Lý Nhân Tông (22 February 1066 – 15 January 1128),

personal name A personal name, or full name, in onomastic terminology also known as prosoponym (from Ancient Greek πρόσωπον / ''prósōpon'' - person, and ὄνομα / ''onoma'' - name), is the set of names by which an individual person is known ...

Lý Càn Đức,

temple name Temple names are posthumous titles accorded to monarchs of the Sinosphere for the purpose of ancestor worship. The practice of honoring monarchs with temple names began during the Shang dynasty in China and had since been adopted by other dynas ...

Nhân Tông was the fourth monarch of the

Lý dynasty The Lý dynasty ( vi, Nhà Lý, , chữ Nôm: 茹李, chữ Hán: 李朝, Hán Việt: ''Lý triều'') was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed from 1009 to 1225. It was established by Lý Công Uẩn when he overthrew the Early Lê dynasty an ...

, ruling the kingdom of

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...

from 1072 until his death in 1128. Succeeding his father

Lý Thánh Tông Lý Thánh Tông (30 March 1023 – 1 February 1072), personal name Lý Nhật Tôn , temple name Thánh Tông, was the third emperor of the Lý dynasty and the 8th ruler of the Vietnamese kingdom Đại Việt. In his reign, Lý Thánh Tôn ...

at the age of 7, during his early reign Lý Nhân Tông ruled with the assistance of his mother

Ỷ Lan Ỷ Lan ( Hán tự: 倚蘭, literally ''leaning on the orchid'', ?–1117) or Empress Mother Linh Nhân ( Vietnamese: ''Linh Nhân thái hậu'', Hán tự: 靈仁太后) was a Vietnamese regent, the imperial concubine of Lý Thánh T� ...

and the chancellor

Lý Đạo Thành Lý Đạo Thành (, ? – 1081), courtesy name Bá Định (伯定), was a member of the royal family and the chancellor in the royal court of Lý dynasty. Highly appreciated for his ability and righteousness, Lý Đạo Thành had a major role ...

who were both considered competent regents and were able to help the emperor maintain the country's prosperity. Appreciated as a great emperor of the Lý dynasty, Lý Nhân Tông made important contributions to the development of Đại Việt, especially for establishing Confucianism as the official philosophy of the state, creating Confucian-based

imperial exams The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

, and creating schools based on the Confucian system of learning. During his 55-year reign, which was the longest reign for any Vietnamese monarch, Lý Nhân Tông also experienced several wars against Đại Việt's neighbours, the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

and the kingdom of

Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...

in which the

Sino–Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the ...

(1075–1076) was the fiercest. After his death, the royal family lost their control over the court to the chancellors and the bureaucracies.

Early life

Lý Càn Đức (李乾德) was born in the first month of the lunar calendar in 1066 as the first son of the emperor

and his concubine

. It was said that Lý Thánh Tông was unable to have his own son up to the age of 40, so he paid a visit to

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

pagodas all over the country to pray for a child. Therefore, right after the birth, Lý Càn Đức was entitled

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

of the Lý dynasty while Lady Ỷ Lan was granted the title Imperial Concubine. To celebrate the event that lifted the emperor's constraint of dying without issue, Lý Thánh Tông changed his

era name A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin ''regnum'' meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year o ...

from Chương Thánh Gia Khánh ( 彰聖嘉慶) to Long Chương Thiên Tự ( 龍章天嗣) and gave out a general amnesty for prisoners. In the first month of the lunar calendar in 1072, his father, the emperor Thánh Tông died and thus the crown prince Lý Càn Đức succeed the throne at the age of 7. The emperor changed the era name to Thái Ninh (1072–1076), during his reign Lý Nhân Tông had seven more era names which are Anh Vũ Chiêu Thắng (1076–1084), Quảng Hựu (1085–1092), Hội Phong (1092–1100), Long Phù (1101–1109), Hội Tường Đại Khánh (1110–1119), Thiên Phù Duệ Vũ (1120–1126) and Thiên Phù Khánh Thọ (1127–1127).

