Lê Thái Tông

Lê Thái Tông (Hán tự: ; 1423 – 1442) son of the hero-king, Lê Lợi, and emperor of Vietnam from 1438 till his early death four years later.

Lê Thái Tông was the second son of Lê Lợi. His mother died early but he was considered bright and capable by his father. When Lê Lợi became sick in 1433, he summoned his close advisors (Le Sat, Trinh Kha, Pham Van Sao, Nguyen Trai, Tran Nguyen Han, and Le Ngan) and named Lê Thái Tông as his heir to the throne, at the time Lê Thái Tông was only ten years old. Upon Lê Lợi’s death, the new regent was Le Sat.

Le Sat ruled Vietnam more for himself than for the young king. Le Sat eliminated many of his rivals and tried to solidify his control over the government. Lê Thái Tông became increasingly unhappy with his regent's actions and sought out support from the rivals of Le Sat. He made an alliance with Trinh Kha (who had been sent to a distant part of Vietnam). One of his first acts after officially taking the throne in 1438 was to bring Trinh Kha back and make him the head of the Palace Guards - against Le Sat's objections. A few months later, Le Sat was accused of lacking in virtue and controlling the power which rightfully belonged to the king. Trinh Kha's guards arrested Le Sat and he was found guilty and executed.

Unfortunately, Lê Thái Tông had a weakness for pretty young women and his palace was filled with intrigue as he shifted his attentions from one girl to another. His first wife was the daughter of Le Sat, his second wife was the daughter of Le Ngan, his third favorite was Duong thi Bi, who gave birth to his first son Nghi Dan (who ruled briefly in 1459). He soon shifted his affections to Nguyen thi Dao and Nguyen-thi-Anh. This last young woman gave birth to his third son (and immediate heir) Le Nhan Tong. However, Nguyen thi Dao would give birth to his greatest son, Le Thanh Tong.

At the age of eighteen, Lê Thái Tông ordered that the most beautiful girls from each of the districts were to be sent to his court for his pleasure. Still, this wasn’t enough. He apparently conceived a desire for the wife of his father’s advisor, the Confucian scholar Nguyen Trai. The woman’s name was Nguyen-thi-Lo and she and the young king started an affair early in 1442. They traveled together to the home of Nguyen Trai and then, after he had gone on, the young king became very sick and died.

Trinh Kha and the other senior nobles in the court accused Nguyen-thi-Lo and her husband Nguyen Trai of poisoning the king and they along with their entire clans were executed. Nguyen-thi-Lo is a most unlikely murderer (as she was the mistress of the king at the time) but the mystery of Lê Thái Tông’s death is unlikely to ever be solved.

ee also

*List of Vietnamese dynasties