Father Tran Thai Tong Name Tran Khai Died 1294, Hanoi, Vietnam Great-grandparents Ly Cao Tong, Tran Ly | Mother Queen Thuan Thien Role Poet House Tran Dynasty | |
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Parents Thuan Thien, Tran Thai Tong Grandparents Tran Thi Dung, Ly Hue Tong, Tran Thua Similar People Tran Nhat Duat, Tran Hung Dao, Tran Thai Tong, Tran Khanh Du, Tran Thanh Tong | ||
TRẦN QUANG KHẢI – Danh Tướng Lẫy Lừng Vương Triều Trần, Uy Danh Sánh Ngang Hưng Đạo Vương
Prince Chieu Minh Tran Quang Khai (1241–1294) was the third son of Tran Thai Tong, first emperor of the Tran Dynasty of Vietnam. Being the younger brother of the Emperor Tran Thanh Tong and holding the position of grand chancellor of the Tran Dynasty for many years, Tran Quang Khai was one of the most important figures of the Tran family and the royal court during the reigns of emperors Thanh Tong and Nhan Tong. In the second war of resistance against the Mongol invasion, Tran Quang Khai and Tran Hung Dao were two key commanders of the Dai Viet army who helped the Emperor defeat the troops of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Besides his military and administrative activities, Prince Chieu Minh was also a famous poet and was credited as the creator of the dance of flowers. Today, Tran Quang Khai is still considered as one of the most famous historical figures of the Tran Dynasty and is worshiped in several temples in Vietnam.
Contents
Civilize club 210 tran quang khai the men show
Background
Prince Chieu Minh (Vietnamese: Chieu Minh vuong) Tran Quang Khai was born in 1241 as the third son of the Emperor Tran Thai Tong and the Queen Thuan Thien. Besides his elder brother the Emperor Tran Thanh Tong, Tran Quang Khai had two other famous younger brothers, Prince Chieu Quoc (Chieu Quoc vuong) Tran Ich Tac who was broadly known not only for his intelligence but also for his notorious defection to the Yuan Dynasty side during the second Mongol invasion of Dai Viet and Prince Chieu Van (Chieu Van vuong) Tran Nhat Duat who fought side by side with him in the war against the Yuan Dynasty.
In royal court and military activities
In 1261 at the age of only 20, Tran Quang Khai was appointed by Thanh Tong as minister instead of his elder brother Prince Tinh Quoc (Tinh Quoc Dai vuong) Tran Quoc Khang because the Emperor considered Quoc Khang not capable for an important position in royal court. After the death of two grand chancellors: Tran Thu Do in 1264 and Tran Nhat Hieu in 1269, Prince Chieu Minh was promoted to this position in 1271 and thus became the most important official in the royal court. When Tran Nhan Tong succeeded Thanh Tong in 1278, Tran Quang Khai continued to take charge of administrative activities as grand chancellor while Tran Hung Dao was chosen as the grand commander of the Dai Viet army in 1283 to prepare for the threat from the Yuan Dynasty.
In 1279, the Yuan Dynasty had the decisive victory over the Song Dynasty in 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 pursue his attempt to take over the southern countries like Dai Viet or Champa. In December 1284, the second Yuan invasion of Dai Viet began under the command of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Dai Viet was attacked in two directions, Toghan himself conducted the infantry invasion from the northern border while Yuan's navy under general Sogetu advanced from the southern border through Champa's territory. It was Tran Quang Khai who conducted the Dai Viet army carrying the mission of stopping Toa Do's troops before he could meet Toghan's troops as Yuan's plan. In the beginning, Tran Quang Khai had to retreat under pressure from Sogetu's navy and the defection of the governor of Nghe An, the southern border province. However, the Tran Dynasty began to change the situation after the victory of the Dai Viet army commanded by Tran Nhat Duat, Prince Chieu Thanh, Tran Quoc Toan and Nguyen Khoai over Sogetu's troops in Battle of Ham Tu. On the tenth day of the fifth lunar month (June 14) 1285, Tran Quang Khai fought the decisive battle in Chuong Duong where Yuan's navy was almost destroyed and therefore the balance in battlefield shifted definitively in favor of the Tran Dynasty. Ten days after Sogetu was killed and Tran's Emperor Nhan Tong and Retired Emperor Thanh Tong returned to capital Thang Long on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month (July 19), 1285.
After the Mongol invasions, Tran Quang Khai kept the position of grand chancellor until his death on July 3 of Lunar calendar, 1294. Despite the inherited hatred from their fathers Tran Canh and Tran Lieu, Tran Quang Khai and Tran Hung Dao were famous for their close relation which kept the royal court and Tran family united during not only the war but also the peaceful period afterwards.
As scholar
Like his brothers Tran Nhat Duat and Tran Ich Tac, Tran Quang Khai was not only a capable official but also a well-known scholar. Prince Chieu Minh had a collection of poems named Lac dao tap, his most famous poem might be Tung gia hoan kinh (Han tu: 從駕還京) which was composed on the occasion of Dai Viet's victory over the Mongol army:
As Nam quoc son ha by Ly Thuong Kiet, Tung gia hoan kinh was considered as one of the finest example for Vietnamese patriotic literature during feudal era. Besides his poems, Tran Quang Khai and his brother Tran Nhat Duat were credited as creators of dance of flowers (mua bai bong), a traditional dance which is still preserved in Nam Dinh. Prince Chieu Minh could also speak languages of minority people in Dai Viet.
Family
Tran Quang Khai had a son named Prince Van Tuc (Van Tuc vuong) Tran Dao Tai who was also famous for his literature and since favoured by the Retired Emperor amongs other princes and marquises. Tran Quang Khai also had a famous great grandson, Marquis Chuong Tuc (Chuong Tuc hau) Tran Nguyen Dan, who was minister during the reign of the Emperor Tran Nghe Tong and grandfather of the famous scholar and official Nguyen Trai.
Legacy
Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him.