As emperor

Early years

Initially, the question of who was to be regent for the young emperor was awarded to the chancellor (

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''thái sư'')

and the Empress Mother Thượng Dương, but she was soon dismissed by Lý Nhân Tông after the influence from the emperor's natural mother Ỷ Lan. Later the Empress Mother Thượng Dương and her 76 imperial maids were imprisoned in the Thượng Dương palace; they ultimately were killed and buried in the tomb of Lê Thánh Tông. After the Empress Mother's assassination, Ỷ Lan was entitled Empress Mother Linh Nhân and replaced the Empress Mother Thượng Dương in the position of regent for the emperor. Concerning the death of the previous empress mother, the historian

Ngô Sĩ Liên Ngô Sĩ Liên (吳士連) was a Vietnamese historian of the Lê dynasty. He was 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 ...

commented that "although having a devotion to Buddhism, Ỷ Lan was too ruthless in killing the innocent empress mother, and also remarked that the chancellor Lý Đạo Thành was transferred to a position in the southern border likely because he advised against Ỷ Lan's murder of Thượng Dương. Once Ỷ Lan became regent on behalf of Lý Thánh Tông during his military campaign in

, she continued to prove her ability in successfully assisting the emperor in ruling the country, together with the chancellor Lý Đạo Thành and the commander-in-chief

Lý Thường Kiệt Lý Thường Kiệt (; 1019–1105), real name Ngô Tuấn (), was a Vietnamese general and admiral of the Lý dynasty. He served as an official through the reign of Lý Thái Tông, Lý Thánh Tông and Lý Nhân Tông and was a general durin ...

. In the second month of 1117, following Ỷ Lan's advice, Lý Nhân Tông issued an edict prohibiting people from killing buffaloes, reasoning that since buffalo were essential for farming, the death of buffalo would seriously affect many people who depended on the crops that were tilled by the now-dead buffalo; therefore, a criminal accused of killing buffalo and the occasional accomplice had to be heavily punished. The chancellor Lý Đạo Thành was also famous for his competence and righteousness that helped the young emperor Nhân Tông to maintain the prosperity of the country and the strength of the Lý army. Lý Nhân Tông's reign is highly applauded, above all in national education. Following the emperor's order, the first

imperial examination The imperial examination (; lit. "subject recommendation") refers to a civil-service examination system in Imperial China, administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureaucrats by ...

of the Vietnamese monarch based on

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a Religious Confucianism, religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, ...

learning was organized in the second month in 1072 with

Lê Văn Thịnh Lê Văn Thịnh (, 1038 – 1096), courtesy name Mậu Phu (茂夫), was an official in the royal court of the Lý dynasty. Ranking first in the first imperial examination of the Lý dynasty, Lê Văn Thịnh was appointed tutor for Lý Nhân Tôn ...

becoming the first first-rank laureate in the history of imperial examinations in Vietnam. Afterwards Lê Văn Thịnh was promoted to the position of chancellor in 1086. However the new Chancellor soon lost his position in 1096 after a controversial case of treason, was stripped of all titles, and banished. Besides Lê Văn Thịnh,

Mạc Hiển Tích Mạc ( Hán tự: 莫) is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Mo in Chinese and Mua in Hmong language. It is also of Gaelic origin, meaning son, used as a prefix in many Irish and Scottish surnames e.g. MacDonald, and MacG ...

was also a capable official who found his way to the royal court from the Confucian learning that was continuously being developed by the emperor, especially after his decree establishing the first school for Confucian students in Đại Việt, ''Quốc tử giám'' (國子監, National Academy), in 1076. In 1089 Lý Nhân Tông made another important decision when he reformed the ranking of officials in the royal court and in the country. To protect the capital

Thăng Long Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

against floods, Lý Nhân Tông initiated the construction of the Cổ Xá Dike, one of the first dike systems in Đại Việt.

