About the royal decrees collected in Nghe An

The royal decrees are precious heritages of our country, they are written certifications of historical and cultural value of the feudal state for deities and famous figures who have contributed to protecting and building the homeland and country... The people of Nghe An have successfully preserved thousands of royal decrees until today.

On the occasion of the scientific discussion on royal decrees in Nghe An, we would like to make an initial statistical report on the number of royal decrees currently existing and discovered in relics and family temples in localities of Nghe An...

Currently, we have temporarily listed 1,351 royal decrees that have been photographed, photocopied, recorded, and collected from family records and genealogies. The district with the most statistics is Yen Thanh with 304 districts, currently 148 of which have been collected; Hung Nguyen with over 150 districts; Thanh Chuong with 126 districts; Do Luong with nearly 100 districts; Vinh with 70; Quynh Luu with 51; Quy Chau with 35; Dien Chau with 60; Nam Dan with 140; Nghi Loc with 27; Nghi Xuan with 57; Anh Son with 10... And nearly 300 districts in USB and computers that have not been divided into districts.

The royal decree for the Tran Minh family, in Van Phan, during the fifth year of the Vinh Huu dynasty (1739).Photo: D.TT

The districts and places with special royal decrees are as follows: Dinh family, Hung Trung, Hoang Nghia family, Hung Linh commune, Hoang Dang family, Hung Chau commune in Hung Nguyen; Phan Hoang family, Vinh Thanh, Yen Thanh; Nguyen Canh family, Trung Son, Do Luong; Vo family, Yen Tap, Yen Thanh; Thai Ba family, Yen Son, Do Luong... have many royal decrees of the Le dynasty. Dinh family has a royal decree to confer on Mr. Dinh Bat Tuy the title of Dinh Nguyen Tien si and to confer many titles up to Quan Cong, Thuong Thu, Dong Cac Dai Hoc Si.

His father, mother and wives were also granted royal titles and royal titles, as well as state-sanctioned sacrificial fields... The Hoang Nghia family had a royal title for an aunt named Princess Que Hoa. The Ho family in Hung Phu, Hung Nguyen had a royal title for Ho Doan Hai as a Doctor of the Tran Dynasty, but his name was not yet recorded in the state's examination books.

The Phan family in Vo Liet, Thanh Chuong has many royal decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty and additional royal decrees for Doctor Phan Si Thuc related to his appointment as Chief Envoy to the Qing Dynasty. The Phan Nhan Tuong family temple has a royal decree conferring on him a Doctorate in a special examination that has not been recorded in history, the examination during the reign of Le Trang Tong (1546).

This course had 10 people from Nghe An who passed the exam and according to the old royal decree, there was also the Phan family (Phan Tien Tho, Hung Tay commune, Hung Nguyen)... The Ho family in Tho Thanh, Yen Thanh, had royal decrees clearly stating that Ho Tong Thoc, Ho Tong Don, Ho Tong Thanh were the first-ranking scholars of the Tran dynasty and a number of doctors whose names were not yet listed in the state's royal examination books.

In particular, the Tran Ke Lu family in Dien Chau has royal decrees for family members who are famous ca tru singers in Nghe An and in the Capital... There are families whose members have been granted royal decrees up to hundreds of times by many dynasties, such as Doctor, Hanh Khien Tong Tat Thang in Nam Dan, which were granted from the Le dynasty until the end of the Nguyen dynasty.

Through the royal decrees of the dynasties, there were figures who held many important positions in the feudal court, such as Nguyen Trung Mau in Dien Binh, Dien Chau, who held the position of Minister of the Ministry of the Six Ministries (6 ministries). Many figures with titles and official positions all had royal decrees and their ranks were very clear.

There are many types of decrees for gods in Nghe An, the most common being Cao Son Cao Cac, which are found in almost every district. Gods: Mountains (usually accompanied by the name and the word Son, such as Tran Son...); water gods, such as Long Vuong, Ha Ba, Thuy Tinh, Doc Cuoc... Decrees for human gods, such as Sat Hai Dai Vuong Hoang Ta Thon, Hoang Muoi... Decrees for village Thanh Hoangs are found in many places... Decrees for goddesses, such as Mau Lieu Hanh, Que Hoa Princess, Que Nuong Princess, Bach Y Princess, Tu Vi Thanh Nuong... In addition, there are also types of decrees from the king, or from those with high responsibilities such as the Commander-in-Chief, the Governor-General for selected figures for necessary work, awarded degrees and titles to carry out the work.

The content of the royal decrees in Nghe An is extremely rich, full of all kinds, still containing many mysteries, difficult to tell and describe all. Therefore, the task of the members of the Nghe An Han - Nom Club is to carefully research and consider step by step to select the unique and typical types, as well as select typical decrees in the same genre to describe and translate, compile into a complete work, helping to best exploit the values ​​of the royal decrees to serve the research, dissemination, and propaganda of the good traditions of our ancestors in the royal decrees and exploit the most unique features of the rich national identity of the royal decree type.

Dao Tam Tinh