Phạm Ngũ Lão
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Phạm Ngũ Lão (1255–1320) was a general of the
Trần Dynasty The Trần dynasty, (Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳)also known as the House of Trần, was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Đại Việt from 1225 to 1400. The dynasty was founded when emperor Trần Thái T ...
during the reigns of three successive emperors Nhân Tông, Anh Tông and Minh Tông. His talent was noticed by Prince Hưng Đạo
Trần Quốc Tuấn Trần (陳) or Tran is a common Vietnamese surname. More than 10% of all Vietnamese people share this surname. It is derived from the common Chinese surname Chen. History The Tran ruled the Trần dynasty, a golden era in Vietnam, and succe ...
who married his adopted daughter to Phạm Ngũ Lão and recommended him for the royal court. Renowned as a prominent general in battlefield, Phạm Ngũ Lão was one of the few commanders of the Vietnamese army during the second and third
Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire ( 1206- 1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
who did not come from the Trần clan. After the war of resistance against the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
, Phạm Ngũ Lão continued to participate in numerous military campaigns of the Trần Dynasty in which he often succeeded. Today, Phạm Ngũ Lão is considered one of the most capable military commanders of both the Trần Dynasty and
history of Vietnam The history of Vietnam can be traced back to around 20,000 years ago, as the first modern humans arrived and settled on this land, known as the Hoabinhians, which can be traced to modern-day Negritos. Archaeological findings from 1965, which are ...
with
Trần Hưng Đạo Trần Hưng Đạo (; 1228–1300), real name Trần Quốc Tuấn (陳國峻), also known as Grand Prince Hưng Đạo (''Hưng Đạo Đại Vương'' - 興道大王), was a Vietnamese royal prince, statesman and military commander of Đạ ...
.


Background

According to '' Đại Việt sử kí toàn thư'', Phạm Ngũ Lão was born in 1255 in Phù Úng, Đường Hảo, Thượng Hồng (now Ân Thi,
Hưng Yên Hưng Yên () is a city in Vietnam. It is the provincial capital of Hưng Yên Province and is a third-graded city according to Vietnam's city classification table. Geography *Hưng Yên is a delta city. It is located in the south of Hưng Yên ...
). At the age of about 20 when his talent was noticed by Prince Hưng Đạo
Trần Quốc Tuấn Trần (陳) or Tran is a common Vietnamese surname. More than 10% of all Vietnamese people share this surname. It is derived from the common Chinese surname Chen. History The Tran ruled the Trần dynasty, a golden era in Vietnam, and succe ...
after sitting still whilst weaving a basket in the open road, not responding with anything other than "I am thinking about war." even after he was stabbed in the thigh. Prince Hưng Đạo was impressed and offered him a position in the military, who married his adopted daughter, Princess Anh Nguyên, to Phạm Ngũ Lão and also taught him about military knowledge so that he could become a capable general. After that, Prince Hưng Đạo recommended him for the Emperor
Trần Nhân Tông Trần Nhân Tông (7 December 1258–16 December 1308), personal name Trần Khâm, temple name Nhân Tông, was the third emperor of the Trần dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1278 to 1293. After ceding the throne to his son Tr ...
who appointed him as commander of right division of the Royal Guard () in May 1290.


