Lê Thái Tông
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Lê Thái Tông (Hán tự: 黎太宗, Lí Taizong; 1423 – 1442) was an 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 closest advisors (Le Sat, Trinh Kha, Pham Van Sao, Nguyen Trai, Tran Nguyen Han, and Le Ngan) to name 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. He eliminated many of his rivals by various means and tried to further solidify his powerbase within the government. Lê Thái Tông became increasingly unhappy with his regent's actions and sought support from rival factions. He struck an alliance with Trinh Kha (who had been sent to a distant part of Vietnam). One of his first acts upon officially taking the throne in 1438 was to bring Trinh Kha back and installed him as the head of the Palace Guards - against Le Sat's strong objections. A few months later, Le Sat was accused of lacking in virtue and usurping the power which belonged solely to the king. Trinh Kha's guards arrested Le Sat and he was found guilty and executed.
The capable emperor Lê Thái Tông had an unfortunate weakness for pretty young women and his palace was filled with intrigue as he shifted favors from one concubine 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 transferred 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 suddenly and quickly 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 had them executed, along with their every relatives young and old from both paternal and maternal branches. Nguyen-thi-Lo is a most unlikely murderer (as she was the mistress of the king at the time) but the reason for Lê Thái Tông’s death is unlikely to ever be solved. However, it should be noted that twenty years later, king Lê Thánh Tông officially pardoned Nguyễn Trãi, saying that he was wholly innocent in the death of Lê Thái Tông.
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| Preceded by Le Loi |
King of Vietnam (ruled only from 1438 to 1442) 1433-1442 |
Succeeded by Le Nhan Tong |
