Trần Anh Tông

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Trần Anh Tông
陳英宗
Trần Mạnh and 5 daughters
Names
Trần Thuyên (陳烇)
Era dates
Hưng Long (興隆, 1293–1314)
Regnal name
Ứng Thiên Quảng Vận Nhân Minh Thánh Hiếu hoàng đế (應天廣運仁明聖孝皇帝)
Posthumous name
Ứng Thiên Quảng Vận Hiển Văn Duệ Vũ Khâm Minh Nhân Hiếu hoàng đế
應天廣運顯文睿武欽明仁孝皇帝
Temple name
Anh Tông (英宗)
HouseTrần dynasty
FatherTrần Nhân Tông
MotherEmpress Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh
ReligionBuddhism

Trần Anh Tông (

Dai Viet from 1293 to 1314. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Minh Tông, Anh Tông held the title Retired Emperor for six years. As the first Trần emperor who ruled in total peace with respect to foreign affairs, Anh Tông was known for his successful reign of Đại Việt, which brought a long period of peace and prosperity over the country. He also had several military victories over the kingdoms of Champa and Lan Xang
.

Early years

Anh Tông was born in 1276 as Trần Thuyên, the first son of the then-emperor Trần Nhân Tông and Empress Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh.[2] In 1292 he was invested as crown prince by Nhân Tông[3] and ultimately was ceded the throne in 1293 while his father still reigned as Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) for 16 years.

According to officially commissioned historical books, although being an intelligent ruler and a devoted son,

Thăng Long at night. One time the Emperor was so drunk that he forgot to welcome the Retired Emperor who was coming back from Thiên Trường for a visit. When he was made aware of the situation, Nhân Tông departed immediately in a fury from Thăng Long[5] and Anh Tông had to write a petition for the Retired Emperor with the help from a young scholar named Đoàn Nhữ Hài. After that event, Anh Tông appointed Đoàn as court counselor and avoided drinking.[6]

As emperor

Trần Anh Tông
Vietnamese name
Hán-Nôm

Anh Tông was the first Trần emperor who reigned without having to face attacks from the

Trần Quốc Tuấn in 1300, the Emperor was still served by many efficient mandarins like Trần Nhật Duật, Đoàn Nhữ Hài, Phạm Ngũ Lão, Trương Hán Siêu, Mạc Đĩnh Chi and Nguyễn Trung Ngạn. Anh Tông was very strict in suppressing gambling and corruption but he also generously rewarded those who served him well.[7] Under the reign of an able emperor and capable court administration, Đại Việt witnessed a long period of peace and prosperity.[2][4]

Birth name
Hán-Nôm

Foreign policy during Anh Tông's reign was continuing the détente with the Yuan dynasty while restraining the two other neighbours of Đại Việt, the kingdoms of Champa and Laos. The Emperor's envoy to the Yuan dynasty was so successful that the leader Mạc Đĩnh Chi was dubbled the "Two-state exemplar" because he came first as Trạng nguyên (Zhuangyuan, 狀元) in Đại Việt's imperial examination and was praised in the Yuan dynasty court for his eloquence.[8] After the failed invasions of the Mongol Empire, Đại Việt's southwestern border was invaded several times by Laos until Anh Tông appointed Phạm Ngũ Lão to oversee the pacification of the frontier regions.[9][10][11]

In 1306, the king of

Che Da-a-ba-niem,[13]: 89  but the relations between Đại Việt and Champa remained strained for a long time afterwards.[9][14]

As retired emperor

After 21 years of rule, Anh Tông passed the throne to the crown prince Trần Mạnh, who became the Emperor

era name during his reign, which was Hưng Long (, prosperity). After the Emperor's death, he was given the posthumous name Hiển văn duệ vũ khâm minh nhân hiếu hoàng đế (顯文睿武欽明仁孝皇帝).[2]

According to history books, Anh Tông was praised for his righteous reign, which created a peaceful and prosperous period in the history of Đại Việt. He was known as a modest ruler who was quick to mend his mistakes, was always cautious and intelligent in judgment, and the only major criticism of him was building a tower and gathering monks in Yên Tử mountain.[2][15][16] According to the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên, Anh Tông was a father with sense of responsibility for his son, which is seen as an important factor in Minh Tông's good governance in the future.[17] The decision made by Anh Tông and his father Nhân Tông to marry off the royal princess Huyền Trân to the king of Champa in exchange for peace and land was sometimes considered a stigma on the Trần dynasty.[18]

Family

  • Anh Tông had one empress, two other wives and several concubines:
  • Besides three short-lived sons, Anh Tông was survived by only one son, Trần Mạnh, who eventually became his successor Trần Minh Tông. The Emperor also had five daughters:
    • Princess Thiên Chân
    • Princess Ý Trinh
    • Princess Huy Chân
    • Princess Huệ Chân
    • Princess Thánh Chân

References

  1. ^ History of Yuan.
  2. ^ a b c d Ngô 1993, p. 205
  3. ^ National Bureau for Historical Record 1998, p. 241
  4. ^ a b Trần 1971, p. 65
  5. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 209
  6. ^ Trần 1971, p. 64
  7. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 207
  8. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 221
  9. ^ a b c Trần 1971, p. 66
  10. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 215
  11. ^ a b c Chapuis 1995, p. 85
  12. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 223
  13. ^ Chapuis 1995, p. 86
  14. ^ Tran Tuyet Nhung, Anthony Reid 2006, p. 58
  15. ^ Chapuis 1995, p. 87
  16. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 254
  17. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 218
  18. ^ Ngô 1993, p. 227

Sources

Trần Anh Tông
Born: 1276 Died: 1320
Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of Trần dynasty
1293–1314
Succeeded by
Preceded by Retired Emperor of Trần dynasty
1314–1320
Succeeded by