[Article] Holding the fort.

21-03-2010

VietNamNet Bridge - The Ho Dynasty might have lasted only seven years, but parts of the family’s citadel built in Thanh Hoa province’s Vinh Loc district still stand, writes Sy Chuc. 

When the Tran Dynasty fell from power in 1400, a high ranking court mandarin by the name of Le Quy Ly seized his chance and proclaimed himself as king Ho Quy Ly.

But why did he change his family name?

Ho was Le Quy Ly’s ancestral name, which can be traced back to ninth century Zhejiang, an eastern coastal province of China. From there the family migrated south towards Vietnam. Ho Quy Ly's great-great-grandfather Ho Liem eventually settled in the province of Thanh Hoa, 100km south of Hanoi today.

But Ho Quy Ly was adopted by Le Huan, who belonged to an influential family in the royal court. He grew up to be a master politician known for his cunning, courage, and boldness. He had distinguished himself in a successful campaign against Champa and through his scheming and shrewd marriage (to a sister of Emperor Tran Due Tung and Tran Thuan Tung), Ho Quy Ly made himself a court fixture as an advisor to the emperor.

As the Tran dynasty fell asunder, he rose to prominence and by 1399 he had become the prestigious post of Protector or Regent of the country. Planning to seize power for himself, Ly decided to build a citadel, which he called Tay Do (Western Capital). He invited Emperor Tran Thuan Tong to visit this new capital.

There he convinced the emperor to relinquish his throne to Prince An (a three-year-old child) before imprisoning him in a pagoda and later executing him. Prince An “reigned” for one year until Ho Quy Ly deposed of him in 1400 before declaring himself as the new emperor.

Ho Quy Ly changed the country's name from Dai Viet (Great Viet) to Dai Ngu (Great Peace). Taking a page from the ruling book of his Tran predecessors, Ho Quy Ly reigned for less than a year before handing over the throne to his second son, Ho Han Thuong. Ho Quy Ly became known as the Emperor's Highest Father.

The Ho Dynasty was short lived, however. The country was in chaos and the Ming Dynasty of China were keen to take advantage and recapture Vietnam. In 1406, the Ming invaded and by 1407 the Ho had capitulated. Ho Quy Ly and his sons were captured and sent to Guangxi. There Ho Quy Ly was put to work as a Chinese soldier and security guard until the end of his life.

Although the leader of the most unpopular and probably the most hated dynasty in the history of Vietnam, Ho Quy Ly nevertheless initiated many economic, financial and educational reforms. The most notable reform for which Ho is credited was the introduction of a national paper currency in 1400. (...) (Read the full article here).

VietNamNet/Timeout