Nguyễn Trãi (Hán tự: 阮廌), also known under his style name Ức Trai 抑齋 (1380–1442) was an illustrious Vietnamese Confucian scholar, a noted poet, a skilled politician and a master tactician. He was at times attributed with being capable of almost miraculous or mythical deeds in his designated capacity as a close friend and principal advisor of Lê Lợi, Vietnam's hero-king, who fought to free the country from Chinese rule. He is credited with writing...
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Nguyễn Trãi (Hán tự: 阮廌), also known under his style name Ức Trai 抑齋 (1380–1442) was an illustrious Vietnamese Confucian scholar, a noted poet, a skilled politician and a master tactician. He was at times attributed with being capable of almost miraculous or mythical deeds in his designated capacity as a close friend and principal advisor of Lê Lợi, Vietnam's hero-king, who fought to free the country from Chinese rule. He is credited with writing the important political statements of Lê Lợi and inspiring the Vietnamese populace to support open rebellion against the Ming Dynasty rulers. He is also the author of the declaration of independence from China Bình Ngô đại cáo.
Nguyễn Trãi was born in 1388 in Thăng Long (present day Hanoi), the capital of the declining Tran Dynasty. Under the brief Ho Dynasty, he passed crown examinations and served for a time in the government. In 1406, Ming force invaded and conquered Vietnam. The Ming attempted to convert Vietnam into a Chinese province...
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