Lý Thần Tông
Encyclopedia
Lý Thần Tông given name
Lý Dương Hoán (李陽煥), was the fifth emperor of the Lý Dynasty
, reigning over Đại Việt from 1127 to his death in 1138. Becoming the ruler of Đại Việt at the age of twelve, Lý Thần Tông successfully maintained the order of the royal court and strengthened the stability of the country with the assistances of capable officials. For that reason, Đại Việt under Lý Thần Tông was able to witness a peaceful period like during the reign of his predecessors. However, Lý Thần Tông deceased at the age of only 23 before passing the throne to his crown prince Lý Thiên Tộ.
: Sùng Hiền hầu) who was son of the Emperor Lý Thánh Tông
and younger brother of the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông
. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Lý Dương Hoán was born right after the death of the monk Từ Đạo Hạnh, one of the most important figures of the Early Lý Dynasty, which implied that Lý Dương Hoán might be the incarnation of Từ Đạo Hạnh. At that time, the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông was unable to have his own child, and thus he decided to adopt sons of the Marquises Sùng Hiền, Thành Khánh, Thành Quảng, Thành Chiêu, Thành Hưng, so that the emperor could choose a capable successor to maintain the throne for the Lý Dynasty. Finally, being an intelligent and vivacious boy, Lý Dương Hoán was made by Lý Thần Tông the crown prince
of the Lý Dynasty at the age of two in 1117.
In December 1127, Lý Nhân Tông deceased at Vĩnh Quang Palace and was succeeded by the Crown Prince Lý Dương Hoán, now Lý Thần Tông. Immediately after the coronation, Thần Tông began to regulate the royal court and the royal family in order to keep the stability of the Lý Dynasty in the wake of Nhân Tông's death. The action of Lý Thần Tông was criticized by the feudal historians Lê Văn Hưu
and Ngô Sĩ Liên
who thought that Lý Thần Tông should have been in mourning for his predecessor for a longer period to show his respect for the departed emperor.
Although being the emperor at the age of only twelve, Lý Thần Tông at once made several major changes in the royal court such as relaxing the laws, appointing officials for important positions and maintaining the relation with the Song Dynasty
and the Kingdom of Champa
. At that time, the condition in the northern and southern borders of Đại Việt was fairly stable except for some skirmishes with Champa which were driven out by the Lý army without difficulty. After the Emperor, the victory over Champa was partly attributed to the protection of the Buddhist
and Taoist
deities, an opinion that the historian Lê Văn Hưu did not agree with since the historian thought that the victory in battlefield was solely due to the ability of the commander.
In the first month of 1129, the Emperor bestowed his real father and mother Marquis Sùng Hiền and Lady Đỗ thị on titles the Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) and the Empress Mother (Hoàng thái hậu) of the Lý Dynasty. The decision of Lý Thần Tông was met with criticism from Lê Văn Hưu because of its unorthodoxy according to the feudal tradition in which the Emperor should accept only one origin, in this case was the late Lý Nhân Tông and his empress. Lê Văn Hưu, together with Ngô Sĩ Liên, again criticized Lý Thần Tông for his order in the first month of 1130 that every daughters of mandarins in the royal court had to be available for the emperor's selection of concubines and ones who were not chosen could only get married afterwards. Because of the young age of the emperor, Ngô Sĩ Liên and Lê Văn Hưu often pointed their criticisms to Lý Thần Tông's officials who were considered by the historians lack of ability and being flatterers. However, Lý Thần Tông was later considered in Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư a skilled ruler who was able to choose and use talented officials and hold the stability of the Lý Dynasty. On the other hand, the modern historian Trần Trọng Kim
wrote in his Việt Nam sử lược
that Đại Việt was able to witness a peaceful era during the reign of Lý Thần Tông thank to some capable mandarins such as Trương Bá Ngọc, Lưu Khánh Đàm and Dương Anh Nhị and the policy of "ngụ binh ư nông" which meant conscripting farmers into the army for a period of six months and release them for the remaining six months so that they can resume their farming works and thus the agriculture of the country was not affected by military activities.
In 1136 Lý Thần Tông contracted a severe disease that his physicians could not cure, finally it was the monk Nguyễn Minh Không who helped the emperor survive the illness and fully recover. There was a legend said that Nguyễn Minh Không was passed the treatment of disease by his master Từ Đạo Hạnh before he died. Nevertherless, Lý Thần Tông survived for only two years, he died on the 26th day of the ninth month of 1138 at the age of 23 and was succeeded by Lý Anh Tông
.
