Ngô Quyền ( vi-hantu, 吳權) (April 17, 898 – February 14, 944), often referred to as Tiền Ngô Vương (前吳王; "First King of Ngô"), was a warlord who later became the founding king of the
Ngô dynasty
The Ngô dynasty (; Chữ Nôm: 茹吳) was a dynasty that ruled Tĩnh Hải quân (Jinghai) in northern Vietnam from 939 to 968. The dynasty was founded by Ngô Quyền, who led Vietnamese forces in the Battle of Bạch Đằng River against t ...
of Vietnam. He reigned from 939 to 944. In 938, he defeated the
Southern Han dynasty
Southern Han (; 917–971), officially Han (), originally Yue (), was one of the ten kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The ...
at the
Battle of Bạch Đằng River north of modern
Haiphong
Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta.
Haiphong wa ...
. The battle is usually remembered in Vietnamese national history as it ended 1,000 years of
Chinese rule over Vietnam dating back to 111 BC under the
Western Han dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...
. A
central district in modern Haiphong is named after him.
Early life and career
Ngô Quyền was born in 898 AD in
Đường Lâm (modern-day
Sơn Tây
''Toxicodendron succedaneum'', the wax tree, Japanese Hazenoki tree (Sumac or wax tree), sơn in Vietnam or charão in Portuguese, is a flowering plant species in the genus ''Toxicodendron'' found in Asia, although it has been planted elsewhere, ...
District,
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
of northern Vietnam) during the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
. He was the son of
Ngô Mân Ngô () is a Vietnamese surname, related to the Chinese surnames Ng, Ngo and Wu.
Notable people with the surname Ngô
* Ngô Văn Dụ Chairman of the Central Commission for Inspection of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 2011 to 2016
*Ngô X ...
, an influential official in
Phong,
Annan (today
Phu Tho province
Phu or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
*Phủ, prefecture in 15th–19th century Vietnam
People Given name
*Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen
*Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), first Nepali to climb Mount ...
). Ngô Mân's ancestor was Wu Ridai (Ngô Nhật Đại), a local tribal chief from Fuluzhou,
Annan (Modern-day
Ha Tinh Province
Ha may refer to:
Agencies and organizations
* Health authority
* Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
* Highways Agency (now ''National Highways''), UK government body maintaining England's major roads
* Homelessness Australia, peak body organisation ...
). In 722, Wu Ridai and his family migrated to Aizhou (Modern-day
Thanh Hoa Province) after the defeat of
Mai Thúc Loan
Mai Thúc Loan (or Mai Huyền Thành ( 梅 玄 成), self-proclaimed Mai Hắc Đế ( 梅 黑 帝, The Black Emperor or The Swarthy Emperor), was the Vietnamese leader of the uprising in 722 AD against the rule of the Chinese Tang dynasty in th ...
. According to the family's stele erected in 1631, the family claimed to has dated back to
Hung kings
Hung may refer to:
People
* Hung (surname), various Chinese surnames
* Hùng king, a king of Vietnam
People with the given name Hung include:
* Hung Huynh, Vietnamese-American chef, winner of the third season of the television show ''Top Chef''
...
period. Ngô Quyền's birth, according to Vietnamese tradition, that he was bathed with strange luminosity and three strangle black moles were seen on the baby's back, which were signs of his future greatness, and the mother named him "Quyền", meaning authority and power.
Since 905, the Tang dynasty lost control of
Jinghai
Jinghai District () is a district of the municipality of Tianjin, People's Republic of China, located in the southwest portion of the municipality, bordering Hebei province to the south and west, Xiqing District to the north and northeast, and Bi ...
to locals and native chieftains. The
Khúc family Khúc is a Vietnamese surname.
Notable people with the surname Khúc
* Khúc family, a session of leaders who challenged Tang rule over Vietnam.
:*Khúc Thừa Dụ, the head of the Khúc family
:*Khúc Hạo
:*Khúc Thừa Mỹ
Khúc Thừa Mỹ ...
ruled Annam autonomy until in 930 the Chinese kingdom of
Southern Han
Southern Han (; 917–971), officially Han (), originally Yue (), was one of the ten kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The ...
invaded Jinghai and removed the Khúc family from power. A formal vassal of the Khúc family,
Dương Đình Nghệ
Dương Đình Nghệ ( Chữ Hán: 楊廷藝; pinyin: ''Yáng Tíngyì''; 874 – March 937; some sources record Dương Diên Nghệ, Chữ Hán: 楊延藝) was the jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân in around 931 AD.
