and the younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and grand chancellor Trần Quang Khải...
or Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật
Trần Nhật Duật
Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật was the sixth prince of Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of Trần Dynasty. Being younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông, Trần Nhật Duật was one of the most important figures of Trần family and royal court during the reigns of four successive emperors Thánh Tông,...
.
In 1257, Crown Prince Trần Hoảng witnessed the first Mongol invasion
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Mongol invasions of Vietnam or Mongol-Vietnamese War refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt during the Trần Dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa: in 1257–1258, 1284–1285, and 1287–1288. The Mongols were defeated by Đại...
in Vietnam. In the beginning, Đại Việt army suffered several defeats by an overwhelming force which had already conquered a vast area in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Several high-ranking officials of Trần Dynasy were so scared that Prince Khâm Thiên Trần Nhật Hiệu, younger brother of Thái Tông, even suggested the Emperor that they might escape from Đại Việt to the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. Thanks to the firm faith of the Emperor Thái Tông, grand chancellor Trần Thủ Độ and the talent of military generals such as Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn and Lê Phụ Trần
Lê Phụ Trần
Lê Phụ Trần was a general of the Trần Dynasty during the reigns of three successive emperors: Thái Tông, Thánh Tông, and Nhân Tông. As a skilled general on the battlefield, he was one of the few commanders of the Trần Dynasty army during the three Mongol invasions of Đại Việt who did not come from...
, the Trần Dynasty was able to drive back the invasion and ultimately re-established the peace in Đại Việt in December 1257.
Returned to the capital Thăng Long
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...
, Trần Thái Tông decided to cede the throne to Crown Prince Trần Hoảng, now Trần Thánh Tông, on the 24th day of the second lunar month (March 30) 1258. After the coronation, Thánh Tông changed the era name to Thiệu Long (紹隆, 1258–1272), during his reign, the emperor had one more era name which was Bảo Phù (寶符, 1273–1278). Although passing the throne to his son, Thái Tông continued to co-rule the country with Thánh Tông in the position of Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) from 1259 to his death in 1277.
As emperor
After the enthronement, Thánh Tông 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 Lý Dynasty. In June 1261 the Emperor 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, Thánh Tông proved to be a skilled ruler with his often right appointment of officials such as his brother Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải for the position of grand chancellor or Lê Phụ Trần and Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn for the position of military commander. For members of the royal family, Thánh Tông had them hire the poor to cultivate their land and thus created a social reform.In March 1266 Trần Thánh Tông ordered to carry out his first imperial examination
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
in which over 50 scholars was chosen for high-ranking positions in the royal court and administrative system of Đại Việt. For the purpose of educating more scholars for the royal court, Thánh Tông permitted his brother Trần Ích Tắc, the prince well-known for his intelligence and knowledge, to open his own school at the palace of prince. Several prominent mandarins of the royal court in the future such as Mạc Đĩnh Chi
Mạc Đĩnh Chi
Mạc Đĩnh Chi was a renowned Vietnamese Confucian scholar who was the highest-scoring graduate in the palace examinations at the age of only twenty-four. He served three Tran dynasty emperors — first Trần Anh Tông till 1314, then his son Trần Minh Tông from 1314 to 1319, and finally the grandson...
or Bùi Phóng were trained in this school. At the same time, the Emperor also reinforced Đại Việt army by several recruitements and reorganization of the military division in order to improve the operating and fighting effect. Besides, Trần Thánh Tông always kept a vigilant eye for the northern border by sending several scout units to learn about military actions of the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
, the potential threat for Đại Việt.
After the death of the Retired Emperor Trần Thái Tông on April 1 of Lunar calendar, 1277, the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông officially began to reign as the sole ruler of Đại Việt, but only one year later, he decided to pass the throne to his crown prince Trần Khâm, now Trần Nhân Tông, took up the post of Retired Emperor on the 22nd of the tenth lunar month (November 8) 1278.
