Trần dynasty(1225 – 1400)

-Important leaders :

1.Trần Thủ Độ (1194-1264), Imperial Regent and founder of the dynasty

2.Trần Thái Tông (1218-1277) Real name Trần Cảnh, Reign from 1226-1258,the first
king of Tran dynasty. Under the regime of Tran Canh, all political, economical, cultural
and religious activities became very good.
3.Trần Thánh Tông (1240-1291) Real name Trần Hoảng, Reign from 1258-1278 ,the
king and the leader of the 1st war against Mongolian army
4.Trần Nhân Tông (1258-1308),reign from 1278 – 1293,the leader of the 2nd and 3rd wars
against Mongolian army. Under Tran Nhan Tong’s reign, the country made outstanding
achievements in terms of culture, education and diplomacy
5. Tran Quoc Tuan (1232-1300),real name Tran Hung Dao, famous general of Tran
family, the son of An Sinh vuong Tran Lieu and the nephew of King Tran Thai Tong,
took part in war leadership during the wars against Yuan – Mongo, wrote “Hich tuong si”
(Proclamation for generals) to infuse zeal into his soldiers and encourage the loyalty of
Tran aristocrats and army leaders to the country, Under his leadership, Tran army and
people gained these victory: Chuong Duong, Ham Tu, Van Kiep and Bach Dang and
utterly liberated the country.
6.Tran Quang Khai: 1241-1294): a famous general of Tran family, the third son of Tran
Thai Tong and younger brother of Tran Thanh Tong, had an official name of Lac Dao
tien sinh. As the top civil mandarin, he consulted Tran kings on setting out policies on
economic, cultural and educational development such as agriculture promotion, dyke
protection and school building. During wars against Mongolia-Yuan (in 1285 and 1288),
he and Tran Quoc Tuan led the troops to make great feats
7. Tran Nhat Duat (1253-1330), was good at both military and literature arts, holding
important positions and was a person of great learning, in particular history and Taoism,
had a good command of Sung, Chiem Thanh and other ethnic minority languages and
customs. He was in charge of managing many regions
- Neighbors and foreign influences:

1.Mongolia invasion: refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief
khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt and the Kingdom of Champa in 1257-1258,
1284-1285, and 1287-1288.
Results:Decisive Mongol military defeats. To avoid further conflict, Đại Việt and The
Champa Kingdom agreed to a titular tributary relationship with the Mongol Empire.

2.War with Champa: Trần reduced to a feudatory state by 1312. Champa freed itself
again by 1326 and, under the leadership of Cham hero Chế Bồng Nga, staged a series of
attacks on Vietnam between 1360 and 1390, sacking Thăng Long in 1371. The
Vietnamese again gained the upper hand following the death of Chế Bồng Nga and
resumed their southward advance at Champa's expense.

- Legends and heroues associated with the period:

It must be noted that Tran Hung Dao achieved his military success with an army largely
constituted of poorly equipped volunteers and peasant conscripts against the mighty
hordes of the Mongols who were at the apex of their power after conquering most of
Asia. His strategic brilliance had contributed much to this success.

Đại Việt's General Trần Hưng Đạo defeated the Mongols in two major campaigns.
General Trần Hưng Đạo led an army of poorly equipped volunteers and peasant
conscripts against the overstretched forces of the Mongol Empire. This, combined with
losses against the Japanese in the Battle of Koan and failed raids into Europe, marked the
end of the apex of Mongol power. Trần Hưng Đạo defeated them with inventive military
tactics by exploiting their traditional "raiding" style of warfare which relied on lightning-
strike cavalry maneuverability. He is famous for arguably pioneering the "hit and run"
warfare. Trần Hưng Đạo was a master of strategic geographical war fighting, applying
advantageous landscapes to stage battles in places such as dense forests or on waterfronts
where enemy cavalry were mostly ineffective.

Most notable was his speech Proclamation to the Officers, addressing his soldiers at the
beginning of the Mongol Invasion in 1285.

His advice to Emperor Trần Anh Tôn prior to his death in 1300 served several times as
reference for most of Vietnamese in the struggle for independence: "When the enemy
advances roaring like fire and wind, it is easy to overcome them. If they use patience like
the silkworm nibbling berry leaves without looking for a quick victory and without
fleecing people, we need to have not only good generals but also an elaboration of
adequate tactics like in a chess game. In any way, the army should be united, having only
one heart like father and sons in a family, the people should be treated with humanity so
we can guarantee deep roots and durable bases."

He is revered by the Vietnamese people as a national hero. Several temples are dedicated
to him. Most major cities in Vietnam have streets named after him.

.- Structure of the society and life of the common people:

+ The King controlled the country with the help of his father,Thai Thuong Hoang. The
mandarins was the people who belong to the royal family.

+The country was divided to small parts, each part was controlled by a landlord.Landlord
belonged to the Royal Family and they were mandarins,generals or the member of royal
family..

+Buddhism was one of important pillars of Dai Viet society, It played an important role
in the process of building and protecting the country, but it was subsequently weakened
by co-existence with Confucianism, Taoism and various other popular beliefs and
customs
+ The century old competitive examination system underwent draconian revisions. An
administration incorporating both the reigning king and the heir to the title of the
previous reign was officially adopted to ensure its continuity, and to prevent any dispute
between the two companies.

+The Tran society was somewhat democratic: common people occasionally met the
Emperor directly to ask for his help,not many differences between the Empror,the
member of Royal Family with the common people.

The society and economy, disordered under late Ly now recovered step by step.

Relevance of the period in shaping present day of Vietnam:

- The way that Tran Hung Dao and Tran Kings used to mobilize the whole nation
power to protect the country :
- Binh thu yeu luoc – a valuable book for the army of Tran Hung Dao – still
suitable with the present condition of the country.
- Buddhism still develop.