Tran Hung Dao
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
| Tran Hung Dao | |
|---|---|
| Vietnamese name | |
| Quốc Ngữ | Trần Hưng Đạo |
| Chữ Nôm | 陳興道 |
Trần Hưng Đạo (1228?-1300) was a Vietnamese general during the Tran Dynasty. Born as Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻), he commanded the Dai-Viet armies to defeat two Mongol invasions in 13th century and became a Vietnamese national hero.
Trần Quốc Tuấn was born just when the Tran Dynasty overtook the Ly Dynasty. Because the last Ly monarch was forced to abdicate the throne for her husband, many people in the Ly family felt that the Tran was usurping the throne. Trần Thủ Độ, who arranged this takeover, was worried. Trần Liễu, the new king's older brother, was married to the former queen's sister, but was forced to give his wife to the king. Liễu harbored a grudge against his brother. When his son Trần Quốc Tuấn was born, he tried to find great sages to teach his son in order to avenge him. On his deathbed, Liễu told his son to avenge his shame.
In 1285, Kublai Khan demanded the kingdom of Dai-Viet(in northern Vietnam) to give his Yuan army a passage to attack the kingdom of Champa. Dai-Viet's king Tran Nhan Ton refused. The Mongol army, led by crown prince Toghan, then invaded Dai-Viet and seized the capital Thang Long. Tran Hung Dao and his dedicated generals resiliently moved the royal court and armies around the country to escape Mongol pursuits. Several months later, as the Mongol army wore down with tropical diseases, Tran Hung Dao launched a counter-offensive. Most of the battles were on water front, where the Mongols could not use their cavalry strength. Mongol commander Sogetu of the southern front was ambushed and killed. The Mongols hurriedly withdrew from Dai-Viet. As they retreated, the Mongols were also attacked by the Hmong and Yao minorities in the Phu Tho region.
In 1287, to avenge the defeat in 1285, Kublai Khan again sent an army led by prince Toghan into Dai-Viet. However, the Mongol supply fleet was ambushed and captured. Prince Toghan thus had to withdraw his army from Dai-Viet and fell into a trap set by Tran Hung Dao on Bach-Dang rivermouth. The whole Mongol fleet was destroyed. Prince Toghan escaped, yet his fleet commander, Omar, was captured. vi:Trần Hưng Đạo