History


During two Mongol invasions

In 1279, the Yuan Dynasty won a decisive victory over the
Song Dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
in the
Battle of Yamen The naval battle, naval Battle of Yamen () (also known as the Naval Battle of Mount Ya; ) took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song dynasty against the invading Mongols, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. Although out ...
which marked the end of Song Dynasty and the total control of
Kublai Khan Kublai ; Mongolian script: ; (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder of the Yuan dynasty of China and the fifth khagan-emperor of th ...
over
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. As a result, Kublai Khan started planning the invasions of the southern countries like
Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...
or
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
. In December 1284, the second Yuan's invasion of Đại Việt was initiated under the command of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Đại Việt invasion came in two directions, the infantry, led by Toghan, invaded from the northern border while general Sogetu led the navy from the southern border through
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
's territory. During the war, Phạm Ngũ Lão participated in several battles, notably
Battle of Chương Dương The Battle of Chương Dương (1285) was a battle between joint Cham–Vietnamese forces led by Prince Trần Quốc Tuấn and Duke Trần Quang Khải against the Mongol-led Yuan force under the Mongol general Sogetu in late June 1285. The ...
where Phạm Ngũ Lão, together with Prince Chiêu Minh
Trần Quang Khải Prince Chiêu Minh Trần Quang Khải (1241–1294) was the third son of Trần Thái Tông, first emperor of the Trần dynasty of Vietnam. Being the younger brother of the Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and holding the position of grand ch ...
and Marquis Hoài Văn
Trần Quốc Toản Marquis Hoài Văn Trần Quốc Toản ( vi-hantu, , born 1267, fl. 1267–1285) was a marquis of the Trần Dynasty who was well known for his active role in the second war of resistance of Đại Việt against the Mongol invasion. Alth ...
, nearly destroyed general Sogetu's fleet on the tenth day of the fifth lunar month (June 14), or Battle of Vạn Kiếp where the general fought under the command of Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn on May 20. Đại Việt's decisive victories ultimately led to the retreat of Toghan's troops one month later. In 1287, the
Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
launched their third invasion of Đại Việt. This military campaign was ended by a disastrous defeat of the Yuan navy in Battle of Bạch Đằng on March 8 of Lunar calendar, 1288. After fighting in Battle of Bạch Đằng, Phạm Ngũ Lão ambushed Prince Toghan's retreating troops, destroying half of the Yuan army. As a results of his battlefield achievements, Phạm Ngũ Lão was promoted to Commander of the Royal Guard after the war(Quản Thánh dực quân).


After the war

During the peaceful period afterwards, Phạm Ngũ Lão continued to have an important role in military activities of Đại Việt. In the military campaign in August 1294 led by the Retired Emperor Trần Nhân Tông in person, general Phạm Ngũ Lão was successful in relieving the troops of Prince Trung Thành trapped by Laotian force, he was awarded a golden badge by this deed of arms. In 1297, Phạm Ngũ Lão had another victory over the troops from
Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and was appointed as commander-in-chief (Hữu kim ngô vệ đại tướng quân) in October 1298. In this position, Phạm Ngũ Lão had continued success in several military campaigns in the western and southern border such as the Battle of Mường Mai against Laotian intruders in 1301 or the military campaign against kingdom of
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
in 1318. The general also took charge of putting down a revolt inside Đại Việt in 1302. With many victories in battle, Phạm Ngũ Lão was promoted gradually to Commander-In-Chief (Điện súy thượng tướng quân) of the Đại Việt army, the Emperor also married his daughter as royal concubine and granted a mandarin position for Phạm Ngũ Lão's son, a favour which was usually reserved only for members of royal family. Outside the royal court, Phạm Ngũ Lão was a close friend of Prince Minh Hiến Trần Uất, Trần Thái Tông's youngest prince, and was always ready to help the Prince despite the difference of class between him and Trần Uất. In November 1320, Phạm Ngũ Lão died in
Thăng Long 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 ...
at the age of 66. The Emperor
Trần Minh Tông Trần Minh Tông (4 September 1300 – 10 March 1357), real name Trần Mạnh (陳奣), was the fifth emperor of the Trần dynasty who ruled Names of Vietnam, Đại Việt from 1314 to 1329. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Hi ...
mourned his death by not appearing in court for 5 days, a special dedication for an official who did not come from Trần clan.


Legacy

Phạm Ngũ Lão is considered one of the most able military commanders of both the Trần Dynasty and
Vietnamese history The history of Vietnam can be traced back to around 20,000 years ago, as the first modern humans arrived and settled on this land, known as the Hoabinhians, which can be traced to modern-day Negritos. Archaeological findings from 1965, which are ...
. Phạm Ngũ Lão's deeds in the victories over two Mongols invasions and the period of peace and prosperity afterwards made him one of the most prominent figures of the Trần Dynasty who did not come from Trần clan. Phạm Ngũ Lão was also a poet with several famous poems such as '' Thuật hoài''. Today a main street in
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 ...
where the
National Museum of Vietnamese History The Vietnam National Museum of History ( vi, Viện Bảo tàng Lịch sử Việt Nam) is in the Hoan Kiem district of Hanoi, Vietnam. The museum building was an archaeological research institution of the French School of the Far East under F ...
is located, and many places in Vietnam are named in honour of Phạm Ngũ Lão. Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him. He is still worshipped as a deity, Saint Phạm (Đức thánh Phạm) in several regions of Vietnam, and each year a traditional festival is held in Phù Úng, his native village, to commemorate the feats of Phạm Ngũ Lão.


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pham, Ngu Lao Trần dynasty generals Trần dynasty officials 1320 deaths 1255 births Deified Vietnamese people 13th-century Vietnamese poets Trần dynasty poets