Second Mongol invasion
In 1279, the Yuan Dynasty had the decisive victory over the Song DynastySong Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in the Battle of Yamen
Battle of Yamen
The naval Battle of Yamen took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song Dynasty against the invading Mongol-controlled Yuan Dynasty...
which marked the end of the Song Dynasty and the total control of Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
over China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. As a result, Kublai Khan began to expose his attempt to take over the southern countries like Đại Việt or 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...
. Aware of the situation, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông began to prepare the Trần Dynasty for the obvious and inevitable war while tried to keep a flexible policy with the Yuan Dynasty. Firstly, Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật was appointed for the mission of pacifying the revolt led by Trịnh Giác Mật in Đà Giang by diplomatic means in order to keep the country in stability before the war. With his knowledge of minority people's language and culture, Trần Nhật Duật successfully accomplished his task in 1278, hence, the Trần Dynasty had free hand to deal with the threat from the North. In October 1282, the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông gathered all members of royal family, Trần clan and officials in royal court in Bình Than to discuss about the unadvoidable war. Two prominent generals of the Đại Việt army who were noticed on this occasion were Trần Khánh Dư
Trần Khánh Dư
Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư was the adopted prince of the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and a general of Đại Việt army in royal court of four successive emperors of the Trần Dynasty: Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Anh Tông, and Minh Tông...
, former commander of the army but was deprived of all titles after his guilt, and Trần Quốc Toản
Trần Quốc Toản
Marquis Hoài Văn Trần Quốc Toản was a marquis of the Trần Dynasty who was well known for his active role in the second war of resistance of Đại Việt against the Mongol invasion...
, a only 16-year-old marquis. In 1283, Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn was appointed as commander in chief (Quốc công tiết chế) of Đại Việt army, the Retired Emperor and the Emperor began to hold military exercises with their generals and troops.
In December 1284, the second Yuan invasion of Đại Việt was opened under the command of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Đại Việt was attacked in two directions, Toghan himselft conducted the infantry invaded from the northern border while the Yuan navy under general Sogetu advanced from the southern border through 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...
's territory. In the beginning of the war, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông had to order the army retreat to avoid the pressure from the Yuan force when Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải commanded troops try to stop Sogetu's fleet in the province of Nghệ An. During this time, there were several high-ranking officials and members of royal family of the Trần Dynasty defected to Yuan's side including Thánh Tông's own brother, Prince Chiêu Quốc Trần Ích Tắc and Trần Kiện who was son of Prince Tĩnh Quốc Trần Quốc Khang. For the safeness of Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông's retreat, Princess An Tư was offered as present and diversion for prince Toghan while Marquis Bảo Nghĩa Trần Bình Trọng
Trần Bình Trọng
Marquis Bảo Nghĩa Trần Bình Trọng was a general of the Trần Dynasty who was well-known for his heroic action in the war of Dai Viet against second Mongol invasion...
was captured and later killed in the Battle of Đà Mạc in defending the two emperors. In the southern border, Trần Quang Khải also had 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 Trần Dynasty still kept their harmony and determination owing to accurates decisions and actions from the leaders Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Trần Quốc Tuấn and Trần Quang Khải.
The critical situation of the Trần Dynasty began to change after their victory in Battle of Hàm Tử in April 1285, where the troops commanded by Trần Nhật Duật
Trần Nhật Duật
Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật was the sixth prince of Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of Trần Dynasty. Being younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông, Trần Nhật Duật was one of the most important figures of Trần family and royal court during the reigns of four successive emperors Thánh Tông,...
, Prince Chiêu Thành, Trần Quốc Toản
Trần Quốc Toản
Marquis Hoài Văn Trần Quốc Toản was a marquis of the Trần Dynasty who was well known for his active role in the second war of resistance of Đại Việt against the Mongol invasion...
, and Nguyễn Khoái were finally able to defeat the fleet of general Sogetu. On May 10 of Lunar calendar 1285, Trần Quang Khải fought the decisive battle in Chương Dương where Yuan's navy was almost destroyed and therefore the balance in battlefield titled definitely in favour of the Trần Dynasty. 10 days after Sogetu was killed and the Trần Emperor Nhân Tông and Retired Emperor Thánh Tông returned to the capital, Thăng Long, on June 6 of the Lunar calendar, 1285.
