Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh
Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Emperor of Äại Cồ Việt Emperor Äại Thắng Minh | |||||||||
![]() A statue of Äinh Tiên Hoà ng in Hoa Lư | |||||||||
Reign | 968–979 | ||||||||
Predecessor | none | ||||||||
Successor | Äinh Phế Äế | ||||||||
Born |
924 Gia Viá»…n, Ninh Bình, Äại Cồ Việt | ||||||||
Died |
979 Hoa Lư, Ninh Bình, Äại Cồ Việt | ||||||||
Spouse | Dương Vân Nga | ||||||||
Issue |
Äinh Liá»…n Äinh Toà n Äinh Hạng Lang | ||||||||
| |||||||||
House | Äinh Dynasty | ||||||||
Father | Äinh Công Trứ |
Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh (924–979) (r. 968–979), originally named Äinh Hoà n (䏿¡“[1] or ä¸ç’°), was the first Vietnamese emperor following the liberation of the country from the rule of the Chinese Southern Han Dynasty, as well as the founder of the short-lived Äinh Dynasty and a significant figure in the establishment of Vietnamese independence and political unity in the 10th century. Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh is also known by his posthumous name Äinh Tiên Hoà ng (ä¸å…ˆçš‡).
Life and career
Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh | |
Vietnamese name | |
---|---|
Vietnamese | Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh |
Hán-Nôm | ä¸éƒ¨é ˜ |
Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh was born in 924 in Hoa Lư (south of the Red River Delta, in what is today Ninh Bình Province). Growing up in a local village during the disintegration of the Chinese Tang Dynasty that had dominated Vietnam for centuries, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh became a local military leader at a very young age. From this turbulent era, the first independent Vietnam emerged when the warlord Ngô Quyá»n defeated the invading army of Southern Han in the First Battle of the Bạch Äằng River in 938. However, the Ngô Dynasty was weak and unable to effectively unify Vietnam. Faced with the domestic anarchy produced by the competition of twelve independent feudal warlords for control of the country, as well as the external threat represented by Southern Han, which regarded itself as the heir to the ancient kingdom of Nan Yue that had encompassed not only southern China but also the Bac Bo region of northern Vietnam, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh sought a strategy to politically unify the Vietnamese. Upon the death of the last Ngô king in 965, he seized power and founded a new kingdom the capital of which was in his home district of Hoa Lư. To establish his legitimacy in relation to the previous dynasty, he married a woman of the Ngô family.[2]
.jpg)
In the first years of his reign, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh was especially careful to avoid antagonizing Southern Han. In 968, however, he took the provocative step of adopting the title of Emperor (Hoà ng Äế) and thereby declaring his independence from Chinese overlordship. He founded the Äinh Dynasty and called his kingdom Äại Cồ Việt. His outlook changed, however, when the powerful Song Dynasty gobbled up Southern Han in 971. In 972, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh ingratiated himself with the Song by sending a tribute mission to demonstrate his fealty to the Chinese Emperor. Emperor Taizu of Song subsequently recognized the Viet ruler as Giao Chỉ Quáºn Vương (King of Giao Chi), a title which expressed a theoretical relationship of vassalage in submission to the empire. Well aware of Song's military might, and eager to safeguard the independence of his country, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh obtained a non-aggression agreement in exchange for tributes payable to the Chinese court every three years.
In addition to managing relations with China, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh energetically reformed the administration and the armed forces of Vietnam in order to strengthen the foundations of the new state. He established a royal court and a hierarchy of civil and military servants. Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh also instituted a rigorous justice system in which treason was punishable by being cooked in a vat of boiling oil or by being fed to a caged tiger, so as to provide a deterrent to all who threatened the new order in the kingdom.
However, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh's reign did not last long. In 979, a palace official inspired by a dream killed both Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh and his eldest son Äinh Liá»…n while they were sleeping in the palace courtyard. The killer was quickly apprehended and executed by general Nguyá»…n Bặc. Bá»™ LÄ©nh was succeeded by his six-year-old surviving son Dinh Phe De.
The Song Chinese Emperor wanted to take advantage of the turbulent situation in Äại Cồ Việt in order to reestablish Chinese control over the county, and he sent an army to invade. In this crisis, Lê Hoà n, the commander-in-chief of Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh's army, stepped into the power vacuum, dispossessing the child emperor, eliminating his opponents at court, and entering into illicit relations with the Empress Dowager Dương Vân Nga. Lê Hoà n defeated the Song invasion, proclaimed himself King, and founded the Early Lê Dynasty. He continued to call the country "Äại Cồ Việt."
References
- ↑ Trần Trá»ng Kim says in Việt Nam sá» lược:"Có sách chép rằng Äinh Tiên-hoà ng tên là Hoà n æ¡“, chứ không phải là Bá»™ LÄ©nh. Bá»™ LÄ©nh là má»™t tước quan cá»§a Trần Lãm phong cho Äinh Hoà n. Nhưng xét trong « Khâm-định Việt-sỠ» và các sách khác thì thấy chép Äinh bá»™ LÄ©nh chứ không thấy Äinh Hoà n. Váºy nay cứ theo sách Khâm-định mà chép." (According to some books, Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh's original name is æ¡“.) )
- ↑ Hữu Ngá»c Wandering through Vietnamese culture 2004- Page 393 "Nguyá»…n Bặc... and statesman who helped Äinh Bá»™ LÄ©nh put an end to the period of anarchy of the Twelve Warlords before the Äinh Dynasty."
Preceded by none |
Emperor of Äại Cồ Việt 968–979 |
Succeeded by Äinh Phế Äế |
Notable families in Early independent Vietnam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notes:
|
|