He was a skillful, talented g ...
launched a revolt in 931 that ousted the Chinese.
In 931, he served under Dương Đình Nghệ (the governor of
Jinghai circuit/principality) and quickly rose through the military ranks and government administration; by 934, he was promoted to the post of military governor of Ái Châu. Dương Đình Nghệ loved his talent and gave him one of his daughters, Lady Dương, in marriage and placed him in charge of
Ái Châu (Nghệ An province at present). The province was Dương Đình Nghệ's hometown and military power base. By giving Ngô Quyền command of this region Dương Đình Nghệ recognized Ngô Quyền's loyalty and talent.
After Dương Đình Nghệ was assassinated in a military coup in 937 by a usurper named
Kiều Công Tiễn
Kiều Công Tiễn ( chữ Hán: 矯公羡 or 皎公羨; ) (870 - 938) was a general in the court of Dương Đình Nghệ, a Vietnamese Jiedushi of Tĩnh Hải quân who took over the position in 931. In 937 Kiều Công Tiễn assassinated ...
, he took control of the military and was well received. That same year, Ngô Quyền's forces defeated the rebel Kiều Công Tiễn and had him executed. This transpired into an opportunistic pretense for wrestling control of Annam by the new
Southern Han
Southern Han (; 917–971), officially Han (), originally Yue (), was one of the ten kingdoms that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was located on China's southern coast, controlling modern Guangdong and Guangxi. The ...
regime due to its strategic geographical location. Ngô Quyền foresaw the Southern Han intention. He quickly mobilized the armed forces and made war preparations well in advance. His victory at the Battle of Bach Dang paved the way for Vietnamese independence.
Defeating the Southern Han
In 938, the Southern Han emperor
Liu Yan dispatched an naval fleet to subdue Jinghai. Ngô Quyền calculated that the Southern Han would sail down the
Bạch Đằng River The Bạch Đằng River ( vi, Sông Bạch Đằng, ), also called Bạch Đằng Giang (from ), ''white wisteria river'', is a river in northern Vietnam, located near Hạ Long Bay. It flows through the Yên Hưng District of Quảng Ninh Provin ...
to unload their troops right in the middle of
Giao Châu
Jiaozhou (; Wade–Giles: Chiao1-Cho1; vi, Giao Châu) was an imperial Chinese province under the Han and Jin dynasties. Under the Han, the area included Liangguang and northern Vietnam but Guangdong was later separated to form the province of ...
to do the most damage. To prevent this incursion, Ngô Quyền strategized and ordered the waters of Bạch Đằng embedded with thousands of large wooden pikes hidden just beneath the rising tide water. He used boats with shallow drafts to instigate and lure the Southern Han toward the traps after the tide had risen. When the hundreds of Southern Han ships were punctured and caught against the deadly traps, Ngô Quyền led his forces in the attack. Hundreds of trapped ships were burned and sabotaged and thousands of Southern Han soldiers were killed, while some managed to retreat and were chased out relentlessly by the forces of An Nam. In the thick of battle, most of the Southern Han army, including the Admiral
Liu Hongcao
Liu Hongcao (, vi, Lưu Hoằng Tháo, died 938) was an imperial prince of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Southern Han.
He was the ninth son of emperor Liu Yan and received the title of Prince of Wan (萬王) in 932.
...
(the prince of the Southern Han Emperor), were killed.
['']Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...
'', vol. 281.
King of Annam (Tĩnh Hải Quân)
After overthrowing the Chinese government in Vietnam and proclaimed as king, Ngô Quyền transferred the capital to
Cổ Loa citadel, the capital of
Âu Lạc
Âu Lạc ( Hán tự: 甌貉 (Peripheral Records/Volume 1:6a): "王既併文郎國,改國號曰甌貉國。""The King then annexed the Văn Lang nation, changed the nation's name to Âu Lạc nation."/甌駱; (Volume 113): "且南方卑濕, ...