Conflicts with neighbours

Relations between the kingdom of Đại Việt and the

Song Empire The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...

began to deteriorate when the Song chancellor

Wang Anshi Wang Anshi ; ; December 8, 1021 – May 21, 1086), courtesy name Jiefu (), was a Chinese economist, philosopher, poet, and politician during the Song dynasty. He served as chancellor and attempted major and controversial socioeconomic reforms k ...

brought out his reforms in 1069. In the late 1060s,

New Policies Late Qing reforms (), commonly known as New Policies of the late Qing dynasty (), or New Deal of the late Qing dynasty, simply referred to as New Policies, were a series of cultural, economic, educational, military, and political reforms implemen ...

and the prevalent sentiment of irredentism in Shenzong's court led to new ways of governing. Wang's policies saw each part of society as part of a greater whole, and thus the state must take a more holistic and all-encompassing part in governance. One of Wang's reforms, the Balanced Delivery Law, called on fiscal intendants in six of the southern circuits to disregard quotas on tribute items and to buy and sell items according to prices on the open market. Loyal supporters were sought out to assist in the extraction of these resources. Lý Thường Kiệt viewed the changing economic relationship between the Song and its frontier people as an abandonment of the traditional tribute paradigm. Wang called for military action from Song imperial troops. King Lý Nhân Tông decided to stay one step ahead by ordering the generals Lý Thường Kiệt and Tôn Đản to launch a military campaign under the pretext of "rescuing Chinese people from the cruel reforms." In 1075, the Vietnamese army led by Lý Thường Kiệt attacked the Lian and

Qin Qin may refer to: Dynasties and states * Qin (state) (秦), a major state during the Zhou Dynasty of ancient China * Qin dynasty (秦), founded by the Qin state in 221 BC and ended in 206 BC * Daqin (大秦), ancient Chinese name for the Roman Emp ...

provinces of Song China while another army led by Tôn Đản besieged the citadel of

Yongzhou Yongzhou, formerly known as Lingling, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and b ...

. Although Lý Thường Kiệt succeeded in defeating the Song reinforcements intended for Yongzhou, the Song army and people in the city were still able to stand the besiegement for 40 days and inflicted high casualties on the Vietnamese forces. As a result, when the Vietnamese army finally ended the siege of Yongzhou, the Vietnamese generals decided to get revenge by killing more than 58,000 people in the city. Several sources estimate that the total number of people killed by Viet troops during this campaign totaled 100,000. In response to the sudden attack, the Song emperor began an invasion of Đại Việt in the twelfth month of 1076 with the support of the Song's vassal kingdoms,

and the Khmer.Maspero, G., 2002, The Champa Kingdom, Bangkok: White Lotus Co., Ltd., After an initial, rapid advance, the Song forces were stopped by the Vietnamese defense along the Như Nguyệt River led by Lý Thường Kiệt. In avoiding this strong defence system, the commander of the Song army decided to change the army's direction towards the nearby region of Phú Lương, where they defeated Lý Thường Kiệt's forces in a major battle. As the Song forces took the offensive, while Đại Việt had to strenuously hold on to their costly defensive front, Lý Thường Kiệt tried to boost the morale of his soldiers by a poem named ''

Nam quốc sơn hà ''Nam quốc sơn hà'' (, ) is a famous 10th- to 11th-century Vietnamese patriotic poem. Dubbed "Vietnam's first Declaration of Independence", it asserts the sovereignty of Vietnam's rulers over its lands. The poem was first dictated to be read ...

''. Afterwards this poem was considered the first

Declarations of independence of Vietnam Current Vietnamese historians considers that Vietnam has had a total of three declarations of independence: #The poem ''Nam quốc sơn hà'' (''Mountains and rivers of Southern country'') was written in 1077 by Lý Thường Kiệt and recited ne ...

