Mongol invasions of Vietnam: Yuan forces are defeated by Trần forces in the Battle of Bach Dang in present-day northern Vietnam.
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Four major military campaigns were launched by the Mongol Empire, and later the Yuan dynasty, against the kingdom of Đại Việt ruled by the Trần dynasty and the kingdom of Champa in 1258, 1282–1284, 1285, and 1287–1288. The campaigns are treated by a number of scholars as a success due to the establishment of tributary relations with Đại Việt despite the Mongols suffering major military defeats. In contrast, modern Vietnamese historiography regards the war as a major victory against the foreign invaders.
Yuan dynasty
The Yuan dynasty, officially the Great Yuan, was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth khagan-emperor of the Mongol Empire from the Borjigin clan, and lasted from 1271 to 1368. In Chinese history, the Yuan dynasty followed the Song dynasty and preceded the Ming dynasty.
Trần dynasty
The Trần dynasty, officially Đại Việt, was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled from 1225 to 1400. The dynasty was founded when emperor Trần Thái Tông ascended to the throne after his uncle Trần Thủ Độ orchestrated the overthrow of the Lý dynasty. The Trần dynasty defeated three Mongol invasions, most notably during the decisive Battle of Bạch Đằng River in 1288. The final emperor of the dynasty was Thiếu Đế, who was forced to abdicate the throne in 1400, at the age of five years old in favor of his maternal grandfather, Hồ Quý Ly.
Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)
The Battle of Bạch Đằng was a decisive naval battle during the third Mongol invasion of Vietnam between Đại Việt commanded by Commander-in-Chief Prince Trần Quốc Tuấn, and the fleet of the Yuan dynasty, commanded by Admirals Omar and Fan Yi on the Bạch Đằng River, which Prince Hưng Đạo staged an ambush that destroyed the Yuan fleet, capturing its general, ending Kublai’s intention to conquer Dai Viet and Champa. The battle was a tactical masterpiece of the same stature as a previous battle of Bạch Đằng that occurred in 938 and is considered as one of the greatest victories in Vietnamese military history.