, the ancient
Yue kingdom, thus affirming the continuity of the traditions of the
Lạc Việt
The Lạc Việt or Luoyue ( or ; pinyin: ''Luòyuè'' ← Middle Chinese: *''lɑk̚-ɦʉɐt̚'' ← Old Chinese *''râk-wat'') was a group of multilinguistic, specifically Kra-Dai and Austroasiatic, tribal peoples that inhabited ancient northe ...
people. He strengthened old rituals, and also provided feathered accessories, yellow banners, brass gongs, and deerskin drums for all the ancient dances with sword and battle axe, reminiscent of scenes depicted on
Đông Sơn drums.
Quyền also imposed a new administrative hierarchy. He assigned a hundred
mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
s, decided on the designs and colors of royal robes and hats for everyone, and appointed mandarins to different levels and functions. But his new realm quickly succumbed to prolonged civil conflict, beginning with internecine struggles between members of the Dương and Ngô families, who continued to alternate in power until the mid-960s. Ngô Quyền's immediate heirs proved unable to maintain a unified state. After his death in 944,
Dương Tam Kha
Dương Tam Kha ( 楊 三 哥), formally King Ping of Yang ( 楊 平 王), later known as the Duke of Chương Dương (章陽公) (died 10 August 980), was king of the Ngô dynasty from 944 to 950.''Đại Việt sử lược'', vol. 1''Nguyễn ...
usurped the throne for a brief time, until Ngô Quyền's two sons,
Ngô Xương Văn
Ngô Xương Văn ( vi-hantu, 吳昌文, 935–965), formally King of Nam Tấn (南晉王), was a king of the Vietnamese Ngô dynasty. He was the second son of Ngô Quyền, the dynastic founder.
Background
Ngô Xương Văn was born in 935. ...
and
Ngô Xương Ngập
Ngô Xương Ngập ( vi-hantu, 吳昌岌, died 954), formally King of Thiên Sách (天策王), was a co-ruler of the Ngô dynasty of Vietnam. He was the eldest son of Ngô Quyền, the dynastic founder.
Ngô Quyền named Dương Tam Kha as r ...
, finally established a joint rule, which lasted until the collapse of the royal family in 966.
Family
*Father
**Ngô Mân
*Mother
**Phùng Thị Tinh Phong
*Wife
**Dương Thị Ngọc
*Brother in law
**
Dương Tam Kha
Dương Tam Kha ( 楊 三 哥), formally King Ping of Yang ( 楊 平 王), later known as the Duke of Chương Dương (章陽公) (died 10 August 980), was king of the Ngô dynasty from 944 to 950.''Đại Việt sử lược'', vol. 1''Nguyễn ...
(?–980)
*Children
**Ngô Xương Ngập (?–954)
**Ngô Xương Văn (935–965)
**Ngô Nam Hưng
**Ngô Càn Hưng
Legacy
The first history of
Dai Viet
Dai may refer to:
Names
* Dai (given name), a Welsh or Japanese masculine given name
* Dai (surname) (戴), a Chinese surname
Places and regimes
* Dai Commandery, a commandery of the state of Zhao and in early imperial China
* Dai County, in Xinz ...
by
Lê Văn Hưu
Lê Văn Hưu (1230–1322) was an historian of the Trần dynasty. He is best known for his work the ''Đại Việt sử ký'', the first comprehensive historical record of the history of Vietnam. Although the book was lost during the Fourth Chin ...
(13th century), ''Anthology of Palace Spirits'' of
Lý Tế Xuyên Lý Tế Xuyên (chữ Hán: 李濟川; fl. 1400) was a Vietnamese historian, compiler of the '' Việt Điện U Linh Tập'' (Collection of Stories on Spirits of the Departed in the Viet Realm). The text gives not the history of historical figures ...
(14th Century), and successive histories all recognized the importance of Ngô Quyền.
Image
image:Đền thờ Ngô Quyền.jpg, Ngô Quyền's temple in Cam Lâm village.
image:Đền thờ Ngô Quyền 2.jpg, Ngô Quyền's Temple.
image:Lăng Ngô Quyền.jpg, Shrine of Ngô Quyền.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
Nam Viet Britannica
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ngo Quyen
Ngô dynasty
Vietnamese kings
897 births
944 deaths
10th-century rulers in Asia
10th-century Vietnamese monarchs
People from Hanoi
Vietnamese monarchs
Founding monarchs