Third Mongol invasion
In March 1287, the Yuan DynastyYuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
launched their third invasion of Đại Việt. Unlike the second attack, this time commander in chief Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn affirmed with the Emperor that Đại Việt's army could easily break the Yuan's military campaign. Indeed this invasion was ended one year later by a disastrous defeat of the Yuan navy in Battle of Bạch Đằng on March 8 of the Lunar calendar, 1288. Besides Trần Quốc Tuấn, other notable generals of the Trần Dynasty during this time were Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư
Trần Khánh Dư
Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư was the adopted prince of the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and a general of Đại Việt army in royal court of four successive emperors of the Trần Dynasty: Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Anh Tông, and Minh Tông...
who destroyed the logistics convoy of Yuan navy in the Battle of Vân Đồn or general Phạm Ngũ Lão
Phạm Ngũ Lão
Phạm Ngũ Lão was a general of the Trần Dynasty during the reigns of three successive emperors Nhân Tông, Anh Tông and Minh Tông. His talent was noticed by Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn who married his adopted daughter to Phạm Ngũ Lão and recommended him for the royal court...
who took charge of ambushing prince Toghan's retreating troops.
In rewarding Trần Dynasty generals and mandarins after the victory, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông also reminded them of the caution to the northern border. About the defectors to Yuan side, the Emperor issued an order in which the family name of every defected member of Trần clan was changed to Mai, for example Trần Kiện was renamed as Mai Kiện, being the only defected prince of Trần clan, Trần Ích Tắc was exempted from this order but he was called in historical accounts of the Trần Dynasty by the name "Ả Trần" ("the woman named Trần") meaning that Trần Ích Tắc was "coward as a woman".
The Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông died on May 25 of the Lunar calendar, 1290 at the age of 50. He was buried in Dụ Lăng with the posthumous name
Posthumous name
A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...
Huyền công thịnh đức nhân minh văn vũ tuyên hiếu hoàng đế (玄功盛德仁明文武宣孝皇帝).
Family
Trần Thánh Tông had one empress, the Empress Thiên Cảm Trần Thiều, fifth daughter of his uncle Trần LiễuTrần Liễu
Prince Yên Sinh Trần Liễu was the elder brother of the Trần Thái Tông, the first emperor of Trần Dynasty. Initially, Trần Liễu was honoured by his younger brother with the title King Hiển but he was downgraded to Prince Yên Sinh after the short-lived revolt in fury of losing his pregnant wife,...
. The first son of Thánh Tông, Trần Khâm, was born on November 11 of Lunar calendar, 1258, only 8 months after the enthronement of the Emperor, he was entitled as Crown Prince in December 1274. His second son, Prince Tá Thiên Trần Đức Việp was born in 1265 The only daughter of Trần Thánh Tông was Princess Thiên Thụy who married to Prince Hưng Vũ Trần Quốc Nghiễn, son of Trần Quốc Tuấn. She had with general Trần Khánh Dư an adulterous affair which almost led to Trần Khánh Dư's death by order of the Emperor. Princess Thiên Thụy and her younger brother Trần Nhân Tông died on the same day, November 3 of Lunar calendar, 1308.
Legacy
The historian Ngô Sĩ LiênNgô 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...
praised Trần Thánh Tông as one of the finest emperor of the Trần Dynasty. He was 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. Thánh Tông's successful reign was the solid foundation for the long period of prosperity and peace in Đại Việt afterwards. Moreover, like his brother Trần Quang Khải, Trần Ích Tắc and Trần Nhật Duật, Trần Thánh Tông was a renowned scholar, Thánh Tông taught his princes by his own poems, and he also had a literary work named Di hậu lục. The Emperor was only criticized sometimes for his devotion for Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, which was not suitable for a person in such a high position like him.