Hồ Quý Ly
Hồ Quý Ly (Hán tự: 胡季犛, 1336 - ?) was the first emperor of Hồ dynasty of Dai Viet, who rose from a post as an official of the Trần dynasty. After the Hồ dynasty was defeated in the Ming–Hồ War, he and his son were exiled to China. The Hồ dynasty was then replaced by the Fourth Chinese domination of Vietnam.[1][2][3]
| Hồ Quý Ly 胡季犛 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of Đại Ngu | |||||||||
| Emperor of the Hồ dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 1400 - 1401 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | None (Hồ dynasty established) | ||||||||
| Successor | Hồ Hán Thương | ||||||||
| Retired Emperor of the Hồ Dynasty | |||||||||
| Reign | 1401–1407 | ||||||||
| Born | 1336 Đại Lại village, Vĩnh Ninh district, Ái Châu, Thanh Đô town, Đại Việt | ||||||||
| Died | Unknown (after 1407) | ||||||||
| Spouse | Huy Ninh, daughter of Trần Minh Tông | ||||||||
| Issue | Hồ Nguyên Trừng, unknown who is the mother Hồ Hán Thương, son of Princess Huy Ninh Princess Thánh Ngâu, daughter of Princess Huy Ninh; later as Empress Khâm Thánh of Trần Thuận Tông | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Dynasty | Hồ dynasty | ||||||||
| Father | Lê Quốc Mạo | ||||||||
| Mother | Lady Phạm | ||||||||
Biography
According to the text in the Complete Annals of Đại Việt, Hồ claimed descent from the Hồ clan which originated from Zhejiang, and later migrated south to Annam under Hồ's ancestor Hồ Hưng Dật 胡興逸 (907 - ?), before settling in Thanh Hóa.[4][5] Hồ Quý Ly also made claims that his family was descended from Duke Hu, the founder of Chen, along with the Hồ's being descendants of Shun of Yu 虞舜, which was the reason Hồ immediately changed the name of his country from Đại Việt to Đại Ngu 大虞, using 虞 as a reference to Shun's fiefdom of Yu (Sino-Vietnamese, Ngu).[6][7]
Hồ Quý Ly was born in 1336 at Đại Lại village, Vĩnh Ninh district, Ái Châu, Thanh Đô town with aristocracy's standing. His birth name was Lê Quý Ly (黎季犛), courtesy name Lý Nguyên (理元) or Nhất Nguyên (一元), as he was adopted by Lê Huan, after whom he took the family name. It was not until Hồ Quý Ly deposed of the last Trần emperor that he reverted his family name of Hồ.
In 1400, Hồ Quý Ly dethroned the last Trần emperor and declared himself emperor, establishing the Hồ dynasty and renaming the country from Đại Việt to Đại Ngu. During his reign, he made several significant economic and administrative reforms.[8] In 1396, he enacted a law issuing paper money instead of minting bronze coins but failed, mostly because of the lack in credibility in paper money as it was easy to duplicate at that time. In 1397, he began to work on land reform policies, limiting the area of land to be owned by aristocrats, mandarins and landlords to 10 acres for each household. He also ordered standardisation of measurement methods, imperial examination reforms and promote the use of Nom script as official writing system instead of Han script.
In 1401, he abdicated in favor of his second son Hồ Hán Thương. In accordance with the former Trần dynasty's tradition, Hồ Quý Ly styled himself as Emperor Emeritus and still possessed much power over state affairs.
From 1400 to 1403, Hồ Quý Ly and his son, Hồ Hán Thương sent three expeditions against Champa. The first and third expeditions ended with Champa's defensive victory; however the second one (1402) resulted in the Champa King Jaya Simhavarman V relinquishing southern Quảng Nam and northern Quảng Ngãi to Dai Viet.[9]:111–112
In 1407, Hồ Quý Ly not failed to rally his subjects in the Ming–Hồ War against a huge invasion by the Ming Yongle Emperor's forces.[10] He was captured by Ming forces in Thiên Cầm cave and was exiled to China. He was forced to enlist in the Ming army as a common soldier. It is not clear when he died.[8] His son, Hồ Hán Thương, and grandson, Hồ Nhuế, also died in Chinese exile.[9]:112–113
Family
- Forefather : Hồ Hưng Dật
- Father : Hồ Quốc Mạo
- Mother : Phạm Thị Mỗ
- Brothers : Hồ Quý Đôn, Hồ Quý Uông, Hồ Quý Mỗ, Hồ Quý Hàm, Hồ Quý Tì
- Spouses : Huy Ninh Princess, Thái Từ Empress, Nguyễn Thị Mỗ
- Children : Hồ Nguyên Trừng (general), Hồ Hán Thương (second emperor), Hồ Thánh Ngâu (Trần dynasty's empress)
- Grandchildren : Hồ Nhuế (crown prince), Hồ Ngũ Lang, Hồ Vô Cữu, Hồ Tử Chương, Hồ Tử Việp, Trần Thiếu Đế
Works
- Quốc ngữ thi nghĩa (國語詩義)
- Minh đạo lục (明道錄)
Speech
You inquire about the state of affairs in Annan.
