THE FORMATION OF AN INDEPENDENT VIETNAMESE STATE WITH ITS TRANSFORMATION INTO A CENTRALIZED FEUDAL MONARCHY DURING THE XTH-XIVTH CENTURIES

Abstract

The article examines the process of formation of an independent Vietnamese state since the Xth century, when the Viet people gained independence in the fight against the Chinese invaders.In 938, the Vietnamese military leader Ngo Quyen liberated the country from the Chinese rule, whichlasted about one thousand years, and founded the Ngo dynasty (939-965). During the reign of the Ly dynasty(1009-1225) Buddhism became the state religion. In 1054, the countryreceived a new name Dai Viet,meaning “Great Viet”, i.e. the name of the country reflected the name of the ethnic group – the Viets, which made up the vast majority of the population of ancient Vietnam.Under this name, Vietnam will be known to the world for more than seven centuries until 1804. The article pays a special attention to the relations between Dai Viet and the country called Champa, which existed in the territory of present-daycentral and southern Vietnam and during its heyday (VIIIth-XIth centuries) occupied up to half of the territory of what is now Vietnam. In 1225, a new Tran dynasty came to power in Dai Viet andruled the country for 175 years. During this period, the Chinese Song Empire remained a main threat in the north of the country, and after the conquest of China by the Mongolsthis place was taken by the Mongol Yuan Empire. Dai Viet had to face the Mongol invasion three times (in 1258, 1285 and 1287-88), and all three times, despite heavy losses and destruction, the Viets managed to defeat the enemy and force his troops to leave the country.During the reign of the Tran dynasty, a system of feudal monarchy was established in the country.Confucianism, the Chinese school of ethics and philosophy, was introduced as a system of principles for the organization of the ancient Vietnamese society and became widespread in Dai Viet. In general, during the reign of Ly and Tran dynasties, the relatively small Dai Viet became a militarily powerful state, capable to resistmuch stronger Chinese and Mongol empires.This created the preconditions not only for preserving the country’s independence and territorial integrity, but also for the further expansion of Dai Viet in southern and western directions.