Dương Nhật Lễ
Encyclopedia
Hôn Đức Công given name
Dương Nhật Lễ (楊日禮), was the emperor of Đại Việt from 1369 to 1370. Although not coming from the Trần
clan, Dương Nhật Lễ was ceded the throne of the Trần Dynasty by an edict of Emperor Trần Dụ Tông
shortly before his death. During his short reign, Dương Nhật Lễ tried to change his family name back to Dương, which enraged members of the royal family and ultimately resulted in his deposal and death and the coronation of Trần Nghệ Tông
. The rise and fall of Dương Nhật Lễ was the starting point for a series of chaotic events in the royal court that led to the collapse of the Trần Dynasty.
and elder brother of the reigning Emperor. Nhật Lễ was born in the palace and was adopted by Prince Cung Túc as his own son.
Being an impotent man, Emperor Dụ Tông did not have any children, so appointed his brother's son Nhật Lễ as his successor. This decision was heavily criticized by contemporary historians because it broke the traditional regulation in succession and brought a chaotic period to the Trần Dynasty. Twenty days after Dụ Tông's death on the 25th day of the 5th month (Lunar calendar
) in 1369, Queen Mother Hiến Từ upheld the Emperor's will by inviting Nhật Lễ to the royal palace for the coronation, despite the strong opposition from royal family members and mandarins and a plan made by the royal court to enthrone Prince Cung Định Trần Phủ
against the late emperor's will. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, the Queen Mother reasoned that because Trần Dục was not passed the throne even though he was Minh Tông's eldest prince, therefore Nhật Lễ, who was Trần Dục's son, deserved the position.
Like his predecessor Dụ Tông, Nhật Lễ neglected his administrative duties and concentrated only in drinking, theatre and wandering. He even wanted to change his family name back to Dương. Such activities disappointed everyone in the royal court. This once prompted the Prime Minister Trần Nguyên Trác and his son Trần Nguyên Tiết to plot the assassination of Nhật Lễ, but their conspiracy was discovered by the Emperor and they were killed afterwards. In the tenth month of 1370, the Emperor's father-in-law, Trần Phủ, after receiving advice from several mandarins and members of the royal family, decided to raise an army for the purpose of overthrowing Nhật Lễ. After one month, his plan succeeded and Trần Phủ became the new emperor of Đại Việt, ruling as Trần Nghệ Tông, while Nhật Lễ was downgraded to Duke of Hôn Đức (Hôn Đức Công). Trần Trọng Kim
in his history text Việt Nam sử lược
had a slightly different version of this event in which the overthrow plot was made by royal court mandarins and not by Trần Phủ himself. Kim claims that Trần Phủ was only enthroned after the success of the plot and the death of Nhật Lễ.
Subsequently, Hôn Đức Công killed a mandarin named Ngô Lang who had advised him to surrender and abdicate the throne to Nghệ Tông. Being informed the death of Ngô Lang, the new emperor had Hôn Đức Công and his son beaten to death. Their bodies were buried in Đại Mông mountain. After the death of Hôn Đức Công, his mother fled to Champa
and begged King Chế Bồng Nga
to attack Đại Việt. Taking advantage of the neighbour's lack of political stability, Chế Bồng Nga commanded troops and directly assaulted Thăng Long
, the capital of Đại Việt. The Trần army could not withstand this attack and the Trần royal court had to escape from Thăng Long, creating an opportunity for Chế Bồng Nga to violently loot the capital before withdrawing.
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
Dương Nhật Lễ (楊日禮), was the emperor of Đại Việt from 1369 to 1370. Although not coming from the Trần
Tran
Tran or TRAN may refer to:* Tran, Bulgaria, a small town in Pernik Province, western Bulgaria* Trần , a Vietnamese surname spelled as Chan in Cantonese or Chen in Mandarin. This is one of the most populated surname in both Vietnam and China. As the descendent of Han Chinese, many immigrated to...
clan, Dương Nhật Lễ was ceded the throne of the Trần Dynasty by an edict of Emperor Trần Dụ Tông
Trần Dụ Tông
Trần Dụ Tông , given name Trần Hạo , was the seventh emperor of the Trần Dynasty, and reigned over Đại Việt from 1341 to 1369...
shortly before his death. During his short reign, Dương Nhật Lễ tried to change his family name back to Dương, which enraged members of the royal family and ultimately resulted in his deposal and death and the coronation of Trần Nghệ Tông
Trần Nghệ Tông
Trần Nghệ Tông , given name Trần Phủ , was the eighth emperor of the Trần Dynasty who reigned Đại Việt from 1370 to 1372. Nghệ Tông was credited with the re-establishment of Trần clan's ruling in Đại Việt from Hôn Đức Công who kept the throne in nearly two years after the decease of Trần Dụ Tông...
