Tran Thu Do – Prime Minister with great power, forced King Ly Hue Tong to abdicate and ordered the execution of the royal army
Tran Thu Do is born in 1194 in Luu Xa village, Long Hung district, now Hung Ha district, Thai Binh province. History books do not mention his parents’ identity; they only know that Tran Thu Do was an orphan from an early age and had to find a way to make a living, so he had little education.
According to the book “Tran Thu Do – The person and career” by the Institute of Vietnamese History, Tran Thu Do joined the Huong Binh when he was less than 20 years old. At the age of 21, he was given command of the navy force under the supervision of his cousin Tran Tu Khanh – an official of the Ly dynasty. At the age of 30, Tran Thu Do was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Dientien mission, with full authority over the military inside and outside the city.
In Vietnamese history, Tran Thu Do is a great court official who founded and directly led the construction and defense of the country in the early years of the Tran dynasty. For 40 years (1226-1264), his life and career were closely associated with the Tran dynasty, with the process of restoring and developing the socio-economic situation of Vietnam from the ruins of the Ly dynasty in the 13th century.
During the reign of King Ly Hue Tong (1211 – 1224), the enemies rose like bees, and the danger of invasion was becoming a reality. Tran Thu Do and many famous generals of the Tran dynasty sacrificed themselves to unify the country and were appointed as prime minister.
In 1224, King Ly Hue Tong Ly Sam in a state of madness was forced by the powerful Tran Thu Do to abdicate to his 6-year-old daughter, Princess Ly Chieu Hoang, and went to practice Buddhism at But Thap Pagoda with the religious name Hue Quang dai su. Hue Tong was a monk for 2 years, there was a time when he went out and the people looked at him with pity. Worried that the people would still think of the Ly dynasty, Tran Thu Do took the former king to Chua Chan Giao in the palace.
One day, Thu Do went to Chua Chan Giao and met Hue Quang who was weeding the grass, he said: “When weeding, the roots must be removed.” The great master understood the meaning and immediately committed suicide, enjoying death at the age of 33.
Thai sư Tran Thu Do is known for killing King Ly, but he is highly appreciated by historians and later generations for his role, intelligence, and assistance in the prosperity of the Tran dynasty.
After forcing King Ly Hue Tong to abdicate, Tran Thu Do arranged for his nephew Tran Canh to marry Queen Ly Chieu Hoang. Under the coordination of Tran Thu Do, in 1225, Chieu Hoang abdicated to her husband. The land of Dai Viet then came under the control of the Tran dynasty with the first king Tran Thai Tong.
“Thu Do, although not educated, is more strategic than anyone else, and is respected by the Ly dynasty. Tran Thai Tong gained the whole country thanks to his efforts. Therefore, he was relied upon by the state and had the power to oppress the king,” wrote the book “Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu”.
According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, in the first Nguyen-Mong resistance war, when the enemy was very strong, King Tran Thai Tong asked Tran Thu Do for his opinion on whether to fight or retreat. Tran Thu Do promptly replied, “The divine head has not yet fallen to the ground, so Your Majesty should not worry.” This concise statement, the national pride, and the determination to resist invaders and protect the country of Tran Thu Do were praised by the people.
Before that, Tran Thu Do led the army to pacify the insurgents of Nguyen Non and Doan Thuong who were establishing a stronghold outside the city, uncooperative with the Tran dynasty. He helped the king arrange court officials, reorganize the court, and plan for canal digging and embankment construction to govern water resources.
The book “Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu” states: “At that time, someone went to see King Tran Thai Tong crying and said: Your Majesty is still young, and Thu Do oppresses the king. What will happen in the future? Thai Tong immediately ordered his carriage to the residence of Thu Do and caught him, along with that person, to convey his words to Thu Do. Thu Do replied: What he said is true, then immediately took silk money to reward that person.” As the leading court official in building the nation for the Tran dynasty, Tran Thu Do did not covet the throne. When he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the State, entrusted with the governance of the country, Tran Thu Do proposed promoting the king’s father, Tran Thua, to the position of Hoang Thanh, entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the country. “Although I am your uncle, I don’t know the meaning of the words, and I have to wander around to fight the enemy. Nothing is better than inviting the former king to be the supreme emperor, temporarily overseeing the country. After one or two years, the world will be unified, and then I will give the power of the owner to the Second Lang (King Tran Thai Tong),” the book “Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu” records Tran Thu Do’s words.
According to Dai Viet Su Ky, once, King Tran Thai Tong proposed to appoint Tran Thu Do’s brother as marshal. He replied, “An Quoc is a divine brother, if he is better than his divine brother, then I request to retire. If the divine brother is better than An Quoc, then he should not be appointed. If both brothers are appointed as marshals, what will happen to the court.”
According to Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu, once his wife was sitting on a palanquin passing the forbidden threshold and was stopped by an officer. She returned to the palace and complained to Tran Thu Do: “I am your wife and I am insulted by those officers.” Angry, Tran Thu Do sent someone to catch the officer, and that officer sincerely answered. After hearing that, Tran Thu Do said, “You hold a low position but can respect the law, so I blame nothing else,” and rewarded him with silk before letting him go.
Throughout his 71-year life, Tran Thu Do made every effort to assist King Tran in building a strong and prosperous empire, earning praise from the people. Professor Tran Quoc Vuong called him the “great historical figure of Vietnam.”
In 1264, Tran Thu Do died and was posthumously honored as the Supreme Father and Thai Prime Minister Trung Vu Dai Vuong. King Tran Thai Tong wrote a eulogy to express his special respect for him.
Tran Thu Do’s tomb is located in his hometown (Hung Ha, Thai Binh province).
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