Trần Khánh Dư
Encyclopedia
Prince Nhân Huệ Trần Khánh Dư (?–1339) was the adopted prince of the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông
and a general of Đại Việt army in royal court of four successive emperors of the Trần Dynasty: Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Anh Tông
, and Minh Tông
. Although notoriously known by his greedy character in peace, Trần Khánh Dư was a prominent general during the war of resistance by the Trần Dynasty against the second and third invasions
of the Yuan Dynasty
. Especially, Prince Nhân Huệ was considered as one of the most skilled commander of Trần navy who was credited with the victory of Đại Việt in Battle of Vân Đồn (1287).
: Nhân Huệ hầu). After Trần Khánh Dư defeated the Yuan
army during a skirmish in northern border, the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông
praised his talent and decided to make him adopted son of the Emperor (Thiên tử nghĩa nam), Trần Khánh Dư was thus entitled as Prince Nhân Huệ (Nhân Huệ vương). Being a gifted general, Trần Khánh Dư successfully pacified a revolt in the mountainous region of Đại Việt and was rapidly promoted in military rank from senior official (phó đô tướng quân) to commander in chief (phiêu kỵ tướng quân), a top-ranking position which was reserved exclusively for the Emperor's princes.
The advancement of Prince Nhân Huệ was destroyed by his adulterous affair with Princess Thiên Thụy, wife of Prince Hưng Vũ Trần Quốc Nghiễn and daughter-in-law of Trần Hưng Đạo who was one of the most powerful figures of Trần family and royal court. In order to avoid the fury from Trần Hưng Đạo, the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông instructed his officials beat Trần Khánh Dư to death in West Lake
but actually the Emperor spared Prince Nhân Huệ's life and only deprived him from all titles and properties except the land grants in Chí Linh
that Trần Khánh Dư inherited from his father. As a result, Trần Khánh Dư had to earn his life by charcoal trading which was still considered as a humble profession at that time.
in the 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 expose his attempt to take over the southern countries like Đại Việt or Champa
. Facing the threat from northern border, in October 1282, the retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông gathered all members of royal family, Trần clan and officials in royal court in Bình Than to discuss about the unavoidable war. Incidentally, the Emperor met Trần Khánh Dư, who was doing his business near the meeting place and since ordered an issue to pardon Trấn Khánh Dư's guilt and permitted him to participate in the Trần Dynasty's preparation for the war of resistance. Trần Khánh Dư was soon appointed as general of Trần's army under grand commander Trần Hưng Đạo.
The role of Prince Nhân Huệ in Đại Việt's army became prominent during the third invasion
of Đại Việt by the Yuan Dynasty in 1287. Until then Trần Khánh Dư was the general who took charge of Trần naval base in Vân Đồn Island, the advance post of Đại Việt. At the beginning of the invasion, Prince Nhân Huệ was unable to stop the Yuan navy in Vân Đồn, a failure that Yuan troops profited to advance toward Vạn Kiếp where the principal force of Đại Việt stationed. Hence, the Retired Emperor Thánh Tông intended to imprisoned him but Trần Khánh Dư begged for several days to achieve a feat against Yuan navy before being punished. Eventually in December 1287, Prince Nhân Huệ used his remnants of navy to destroy the logistics convoy of Yuan navy in the Battle of Vân Đồn which created a favourable situation on the battlefield for the Trần Dynasty to repel the invasion. For his victory in Vân Đồn, Trần Khánh Dư was credited with the low casualties of Đại Việt during the third Mongol invasion.
After three Mongol invasions, Đại Việt ultimately enjoyed a long period of stability and prosperity. During this time, Trần Khánh Dư participated in several military activities like the campaign against Champa
in 1312 or the military and civil inspection in Diễn Châu
in 1316. In the 1312 campaign led by the Emperor Anh Tông, Prince Nhân Huệ was nearly punished for attacking the convoy of Champa king Chế Chí, who had already surrendered to Anh Tông.
Besides his administrative activities, Trần Khánh Dư was also a well-known military scholar. It was Prince Nhân Huệ who personally redacted the presentation for Vạn Kiếp tông bí truyền thư, the military treatise composed by Trần Hưng Đạo.
Prince Nhân Huệ Khánh Dư died in 1339 during the reign of the Emperor Trần Hiến Tông
.
and many places in Vietnam are named in honour of Trần Khánh Dư. Each year in July, a traditional festival is held in Quan Lạn, Quảng Ninh to commemorate the feats of Trần Khánh Dư and the victory against the Mongol invaders. Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him.