Annan’s customs are simple and pure.
Moreover, official clothing is according to the Tang system.
The rites and music that control intercourse between the ruler
and the officials
are those of the Han.
The jade brush unfolds new laws.
The gold sword slices the scales of armor.
Every year in the second or third month
Peach and plum seeds are planted in spring.[11]— Hồ Quý Ly describing his country to a Ming dynasty envoy through a poem
Legacy
Hồ Quý Ly has been a subject of controversial debates among Vietnamese historians, some scholars value his radical thoughts and reformation, while others regard him as a usurper. He ordered the construction of a citadel in Thanh Hóa Province. The remnants of this citadel are included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites.
References
- Anh Tuấn Hoàng Silk for Silver: Dutch-Vietnamese Relations, 1637-1700 2007 Page 18 "By the end of the following century, however, the Trần had declined and the dynasty was eventually usurped by Hồ Quý Ly, who founded the Hồ dynasty in 1400 but failed to preserve independence of the country from Ming invasion..."
- Taylor (2013), p. 166
- Hall (2008), p. 161
- K. W. Taylor (9 May 2013). A History of the Vietnamese. Cambridge University Press. pp. 166–. ISBN 978-0-521-87586-8.
- Kenneth R. Hall (2008). Secondary Cities and Urban Networking in the Indian Ocean Realm, C. 1400-1800. Lexington Books. pp. 161–. ISBN 978-0-7391-2835-0.
- Trần, Xuân Sinh (2003). Thuyết Trần. p. 403.
...Quý Ly claims Hồ's ancestor to be Mãn the Duke Hồ [Man, Duke Hu], founding meritorious general of the Chu dynasty, king Ngu Thuấn's [king Shun of Yu] descendant, created his country's name Đại Ngu Ngốc ...
line feed character in|quote=at position 259 (help) - Trần, Trọng Kim (1919). "I.III.XI.". Việt Nam sử lược. Vol.I.
Quí Ly deposed Thiếu-đế, but respected [the relationship] that he [Thiếu Đế] was his [Quí Ly's] grandson, only demoted him to prince Bảo-ninh 保寧大王, and claimed himself [Quí Ly] the Emperor, changing his surname to Hồ 胡. Originally the surname Hồ [胡 Hu] were descendants of the surname Ngu [虞 Yu] in China, so Quí Ly created a new name for his country Đại-ngu 大虞.
- Corbin, Justin, The History of Vietnam, 2008, p. 10–11.
- Maspero, G., 2002, The Champa Kingdom, Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., ISBN 9747534991
- Patricia M. Pelley Postcolonial Vietnam: New Histories of the National Past 2002 Page 151 "The combination of the Trần court's incompetence and the treachery of Hồ Quý Ly, who first inserted himself in the royal family and then, in 1400, usurped the throne, provided the Ming Chinese with a pretext to invade."
- Dutton 2012, p. 72.
Further reading
- Hall, Kenneth R., ed. (2008). Secondary Cities and Urban Networking in the Indian Ocean Realm, C. 1400-1800. Volume 1 of Comparative urban studies. Lexington Books. ISBN 0739128353. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- Taylor, K. W. (2013). A History of the Vietnamese (illustrated ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521875862. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- Dutton, George E. (2012), Sources of Vietnamese Tradition, Columbia University Press
Hồ Quý Ly Hồ dynasty | ||
| Preceded by Trần Thiếu Đế as Emperor of the Trần dynasty |
Emperor of Đại Ngu 1400–1401 |
Succeeded by Hồ Hán Thương |
Authority control  |
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