Lý Thường Kiệt
Lý Thường Kiệt (李常傑; 1019–1105) was a Vietnamese general and admiral during the Lý Dynasty in Vietnam.[1] He penned what is considered the first Vietnamese declaration of independence and is regarded as a Vietnamese national hero.[2][3]
Life
Lý Thường Kiệt was born into a Ngô family in Thăng Long (now Hanoi), the capital of Đại Việt (ancient Vietnam). His real name was Ngô Tuấn. His father was a low-ranking military officer. In 1036, he served the Emperor as a cavalry captain and later the commander of the imperial guard. Because of his demonstrated bravery, intelligence and loyalty, he was granted a royal name, Lý Thường Kiệt, and given an important position in the Court.
In 1075, Chancellor Wang Anshi of China under the Song Dynasty told Emperor Shenzong that Đại Việt was being weakened by Champa and was an easy pick for a Chinese take-over. With less than ten thousand soldiers remaining, so argued Wang, Đại Việt would in a vulnerable position, and it would be a great opportunity for China to annex its age-old enemy. In response, Shenzong mobilized troops and passed decrees which forbade all of China's provinces to trade with Đại Việt, in effect imposing an embargo on the country in the same way that the United States would do nine centuries later. Upon hearing this, the Lý ruler sent Lý Thường Kiệt and Nùng Tôn Đản with more than 100,000 troops to China to carry out a pre-emptive attack against the Song Dynasty. In the ensuing 40-day battle near modern-day Nanning, Đại Việt troops were victorious, capturing the generals of three Song armies.
In 1076, the Song formed an alliance with the other enemies of Dai Viet, Champa and the Khmer Empire and all three sent troops to invade Đại Việt. Đại Việt Emperor Lý Nhân Tông again sent General Lý Thường Kiệt to lead his forces. Being one of the many great military strategists of Vietnam, Lý Thường Kiệt placed spikes under the Như Nguyệt riverbed before tricking Song troops into the death trap, killing more than 1,000 Chinese soldiers and sailors and forcing the rest of Chinese forces to retreat.
Those two significant Vietnamese victories over the Song ceased latter's attempts to extend south.
After the victory against the Song, Ly Thuong Kiet also led a Vietnamese army to invade Champa twice, with both invasions being successful.
Lý Thường Kiệt is regarded as one of the national heroes of Vietnam.
He died in 1105 at the age of 86.
Nam Quốc Sơn Hà
He is considered the author of Vietnam’s first declaration of independence: the Chinese-language poem, Nam Quốc Sơn Hà.
| Original Chinese | Sino-Vietnamese | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| 南國山河南帝居 |
Nam quốc sơn hà nam đế cư Tiệt nhiên định phận tại thiên thư Như hà nghịch lỗ lai xâm phạm Nhữ đẳng hành khan thủ bại hư. |
Over Mountains and Rivers of the South, reigns the Emperor of the South As it stands written forever in the Book of Heaven |
Phạt Tống lộ bố văn
General Ly Thuong Kiet was also the author of the vi:Phạt Tống lộ bố văn (chữ Hán : 伐宋露布文) (An Account of the Campaign to Punish the Song), another poem against the Song Dynasty.[4]
References
- ↑ Bruce M. Lockhart, William J. Duiker The A to Z of Vietnam 2010 Page 227 "Lý Thường Kiệt - Born in 1030 to an aristocratic family in the capital of Thăng Long (Hanoi), Lý Thường Kiệt served Emperor Lý Thanh Tong as a military officer and commanded a successful invasion of Champa in 1069 ..."
- ↑ Patricia M. Pelley Postcolonial Vietnam: New Histories of the National Past 2002 - Page 125 Lý Thường Kiệt
- ↑ Marie-Carine Lall, Edward Vickers Education As a Political Tool in Asia 2009 - Page 144 "... to the official national autobiography, the legends relating to the origins of the nation are complemented by other legends of heroes in order to constitute the Vietnamese nation's pantheon: Hai Bà Trưng, Lý Thường Kiệt, Trần Hưng Đạo, etc."
- ↑ Viet Nam social sciences - Issues 4-6 - Page 86 Ủy ban khoa học xã hội Việt Nam - 2002 "... and author of the epic poems Nam Quoc Son Ha and Lo Bo Van warning foreigners against attempting to follow in the "
External links
- Lý Thường Kiệt với bài thơ "Nam quốc sơn hà" (Vietnamese)
- viet6.html