. Being aware of the unfavourable situation of the Viet army, Lý Nhân Tông finally decided to propose a cease-fire which was accepted by the Song dynasty since they had lost 400,000 men to battles and the harsh weather of Đại Việt. The Song army retreated after occupying a vast region near the border between the two countries; however, this region was gradually returned to the Đại Việt after several diplomatic efforts made by the Vietnamese envoys Đào Tôn Nguyên and Lê Văn Thịnh. In the south, hostilities soon flared between Đại Việt and Champa. Appointed for the position of commander-in-chief of the Vietnamese army by Lý Nhân Tông, Lý Thường Kiệt often personally commanded operations in the southern border where he defeated the army of Champa several times with the last victory in 1104, only one year before his death in 1105. The success of Lý Thường Kiệt during his military campaigns against the kingdom of Champa helped Lý Nhân Tông to stabilize the southern region for the later years of his reign.

Family

Although Lý Nhân Tông had three empresses, Lan Anh, Khâm Thiên and Chấn Bảo, he was unable to have his own son; thus, the emperor 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, Marquis Sùng Hiền's son Lý Dương Hoán was made the crown prince at the age of 2 in 1117. In December 1127 after a 56-year reign, Lý Nhân Tông died at Vĩnh Quang Palace at the age of 61 and was succeeded by Lý Dương Hoán, now the emperor

Lý Thần Tông Lý Thần Tông (1116–1138), Vietnamese name, personal name Lý Dương Hoán, was the List of emperors of the Lý dynasty, fifth monarch of the Lý dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1127 to his death in 1138. Becoming the ruler of � ...

. In his last will, Lý Nhân Tông still expressed his concern for the country and only wished for a prosperous nation (''bốn bể yên vui'') and a stable frontier (''biên thuỳ ít loạn''). * Parents ** Lý Nhật Tôn (1023 – 1072) ** Lady

(倚蘭, 1044 – 1117) * Wives ** Empress Lan Anh (蘭英皇后) ** Empress Khâm Thiên (欽天皇后) ** Empress Chấn Bảo (震寶皇后) ** Empress Thánh Cực (聖極皇后 ? – 1095) ** Empress Chiêu Thánh (昭聖皇后 ? – 1108). * Children (Adoptives) ** Lý Dương Hoán (1116 – 1138), son of Nhân Tông brother's Sùng Hiền hầu ** Lý Dương Côn (李陽焜), went exiled in

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Korea in 1127, after being captive in

Kaifeng Kaifeng () is a prefecture-level city in east-central Henan province, China. It is one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, having been the capital eight times in history, and is best known for having been the Chinese capital during the Nort ...

, Song China by the Jurchen Jin dynasty's army

Legacy

The 55-year rule of Lý Nhân Tông is the longest reign in the history of

Vietnamese monarchs Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

. For his contributions, Lý Nhân Tông is still considered a great emperor of the Lý dynasty, credited with solidifying the Lý dynasty's rule in Vietnam and stabilizing the country for future Lý emperors. During his 55 years of rule, Lý Nhân Tông not only cultivated the agriculture and military strength of Đại Việt, but also established a national education for Confucian learning with the establishment of the first imperial examinations and the first imperial school for Confucian learning in Thăng Long which is still preserved today. Besides these accomplishments, Lý Nhân Tông is well known for his talent in writing poetry with three poems that still remain, ''Tán Giác Hải thiền sư, Thông Huyền đạo nhân'', ''Truy tán Vạn Hạnh thiền sư'' and ''Lâm chung di chiếu''. To commemorate the successful reign of Lý Nhân Tông, a

stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

was erected in 1121 with the content composed by the minister of justice Nguyễn Công Bật. Called Sùng Thiện Diên Linh Stele, this work still stands today and is considered one of the most important steles in the

History of Vietnam The history of Vietnam can be traced back to around 20,000 years ago, as the first modern humans arrived and settled on this land, known as the Hoabinhians, which can be traced to modern-day Negritos. Archaeological findings from 1965, which are ...

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * , - style="text-align: center;" , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ly, Nhan Tong Lý dynasty emperors 1066 births 1127 deaths Child rulers from Asia People from Bắc Ninh province 11th-century Vietnamese monarchs 12th-century Vietnamese monarchs Vietnamese male poets 12th-century Vietnamese poets Lý dynasty poets Vietnamese monarchs