Tran Thanh Tong
Trần Thánh Tông , given name Trần Hoảng , was the second emperor of the Trần Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1258 to 1278. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Nhân Tông, Thánh Tông held the title Thái thượng hoàng from 1279 to his death in 1290...
and a general of Đại Việt army in royal court of four successive emperors of the Trần Dynasty: Thánh Tông, Nhân Tông, Anh Tông
Trần Anh Tông
Trần Anh Tông , given name Trần Thuyên , was the fourth emperor of the Trần Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1293 to 1314. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Minh Tông, Anh Tông held the title Thái thượng hoàng for six years...
, and Minh Tông
Trần Minh Tông
Trần Minh Tông , given name Trần Mạnh , was the fifth emperor of the Trần Dynasty who ruled Đại Việt from 1314 to 1329. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Hiến Tông, Minh Tông held the title of Thái thượng hoàng for 29 years...
. Although notoriously known by his greedy character in peace, Trần Khánh Dư was a prominent general during the war of resistance by the Trần Dynasty against the second and third invasions
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Mongol invasions of Vietnam or Mongol-Vietnamese War refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt during the Trần Dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa: in 1257–1258, 1284–1285, and 1287–1288. The Mongols were defeated by Đại...
of the Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
. Especially, Prince Nhân Huệ was considered as one of the most skilled commander of Trần navy who was credited with the victory of Đại Việt in Battle of Vân Đồn (1287).
Background
The exact birthdate of Trần Khánh Dư was unknown but it was said that he was the son of general Trần Phó Duyệt from whom he inherited the noble title Marquis Nhân Huệ (VietnameseVietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
: Nhân Huệ hầu). After Trần Khánh Dư defeated the Yuan
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
army during a skirmish in northern border, the Retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông
Tran Thanh Tong
Trần Thánh Tông , given name Trần Hoảng , was the second emperor of the Trần Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1258 to 1278. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Nhân Tông, Thánh Tông held the title Thái thượng hoàng from 1279 to his death in 1290...
praised his talent and decided to make him adopted son of the Emperor (Thiên tử nghĩa nam), Trần Khánh Dư was thus entitled as Prince Nhân Huệ (Nhân Huệ vương). Being a gifted general, Trần Khánh Dư successfully pacified a revolt in the mountainous region of Đại Việt and was rapidly promoted in military rank from senior official (phó đô tướng quân) to commander in chief (phiêu kỵ tướng quân), a top-ranking position which was reserved exclusively for the Emperor's princes.
The advancement of Prince Nhân Huệ was destroyed by his adulterous affair with Princess Thiên Thụy, wife of Prince Hưng Vũ Trần Quốc Nghiễn and daughter-in-law of Trần Hưng Đạo who was one of the most powerful figures of Trần family and royal court. In order to avoid the fury from Trần Hưng Đạo, the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông instructed his officials beat Trần Khánh Dư to death in West Lake
West Lake (Hanoi)
West Lake is a freshwater lake in the center of Hanoi, Vietnam. With a shore length of 17 km , this is the largest lake of the capital and a popular place for recreation with many surrounding gardens, hotels and villas. A small part of West Lake is divided by Thanh Nien road to form Truc Bach...
but actually the Emperor spared Prince Nhân Huệ's life and only deprived him from all titles and properties except the land grants in Chí Linh
Chi Linh
Chí Linh is a rural district of Hai Duong province in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam. Chi Linh is known as a very beautiful country with six rivers converging, with hills, mountains, forests... The capital of the district is Sao Do .There are a lot of beautiful temples and pagodas in Chi Linh...
that Trần Khánh Dư inherited from his father. As a result, Trần Khánh Dư had to earn his life by charcoal trading which was still considered as a humble profession at that time.
Military activities
In 1279, the Yuan Dynasty had the decisive victory over the Song DynastySong Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in the Battle of Yamen
Battle of Yamen
The naval Battle of Yamen took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song Dynasty against the invading Mongol-controlled Yuan Dynasty...