The first son of Lý Thần Tông and Lady Minh Bảo Lê thị was Lý Thiên Tộ who was born in the fourth month in Lunar calendar
of 1136. Initially Lý Thiên Tộ was not chosen the crown prince of the Lý Dynasty because his father preferred Lý Thiên Lộc who was son of his favourite concubine and born before Lý Thiên Tộ in 1132. In the ninth month of 1138, the ill emperor decided to make Lý Thiên Tộ his successor and downgraded Lý Thiên Lộc to Prince Minh Đạo (Minh Đạo vương) after a campaign opened by three other concubines of the Emperor, Ladies Cảm Thánh, Nhật Phụng and Phụng Thánh, who were afraid that the coronation of a concubine's son would menace their position in royal family. Besides Lý Thiên Tộ and Lý Thiên Lộc, the emperor had an stillborn daughter in 1132, a third prince with unknown name born in 1137 and the Princess Thụy Thiên who was also born in 1137.
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
Lý Dương Hoán (李陽煥), was the fifth emperor of the Lý Dynasty
Lý Dynasty
The Lý Dynasty , sometimes known as the Later Lý Dynasty , was a Vietnamese dynasty that began in 1009 when Lý Thái Tổ overthrew the Prior Lê Dynasty and ended in 1225 when the queen Lý Chiêu Hoàng was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her husband, Trần Cảnh. They ruled Vietnam for a...
, reigning over Đại Việt from 1127 to his death in 1138. Becoming the ruler of Đại Việt at the age of twelve, Lý Thần Tông successfully maintained the order of the royal court and strengthened the stability of the country with the assistances of capable officials. For that reason, Đại Việt under Lý Thần Tông was able to witness a peaceful period like during the reign of his predecessors. However, Lý Thần Tông deceased at the age of only 23 before passing the throne to his crown prince Lý Thiên Tộ.
Early years
Thần Tông was born in the summer of 1116 as Lý Dương Hoán to the Lady Đỗ thị and Marquis Sùng Hiền (VietnameseVietnamese language
Vietnamese is the national and official language of Vietnam. It is the mother tongue of 86% of Vietnam's population, and of about three million overseas Vietnamese. It is also spoken as a second language by many ethnic minorities of Vietnam...
: Sùng Hiền hầu) who was son of the Emperor Lý Thánh Tông
Lý Thánh Tông
Lý Thánh Tông was the posthumous title of the third emperor of the Lý dynasty of Vietnam. Like his father, he was considered as one of the most talented and benevolent kings in Vietnamese history.-Genius Crown Prince:...
and younger brother of the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông
Ly Nhan Tong
Lý Nhân Tông , given name Lý Càn Đức , was the fourth emperor of the Lý Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1072 to his death in 1127...
. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Lý Dương Hoán was born right after the death of the monk Từ Đạo Hạnh, one of the most important figures of the Early Lý Dynasty, which implied that Lý Dương Hoán might be the incarnation of Từ Đạo Hạnh. At that time, the Emperor Lý Nhân Tông was unable to have his own child, and thus he decided to adopt sons of the Marquises Sùng Hiền, Thành Khánh, Thành Quảng, Thành Chiêu, Thành Hưng, so that the emperor could choose a capable successor to maintain the throne for the Lý Dynasty. Finally, being an intelligent and vivacious boy, Lý Dương Hoán was made by Lý Thần Tông the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of the Lý Dynasty at the age of two in 1117.
In December 1127, Lý Nhân Tông deceased at Vĩnh Quang Palace and was succeeded by the Crown Prince Lý Dương Hoán, now Lý Thần Tông. Immediately after the coronation, Thần Tông began to regulate the royal court and the royal family in order to keep the stability of the Lý Dynasty in the wake of Nhân Tông's death. The action of Lý Thần Tông was criticized by the feudal historians Lê Văn Hưu
Lê Văn Hưu
Lê Văn Hưu was an historian of the Trần Dynasty. He is best known for his work the Đại Việt sử ký, the first comprehensive historical record of the history of Vietnam...
and Ngô Sĩ Liên
Ngô Sĩ Liên
Ngô Sĩ Liên was an historian of the Lê Dynasty. He is best known for being the principal compiler of the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, a comprehensive chronicle of the history of Vietnam and the oldest official historical record of a Vietnamese dynasty that remains today...
who thought that Lý Thần Tông should have been in mourning for his predecessor for a longer period to show his respect for the departed emperor.
