Ngo Quyen
Encyclopedia
Ngô Quyền (March 12, 897 – 944
) (r. 939
–944
) was a Vietnamese
prefect
and general
during the Southern Han
Dynasty occupation of Giao Châu in the Red River Valley
in what is now northern Vietnam. In 938
, he soundly defeated the Chinese at the famous Battle of Bạch Đằng River north of modern Haiphong
and ended 1,000 years of Chinese domination dating back to 111 BC under the Han Dynasty
.
Ngô Quyền was born in 897 AD in Đường Lâm (Modern-day Ba Vì
District, in the Ha Tay Province
of northern Vietnam, near Hanoi
). He was the son of Ngô Mân, an influential government official in Annam during the Tang Dynasty
occupation. His father was a strong supporter of Phùng Hưng
, the first Lord Protector of the Annam
and semi-autonomous ruler when the Tang Dynasty was in decline.
In 931, he served under Dương Đình Nghệ and quickly rose through the military ranks and government administration, by 934, he was promoted military governor of Ái Châu. After Dương Đình Nghệ was assassinated in a military coup in 938 by a usurper named Kiều Công Tiễn, 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 regime due to its strategic geographical location. Ngô Quyền foresaw the Chinese 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 Viet independence.
Ngô Quyền was declared King and was officially recognized by Imperial China in 939. In the process, Annam (future Vietnam) gained full independence and governmental autonomy ever since (with the exception of a short period of 20 years under military occupation by the Ming Dynasty
in the early 15th century.
influence in Annam, Ngô Quyền was a 33-year-old Army General. 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 indicated Ngô Quyền's loyalty and talented leader amongst his subordinates.
, arguably the first Vietnamese dynasty, Ngô Quyền transferred the capital to Cổ Loa, the capital of Âu Lạc Kingdom, thus affirming the continuity of the traditions of the Lạc Việt people.
From this time, Ngô Quyền reclaimed Vietnamese independence and was proclaimed as King (Ngô Vương) of An Nam in 939. He named Vietnam Đại Việt when he was made king
Ngô Quyền's immediate heirs proved unable to maintain a unified state. After his death in 944, Duong-Binh Vuong Tam-Kha usurped the throne for a brief time—until Ngô Quyền's two sons, Ngô Nam-Tan Vuong Xuong-Van and Ngô Thien-Sach Vuong Xuong-Ngap, finally established a joint rule, which lasted until the collapse of the Ngô Dynasty
in 954.
944
Year 944 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* The city of Algiers is founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri....
) (r. 939
939
Year 939 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Edmund I of England succeeds to the throne of England.* The Arabs lose Madrid to the Kingdom of Leon....
–944
944
Year 944 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Africa :* The city of Algiers is founded by the Zirid king Buluggin ibn Ziri....
) was a Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
prefect
Prefect
Prefect is a magisterial title of varying definition....
and general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
during the Southern Han
Southern Han
Southern Han was a kingdom that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period along China’s southern coast from 917 to 971. The Kingdom greatly expanded her capital city Hing Wong Fu , namely present-day Guangzhou...
Dynasty occupation of Giao Châu in the Red River Valley
Red River Delta
The Red River Delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated...
in what is now northern Vietnam. In 938
938
Year 938 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* The Liao Dynasty takes over Peking; they name Nanjing as their South Palace....
, he soundly defeated the Chinese at the famous Battle of Bạch Đằng River north of modern Haiphong
Haiphong
, also Haiphong, is the third most populous city in Vietnam. The name means, "coastal defence".-History:Hai Phong was originally founded by Lê Chân, the female general of a Vietnamese revolution against the Chinese led by the Trưng Sisters in the year 43 C.E.The area which is now known as Duong...
and ended 1,000 years of Chinese domination dating back to 111 BC under the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
.
Ngô Quyền was born in 897 AD in Đường Lâm (Modern-day Ba Vì
Ba Vi
Ba Vì is a rural district of Hanoi in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam....