, which marked the end of the Song Dynasty and the total control of Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
over China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. As a result, Kublai Khan began to expose his attempt to take over the southern countries like Đại Việt or Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
. Facing the threat from northern border, in October 1282, the retired Emperor Trần Thánh Tông and the Emperor Trần Nhân Tông gathered all members of royal family, Trần clan and officials in royal court in Bình Than to discuss about the unavoidable war. Incidentally, the Emperor met Trần Khánh Dư, who was doing his business near the meeting place and since ordered an issue to pardon Trấn Khánh Dư's guilt and permitted him to participate in the Trần Dynasty's preparation for the war of resistance. Trần Khánh Dư was soon appointed as general of Trần's army under grand commander Trần Hưng Đạo.
The role of Prince Nhân Huệ in Đại Việt's army became prominent during the third invasion
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Mongol invasions of Vietnam or Mongol-Vietnamese War refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt during the Trần Dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa: in 1257–1258, 1284–1285, and 1287–1288. The Mongols were defeated by Đại...
of Đại Việt by the Yuan Dynasty in 1287. Until then Trần Khánh Dư was the general who took charge of Trần naval base in Vân Đồn Island, the advance post of Đại Việt. At the beginning of the invasion, Prince Nhân Huệ was unable to stop the Yuan navy in Vân Đồn, a failure that Yuan troops profited to advance toward Vạn Kiếp where the principal force of Đại Việt stationed. Hence, the Retired Emperor Thánh Tông intended to imprisoned him but Trần Khánh Dư begged for several days to achieve a feat against Yuan navy before being punished. Eventually in December 1287, Prince Nhân Huệ used his remnants of navy to destroy the logistics convoy of Yuan navy in the Battle of Vân Đồn which created a favourable situation on the battlefield for the Trần Dynasty to repel the invasion. For his victory in Vân Đồn, Trần Khánh Dư was credited with the low casualties of Đại Việt during the third Mongol invasion.
After three Mongol invasions, Đại Việt ultimately enjoyed a long period of stability and prosperity. During this time, Trần Khánh Dư participated in several military activities like the campaign against Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
in 1312 or the military and civil inspection in Diễn Châu
Dien Chau
Dien Chau is a district of Nghe An Province in the North Central Coastal region of Vietnam.As of 2003 the district had a population of 286,171. The district covers an area of 307 km². The district capital lies at Dien Chau.-References:...
in 1316. In the 1312 campaign led by the Emperor Anh Tông, Prince Nhân Huệ was nearly punished for attacking the convoy of Champa king Chế Chí, who had already surrendered to Anh Tông.
After the war
Although being heavily punished one time for his guilt, Trần Khánh Dư was proved to be always a greedy official in peace time. He profited from his position as commander of Vân Đồn Island gain wealth by selling goods to native people. The often malevolent characteristics of Prince Nhân Huệ made him a despised figure he took charge and we maintained his position because Emperor Nhân Tông did not want to lose his military talents. One occasion, Prince Nhân Huệ was charged with political corruption and abuse of administrative authority, his reaction to the accusations with a memorable quote: "Generals are hawks, soldiers are ducks, why would feeding ducks to the hawks be any surprise?" ("Tướng là chim ưng, dân lính là vịt, dùng vịt để nuôi chim ưng thì có gì là lạ?"), an argument that the Emperor was not sastified with.Besides his administrative activities, Trần Khánh Dư was also a well-known military scholar. It was Prince Nhân Huệ who personally redacted the presentation for Vạn Kiếp tông bí truyền thư, the military treatise composed by Trần Hưng Đạo.
Prince Nhân Huệ Khánh Dư died in 1339 during the reign of the Emperor Trần Hiến Tông
Trần Hiến Tông
Trần Hiến Tông , given name Trần Vượng , was the sixth emperor of the Trần Dynasty who reigned Đại Việt from 1329 to 1341. Enthroned by Minh Tông when he was only a ten-year-old boy, Hiến Tông ruled Đại Việt with the regent of the Retired Emperor Minh Tông during his thirteen years of reign...
.
Legacy
Although notoriously known by his greedy character in peace, Trần Khánh Dư was considered one of the most important generals of the Trần Dynasty who helped several Trần emperors repel the Yuan army. His talent is still renowned today, a main street in HanoiHanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
and many places in Vietnam are named in honour of Trần Khánh Dư. Each year in July, a traditional festival is held in Quan Lạn, Quảng Ninh to commemorate the feats of Trần Khánh Dư and the victory against the Mongol invaders. Most cities in Vietnam, regardless of the political orientation of the government, have named major streets after him.