As emperor
After the enthronement, Lý Thần Tông changed the era name to Thiên Thuận (1128–1132) and made his adoptive mother Lady Trần Anh the Empress Mother of the Lý Dynasty. During the reign, the Emperor changed the era name one more time to Thiên Chương Bảo Tự (1133–1138).Although being the emperor at the age of only twelve, Lý Thần Tông at once made several major changes in the royal court such as relaxing the laws, appointing officials for important positions and maintaining the relation with the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
and the Kingdom of Champa
Champa
The kingdom of Champa was an Indianized kingdom that controlled what is now southern and central Vietnam from approximately the 7th century through to 1832.The Cham people are remnants...
. At that time, the condition in the northern and southern borders of Đại Việt was fairly stable except for some skirmishes with Champa which were driven out by the Lý army without difficulty. After the Emperor, the victory over Champa was partly attributed to the protection of the Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
deities, an opinion that the historian Lê Văn Hưu did not agree with since the historian thought that the victory in battlefield was solely due to the ability of the commander.
In the first month of 1129, the Emperor bestowed his real father and mother Marquis Sùng Hiền and Lady Đỗ thị on titles the Retired Emperor (Thái thượng hoàng) and the Empress Mother (Hoàng thái hậu) of the Lý Dynasty. The decision of Lý Thần Tông was met with criticism from Lê Văn Hưu because of its unorthodoxy according to the feudal tradition in which the Emperor should accept only one origin, in this case was the late Lý Nhân Tông and his empress. Lê Văn Hưu, together with Ngô Sĩ Liên, again criticized Lý Thần Tông for his order in the first month of 1130 that every daughters of mandarins in the royal court had to be available for the emperor's selection of concubines and ones who were not chosen could only get married afterwards. Because of the young age of the emperor, Ngô Sĩ Liên and Lê Văn Hưu often pointed their criticisms to Lý Thần Tông's officials who were considered by the historians lack of ability and being flatterers. However, Lý Thần Tông was later considered in Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư a skilled ruler who was able to choose and use talented officials and hold the stability of the Lý Dynasty. On the other hand, the modern historian Trần Trọng Kim
Tran Trong Kim
Trần Trọng Kim was a Vietnamese scholar and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the short-lived Empire of Vietnam, a puppet state created by Imperial Japan in 1945...
wrote in his Việt Nam sử lược
Việt Nam sử lược
Việt Nam sử lược was the first Quoc Ngu history text compiled by Vietnamese historian Trần Trọng Kim. It covered the period from Hồng Bàng Dynasty to the time of French Indochina. The book was first published in 1921 and reprinted many times to this day...
that Đại Việt was able to witness a peaceful era during the reign of Lý Thần Tông thank to some capable mandarins such as Trương Bá Ngọc, Lưu Khánh Đàm and Dương Anh Nhị and the policy of "ngụ binh ư nông" which meant conscripting farmers into the army for a period of six months and release them for the remaining six months so that they can resume their farming works and thus the agriculture of the country was not affected by military activities.
In 1136 Lý Thần Tông contracted a severe disease that his physicians could not cure, finally it was the monk Nguyễn Minh Không who helped the emperor survive the illness and fully recover. There was a legend said that Nguyễn Minh Không was passed the treatment of disease by his master Từ Đạo Hạnh before he died. Nevertherless, Lý Thần Tông survived for only two years, he died on the 26th day of the ninth month of 1138 at the age of 23 and was succeeded by Lý Anh Tông
Lý Anh Tông
Lý Anh Tông , given name Lý Thiên Tộ , was the sixth emperor of the Lý Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1138 to his death in 1175...
.
Family
Lý Thần Tông entitled his empress, the Empress Consort Lệ Thiên (Lệ Thiên Hoàng hậu) Lý thị in 1128, she was daughter of the military commander Lý Sơn. At the same time, Lý Thần Tông also married the niece Lê thị of the chancellor Lê Xương, who was entitled as Lady Minh Bảo (Minh Bảo phu nhân).The first son of Lý Thần Tông and Lady Minh Bảo Lê thị was Lý Thiên Tộ who was born in the fourth month in Lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
of 1136. Initially Lý Thiên Tộ was not chosen the crown prince of the Lý Dynasty because his father preferred Lý Thiên Lộc who was son of his favourite concubine and born before Lý Thiên Tộ in 1132. In the ninth month of 1138, the ill emperor decided to make Lý Thiên Tộ his successor and downgraded Lý Thiên Lộc to Prince Minh Đạo (Minh Đạo vương) after a campaign opened by three other concubines of the Emperor, Ladies Cảm Thánh, Nhật Phụng and Phụng Thánh, who were afraid that the coronation of a concubine's son would menace their position in royal family. Besides Lý Thiên Tộ and Lý Thiên Lộc, the emperor had an stillborn daughter in 1132, a third prince with unknown name born in 1137 and the Princess Thụy Thiên who was also born in 1137.