Ly Dynasty

HISTORY

The person who began the Lý Dynasty was Lý Công Uẩn. The Lý was the first Vietnamese dynasty that was able to hold onto power for more than several decades, allowing them to secure and expand the territory. Domestically, while the Lý kings were devout Buddhists , the influence of Confucianism from China was on the rise, with the opening of the first University in Vietnam in 1070 ( Temple Of Literature ) for selection of civil servants who are not from noble families. Politically, they created a system of administration based on rule of law rather than on autocratic principles. The fact that they chose the Đại La Citadel as the capital (later renamed Thăng Long and subsequently Hà Nội ) showed that they held onto power due to economic strength and were liked by their subjects rather than by military means like prior dynasties.

Following the death of Dinh Bo Linh in 979, the Song rulers attempted to reassert Chinese control over Vietnam. Le Hoan , the commander in chief of Dinh Bo Linh's army, seized the throne and successfully repulsed the Chinese army in 981. Ly Cong Uan , a former temple orphan who had risen to commander of the palace guard, succeeded Le Hoan in 1009, thereby founding the great Ly dynasty. He took the reign name Ly Thai To. The early Ly kings established a prosperous state with a stable monarchy at the head of a centralized administration. The name of the country was changed to Dai Viet by Emperor Ly Thanh Tong in 1054.

The first century of Ly rule was marked by warfare with China and the two Indianized kingdoms to the south, Cambodia and Champa. After these threats were dealt with successfully, the second century of Ly rule was relatively peaceful enabling the Ly kings to establish a Buddhist ruling tradition closely related to the other Southeast Asian Buddhist kingdoms of that period. Buddhism became a kind of state religion as members of the royal family and the nobility made pilgrimages, supported the building of pagodas, sometimes even entered monastic life, and otherwise took an active part in Buddhist practices. Bonzes became a privileged landed class, exempt from taxes and military duty. At the same time, Buddhism, in an increasingly Vietnamized form associated with magic, spirits, and medicine, grew in popularity with the people.

During the Ly dynasty, the Vietnamese began their long march to the south (nam tien) at the expense of the Cham and the Khmer. Le Hoan had sacked the Cham capital of Indrapura in 982, whereupon the Cham established a new capital at Vijaya. This was captured twice by the Vietnamese, however, and in 1079 the Cham were forced to cede to the Ly rulers their three northern provinces. Soon afterwards, Vietnamese peasants began moving into the untilled former Cham lands, turning them into rice fields and moving relentlessly southward, delta by delta, along the narrow coastal plain. The Ly kings supported the improvement of Vietnam's agricultural system by constructing and repairing dikes and canals and by allowing soldiers to return to their villages to work for six months of each year. As their territory and population expanded, the Ly kings looked to China as a model for organizing a strong, centrally administered state. Minor officials were chosen by examination for the first time in 1075, and a civil service training institute and an imperial academy were set up in 1076. In 1089 a fixed hierarchy of state officials was established, with nine degrees of civil and military scholarofficials . Examinations for public office were made compulsory, and literary competitions were held to determine the grades of officials.

RESISTANCE AGAINST THE SONG DYNASTY

In foreign relations with the Song Dynasty in China during the Lý Dynasty, Vietnam acted as a vassal state, although at its zenith it had sent troops into Chinese territory to fight the Song.

In 1075 , Wang Anshi , the prime minister, told the Song emperor that Đại Việt was being destroyed by Champa , with less than ten thousand soldiers surviving, hence it would be a good occasion to annex Đại Việt. The Song emperor mobilized troops, passed decree to forbid all the provinces to trade with Đại Việt. Upon hearing the news, the Lý ruler sent Lý Thường Kiệt and Tông Đản with more than 100,000 troops to China to meet the Song troops. In the ensuing 40-day battle near modern-day Nanjing , the Đại Việt troops were victorious, killing hundred of thousands of soldiers as well as others and capturing the generals of three Song armies. In 1076, the Songs formed an alliance with Champa and Chenla and sent troops to invade Đại Việt. Lý Nhân Tông sent, again, Lý Thường Kiệt. Being one of the many great military strategists of Vietnam, Lý Thường Kiệt had placed spikes under the Như Nguyệt River before tricking the Song troops into the deadly trap, killing more than 1,000 Chinese soldiers and forcing the Chinese to retreat. According to legends, during this time Lý Thường Kiệt had also composed the famous poem ''Nam quốc sơn hà'' (Rivers and Mountains of the South Nation), which asserted the sovereignty of Vietnam over its land. This poem is considered the first Vietnamese Declaration Of Independence .

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

Administration

In 1010, Lý Thái Tổ changed the 10 ''đạo'' subdivisions into 24 ''lộ''. The ''lộ'' was possibly subdivided into ''châu'' (in mountainous areas) or ''phủ'' (in the lowlands). The ''châu'' and ''phủ'' were further subdivided itno ''huyện'' and ''giáp'', and under them ''hương'' and ''ấp''.

Civil service system

At the central level, under the king were the ''Thái'' positions: ''Tam thái'' for the three literary mandarins (''Thái sư'', ''Thái bảo'' and ''Thái phó''), and ''Thái úy'' for the martial mandarin. Under the ''Thái''s were the ''Thiếu'' positions like ''Thiếu sư'', ''Thiếu bảo'', ''Thiếu phó'', and ''Thiếu úy''.

Law

During the Lý Dynasty, laws in Đại Việt were primarily based on royal proclamations, although a body of law composing of civil laws, criminal laws, litigation laws, and laws dealing with marriage existed. However, because the Lý rulers were devout Buddhists, the punishments during this era were not very severe.

Economy

Foreign relations

RELIGION

PERIOD OF DECLINE

LY RULERS

LINEAGE

''Note'': Years in the table above are the years of their reign.

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Ly Dynasty

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