. The rise and fall of Dương Nhật Lễ was the starting point for a series of chaotic events in the royal court that led to the collapse of the Trần Dynasty.
Background
Dương Nhật Lễ was the son of a couple of tuồng actors, which, along with other performing arts, was considered a shameful profession under the Confucian system of the time. His father was Dương Khương while the stage name of his mother was Vương Mẫu (Queen Mother), which came from her most recurrent role. While pregnant, she was made a consort of Prince Cung Túc Trần Dục who was the son of Trần Minh TôngTrần 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...
and elder brother of the reigning Emperor. Nhật Lễ was born in the palace and was adopted by Prince Cung Túc as his own son.
Being an impotent man, Emperor Dụ Tông did not have any children, so appointed his brother's son Nhật Lễ as his successor. This decision was heavily criticized by contemporary historians because it broke the traditional regulation in succession and brought a chaotic period to the Trần Dynasty. Twenty days after Dụ Tông's death on the 25th day of the 5th month (Lunar calendar
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
) in 1369, Queen Mother Hiến Từ upheld the Emperor's will by inviting Nhật Lễ to the royal palace for the coronation, despite the strong opposition from royal family members and mandarins and a plan made by the royal court to enthrone Prince Cung Định Trần Phủ
Trần Phú
Trần Phú was the first general secretary of the Indochinese Communist Party, later renamed to Communist Party of Vietnam. He was born on May 1, 1904, at the village an An Tho, now part of An Dan Commune, Tuy An District, where his father, Tran Van Pho, was as teacher...
against the late emperor's will. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, the Queen Mother reasoned that because Trần Dục was not passed the throne even though he was Minh Tông's eldest prince, therefore Nhật Lễ, who was Trần Dục's son, deserved the position.
As emperor and death
After the enthronement, Nhật Lễ changed the era name to Đại Định (大定, great peace, 1369–1370) and made the daughter of Prince Cung Định Trần Phủ his queen consort. Only half a year after taking the throne, the new emperor ordered the poisoning of the Great Queen Mother Hiến Từ, who had begun to regret her support for the coronation of Nhật Lễ.Like his predecessor Dụ Tông, Nhật Lễ neglected his administrative duties and concentrated only in drinking, theatre and wandering. He even wanted to change his family name back to Dương. Such activities disappointed everyone in the royal court. This once prompted the Prime Minister Trần Nguyên Trác and his son Trần Nguyên Tiết to plot the assassination of Nhật Lễ, but their conspiracy was discovered by the Emperor and they were killed afterwards. In the tenth month of 1370, the Emperor's father-in-law, Trần Phủ, after receiving advice from several mandarins and members of the royal family, decided to raise an army for the purpose of overthrowing Nhật Lễ. After one month, his plan succeeded and Trần Phủ became the new emperor of Đại Việt, ruling as Trần Nghệ Tông, while Nhật Lễ was downgraded to Duke of Hôn Đức (Hôn Đức Công). Trần Trọng Kim
Tran Trong Kim
Trần Trọng Kim was a Vietnamese scholar and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the short-lived Empire of Vietnam, a puppet state created by Imperial Japan in 1945...
in his history text Việt Nam sử lược
Việt Nam sử lược
Việt Nam sử lược was the first Quoc Ngu history text compiled by Vietnamese historian Trần Trọng Kim. It covered the period from Hồng Bàng Dynasty to the time of French Indochina. The book was first published in 1921 and reprinted many times to this day...
had a slightly different version of this event in which the overthrow plot was made by royal court mandarins and not by Trần Phủ himself. Kim claims that Trần Phủ was only enthroned after the success of the plot and the death of Nhật Lễ.
Subsequently, Hôn Đức Công killed a mandarin named Ngô Lang who had advised him to surrender and abdicate the throne to Nghệ Tông. Being informed the death of Ngô Lang, the new emperor had Hôn Đức Công and his son beaten to death. Their bodies were buried in Đại Mông mountain. After the death of Hôn Đức Công, his mother fled to 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...
and begged King Chế Bồng Nga
Che Bong Nga
Po Binasuor, or Chế Bồng Nga, Che Bunga ruled Champa from 1360 - 1390 CE...
to attack Đại Việt. Taking advantage of the neighbour's lack of political stability, Chế Bồng Nga commanded troops and directly assaulted Thăng Long
Hanoi
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...
, the capital of Đại Việt. The Trần army could not withstand this attack and the Trần royal court had to escape from Thăng Long, creating an opportunity for Chế Bồng Nga to violently loot the capital before withdrawing.