District, in the Ha Tay Province
Ha Tay Province
Hà Tây is a former province of Vietnam, in the Red River Delta, now part of Hanoi. On May 29, 2008, it was decided that Ha Tay would merge with Hanoi province on August 1, 2008.- Geography :...
of northern Vietnam, near Hanoi
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...
). He was the son of Ngô Mân, an influential government official in Annam during the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
occupation. His father was a strong supporter of Phùng Hưng
Phùng Hung
Phùng Hưng was a military leader who briefly reigned over Vietnam during the 8th century.According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư , Phùng Hưng, a native of Đường Lâm , was rich and possessed prodigious physical strength. In 791, Phùng Hưng and his brother, Phùng Hải, led a rebellion against the...
, the first Lord Protector of the Annam
Annam (Chinese Province)
Annam or Jiaozhi was the southernmost province of the Chinese Empire. It is now part of present-day Vietnam...
and semi-autonomous ruler when the Tang Dynasty was in decline.
In 931, he served under Dương Đình Nghệ and quickly rose through the military ranks and government administration, by 934, he was promoted military governor of Ái Châu. After Dương Đình Nghệ was assassinated in a military coup in 938 by a usurper named Kiều Công Tiễn, 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 regime due to its strategic geographical location. Ngô Quyền foresaw the Chinese 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 Viet independence.
Ngô Quyền was declared King and was officially recognized by Imperial China in 939. In the process, Annam (future Vietnam) gained full independence and governmental autonomy ever since (with the exception of a short period of 20 years under military occupation by the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
in the early 15th century.
Rise in the military
Ngô Quyền was a commander and trusted son-in-law of Vietnamese warlord and de-facto Lord Protector Dương Đình Nghệ. In 931, when Dương Đình Nghệ defeated the crumbling Southern HanSouthern Han
Southern Han was a kingdom that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period along China’s southern coast from 917 to 971. The Kingdom greatly expanded her capital city Hing Wong Fu , namely present-day Guangzhou...
influence in Annam, Ngô Quyền was a 33-year-old Army General. 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 indicated Ngô Quyền's loyalty and talented leader amongst his subordinates.
Defeating the Southern Han
In 938, the Chinese dispatched an army to quell the Viet rebellion. Ngô Quyền calculated that the Chinese would sail down the Bạch Đằng River to unload their troops right in the middle of Giao Châu 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 Chinese toward the traps after the tide had risen. When the Chinese hundreds of 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 Chinese soldiers were killed, while some managed to retreat and were chased out relentlessly by the Viet forces. In the thick of battle, most of the Han army, including the Admiral Liu Hung-ts'ao (劉弘操; Vietnamese: Lưu Hoàng Thao; the son of the South Chinese imperator), commander of the Chinese force, were drowned.King of Viet Nam
After vanquishing the Chinese invaders and founding the Ngô DynastyNgô Dynasty
The Ngô dynasty was a dynasty in Vietnam.Around the year 930 AD, as Ngô Quyền rose to power, northern Vietnam was militarily occupied by Southern Han and was treated as an autonomous province and vassal state of China and was referred to as Giao Chỉ...
, arguably the first Vietnamese dynasty, Ngô Quyền transferred the capital to Cổ Loa, the capital of Âu Lạc Kingdom, thus affirming the continuity of the traditions of the Lạc Việt people.
From this time, Ngô Quyền reclaimed Vietnamese independence and was proclaimed as King (Ngô Vương) of An Nam in 939. He named Vietnam Đại Việt when he was made king
Ngô Quyền's immediate heirs proved unable to maintain a unified state. After his death in 944, Duong-Binh Vuong Tam-Kha usurped the throne for a brief time—until Ngô Quyền's two sons, Ngô Nam-Tan Vuong Xuong-Van and Ngô Thien-Sach Vuong Xuong-Ngap, finally established a joint rule, which lasted until the collapse of the Ngô Dynasty
Ngô Dynasty
The Ngô dynasty was a dynasty in Vietnam.Around the year 930 AD, as Ngô Quyền rose to power, northern Vietnam was militarily occupied by Southern Han and was treated as an autonomous province and vassal state of China and was referred to as Giao Chỉ...
in 954.