Trần Nhân Tông

Reign

Mongol invasions

In 1279, the Yuan dynasty won a decisive victory over the Song dynasty in 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 his conquest over the southern regions such as Đại Việt and Champa. Being aware of the situation, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông began to prepare the country for the war while trying to keep a flexible policy with the Yuan dynasty. Prince Chiêu Văn (also known as Trần Nhật Duật) was appointed to pacify the revolt led by Trịnh Giác Mật in Đà Giang. He tried by diplomacy to keep the country stable before the war. With his knowledge of a minority people's language and culture, he successfully accomplished his task in 1278, so now the country was free to deal with the threat from the North.

In October 1282, the Retired Emperor Thánh Tông and the Emperor Nhân Tông gathered all members of the royal family, and officials in the royal court in Bình Than to discuss the unavoidable war. Two prominent generals of Đại Việt's army were called Trần Khánh Dư, former commander of the army but was deprived of all titles and Trần Quốc Tuấn, who would later be called Prince Hưng Đạo. In 1283 Quốc Tuấn was appointed as commander-in-chief (Quốc công tiết chế) of the army while the Retired Emperor and the Emperor began to hold military exercises with their generals and troops.

In December 1284, the second Yuan's invasion of Đại Việt commenced under the command of Kublai Khan's prince Toghan. Đại Việt was attacked in two directions, Toghan himself conducted the infantry and invaded from the north while the Yuan navy (under general Sogetu) advanced from the southern border through Champa's territory. In the beginning of the war, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông had to call for retreat when Prince Chiêu Minh (also known as Trần Quang Khải) who commanded troops, were trying to stop Sogetu's fleet in Nghệ An Province.

During this time, several high-ranking officials and members of the Trần dynasty defected to the Yuan, this included Thánh Tông's own brother, Prince Chiêu Quốc (also known as Trần Ích Tắc) and Trần Kiện who was son of Prince Tĩnh Quốc (also known as Trần Quốc Khang).

For the safety of Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông's retreat, Princess An Tư was offered as a gift and diversion for prince Toghan while Marquis Bảo Nghĩa (also known as Trần Bình Trọng) was captured and later killed in the Battle of Đà Mạc while defending the two emperors. In the southern border, Quang Khải had to retreat under pressure from Sogetu's navy and the defection of the governor of Nghệ An.

The critical situation began to change with the dynasty's victory in the Battle of Hàm Tử in April 1285 where troops commanded by Trần Nhật Duật, Prince Chiêu Thành, Quốc Toản and Nguyễn Khoái were finally able to defeat Sogetu's fleet. On 10 May 1285, Quang Khải fought in the decisive Battle of Chương Dương where Sogetu's navy was almost destroyed and the war turned in the favour of the Trần dynasty. Ten days after Sogetu was killed, Nhân Tông and Thánh Tông returned to the capital Thăng Long on 6 June 1285.

In March 1287, the Yuan dynasty launched their third invasion of Đại Việt. Unlike the second attack, this time Quốc Tuấn affirmed with the Emperor that Đại Việt's army could easily break the Yuan's military campaign. This invasion ended after only one year due to a disastrous defeat of the Yuan navy in the Battle of Bạch Đằng on 8 March 1288. Besides Quốc Tuấn, other notable generals of the Trần dynasty during this time were Prince Nhân Huệ (also known as Trần Khánh Dư) who destroyed the logistics convoy of the Yuan navy in the Battle of Vân Đồn. Another was general Phạm Ngũ Lão who took charge of ambushing prince Toghan's retreating troops.

After the war

In rewarding generals and mandarins after the victory, Thánh Tông and Nhân Tông cautioned them of the northern border. As to the defectors during the war, the Emperor issued an order in which the family name of every defected member of the Trần clan was changed to Mai, for example Trần Kiện was renamed as Mai Kiện. The only defected prince of the Trần clan, Trần Ích Tắc, was exempted from this order but he was called in historical accounts of the Trần dynasty by the name "Ả Trần" ("the woman named Trần") meaning that Trần Ích Tắc would be known as a "coward as a woman".

The Retired Emperor Thánh Tông died on 25 May 1290 at the age of 50. As the sole ruler of Đại Việt, Nhân Tông ordered to relax the taxing policy, relieving the poor and postponing the military campaign against Ai Lao so that the country could recover after two fierce wars, several famines and natural disasters.

On 3 February 1292, Nhân Tông entitled his first son Trần Thuyên as Crown Prince of the Trần dynasty and passed the throne to him on 3 March 1293.

Nhân Tông would then spend more time in seeking spiritual awakening. In 1295, he was ordained as Buddhist monk. In 1299, he came to the mountain of Yên Tử in modern-day Quảng Ninh, where he vowed to follow the ten ascetic practices as a Buddha's student. He also established a monastery, teaching about Buddhist principles and receiving a substantial amount of disciples. He was thought to have founded Trúc Lâm, the only indigenous Thiền Buddhist sect in Vietnam. In addition, he travelled across the nation to teach Thiền practices to monks and encourage his subjects to follow the Ten Good Acts theory (Daśakuśalakarmāṇi).

In 1301, he visited Champa, and lived for nine months at Jaya Sinhavarman III's court.

In 1306, he gave his daughter, Princess Huyen Tran, in marriage to the Champa king Jaya Simhavarman III, in return for two Cham provinces.

Family

Trần Nhân Tông married Princess Khâm Từ, later Empress Consort Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh, the eldest daughter of Grand Prince Hưng Đạo Trần Quốc Tuấn, in December 1274 when he was entitled as crown prince. Trần Nhân Tông had his first son, Trần Thuyên, on 17 September 1276, Trần Thuyên eventually became Nhân Tông's successor as Trần Anh Tông.

• Father: Trần Thánh Tông
• Mother: Empress Nguyên Thánh Thiên Cảm Trần Thị Thiều of Trần Liễu clan
• Consort(s) and their respectively issues:

1. Princess Trần Thị Trinh of Trần Liễu clan, daughter of Grand Prince Hưng Đạo. Later Empress Consort Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh
   1. Crown Prince Trần Thuyên, later Emperor Trần Anh Tông

1. Empress Tuyên Từ of Trần Liễu clan, younger sister of Empress Consort Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh
   1. Prince Tran Quoc Chan
2. Royal Consort Dang Thi Loan

• Other Issues:

1. Princess Thượng Trân
2. Princess Thiên Trân
3. Princess Huyền Trân

Legacy

Most cities in Vietnam have named major streets after him.