Lý Đạo Thành (, ? – 1081),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...

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 in the stability and prosperity of Annam during the early years of Lý Nhân Tông's reign when Lý Đạo Thành also acted as a regent for the young emperor. Today Lý Đạo Thành is still considered one of the great officials of the Lý dynasty and 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 ...

Biography

There was only a brief account about Lý Đạo Thành in the ''

Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư The ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'' ( vi-hantu, 大越史記全書; ; ''Complete Annals of Đại Việt'') is the official national chronicle of the Vietnamese state, that was originally compiled by the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên under ...

,'' but according to some folk stories, Lý Đạo Thành was born in 1053 to a noble family in Thái Cực, Thọ Xương. It was said that Lý Đạo Thành was a member of the Lý royal family and already held the position of 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'') when the emperor Lý Thánh Tông died in 1072. Together with the Empress Mother Thượng Dương, the chancellor was appointed by Lý Thánh Tông to act the regency for his successor Lý Nhân Tông, who was only 7 at that time. According to 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 ...

, during the purge of Empress Mother Thượng Dương by the emperor and his natural 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� ...

in 1073, Lý Đạo Thành was transferred to the position of governor in the southern province Nghệ An likely because he advised against the act of Ỷ Lan and the emperor. One year later, the emperor decided to restore Lý Đạo Thành to his former post. In his ''

Việt Nam sử lược ( vi-hantu, 越南史略, french: Précis d'Histoire du Việt-Nam, lit. "Outline History of Vietnam"), was the first history text published in the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese alphabet. It was compiled by Vietnamese historian Trần Trọng Kim ...

'',

Trần Trọng Kim Trần Trọng Kim (Chữ Nôm: ; 1883 – December 2, 1953), courtesy name Lệ Thần, was a Vietnamese scholar and politician who served as the Prime Minister of the short-lived Empire of Vietnam, a state established with the support of Impe ...

remarked that Lý Đạo Thành was not only a competent official but also possessed a strong and righteous character, therefore he had an important contribution in the stability and prosperity of Đại Việt during the early years of Lý Nhân Tông's reign. According to the ''Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'', Lý Đạo Thành deceased in the tenth month in 1081. His position of chancellor was succeeded by

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 ...

, who was afterwards deprived of all titles and banished to a remote region after a controversial treason case in 1096.

Legacy

Lý Đạo Thành is considered one of the most famous chancellors of the Lý dynasty; in the book '' Lịch triều hiến chương loại chí'', the historian Lê Tung praised Lý Đạo Thành as one of the two greatest regents of the Lý dynasty, together with

Tô Hiến Thành Tô Hiến Thành ( Hán tự: 蘇憲誠) (died 1179) was an official in the royal court of Lý Anh Tông and Lý Cao Tông, the sixth and seventh emperors of the Lý dynasty. Being a capable official of Lý Anh Tông who helped the emperor in ...

. Today his contribution is still highly appreciated; Lý Đạo Thành is worshipped as a

tutelary deity A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety an ...

in several villages in Northern Vietnam, and a street in

Hanoi 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 ...

is also named in his honour.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ly Dao Thanh Lý dynasty officials 1081 deaths Year of birth unknown People from Bắc Ninh province