THE WORLD CIVILIZATIONS AND INDIA , PART-125

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VIETNAM ( SERIES -43 )

THE DECLINE OF THE LATER LE DYNASTY OF DAI VIET

It is said , ‘ Historical research is digging into the past in order to re-enact the past in its entirety .’ And a historian can neglect neither research nor style . This is the concluding operation of writing history . So , we have to study all the rest of the Emperors who reigned DAI VIET after Emperor LE THANH TONG despite the fact that they ruled the country, barring a few, nominally . The successor of Emperor LE THANH TONG was Emperor LE HIEN TONG who was the sixth Ruler of the LATER LE DYNASTY . He ruled DAI VIET from 1498 AD to 1504 AD . He was the son of Emperor LE THANH TONG . His mother name was Empress NGUYEN THI HUYEN . His only contribution was that he promulgated the legal code of his father Emperor LE THANH TONG in the Kham dinh Viet su Thong giam cuong muc . The Kham dinh Viet su Thong giam cuong muc was a history of VIETNAM Commissioned by the Emperor TU DUC of the NGUYEN DYNASTY . It was written in VAN NGON . VAN NGON was the medium of all the formal writings in VIETNAM for almost all the history of the country up to the twentieth century when it was replaced by the vernacular writings in VIETNAMESE alphabet . And the death of Emperor LE HIEN TONG in 1504 AD marked the beginning of the crisis in the 16th century which continued for eighty-eight years until TRINH LORDS drove the MAC DYNASTY from the DAI VIET’S capital THANG LONG .

Kham dinh Viet su Thong giam cuong muc

EMPEROR LE TUC TONG OF DAI VIET

LE TUC TONG was the seventh Emperor of the LATER LE DYNASTY who ruled DAI VIET from 17th July 1504 AD to 30th December 1504 AD . He was born on 6th September 1488 AD as the third son Emperor LE TRANH , the eldest son of Emperor LE THANH TONG . His real name was LE THUAN . His mother’s name was NGUYEN HOAN who was a concubine of TRANH coming from HUNG YEN , a city of DAI VIET . When Emperor LE HIEN TONG died in 1504 AD at the age of 44 , the seventeen years old LE THUAN ascended to the throne of DAI VIET . He was the CONFUCIAN scholar . So , he started reforms in the system . He released many prisoners . He stopped many construction works which was burden on his subjects . He also reduced tributes from Vassals and high-ranking officials . He maintained harmony in the royal court and peace in the country . However , a revolt broke out in CAO BANG led by DOAN THE NUNG which Emperor LE TUC TONG frustrated by defeating and killing of DOAN THE TONG with five hundred rebels . But his reign lasted for six months only . He felt critically ill . Sensing that he could not get rid of the disease , he designated his second elder brother LE TUAN as the apparent hier . And after the Emperor’s death LE TUAN succeeded him as the eighth Emperor of the LATER LE DYNASTY of DAI VIET . But Emperor LE TUC TONG’S death could be seen as the beginning of the decline of the LATER LE DYNASTY .

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‘DEMON KING’ LE UY MUC OF DAI VIET

LE UY MUC , also called LE TUAN , was the eighth Emperor of the LATER LE DYNASTY of DAI VIET who ruled the country from 1505 AD to 1509 AD . He was the second son of Emperor LE HIEN TONG . His mother was Lady NGUYEN THI CAN . He was the elder half-brother of his own predecessor Emperor LE TUC TONG . To historians on the subject , new Emperor LE UY MAC was an arrogant and ruthless monarch . The empire which was prosperous and powerful during the reign of Emperor LE THANH TONG , the reign of Emperor LE UY MAC oversaw the beginning of the decline of the LATER LE DYNASTY and the DAI VIET Empire as a whole . He killed many people including his grandmother , two of his minister and many Imperial princes . He wasted his time and energy in excessive drinking and sexual activities . To some Ambassadors of the MING DYNASTY in the royal court of DAI VIET, the Emperor LE UY MUC was a ‘ DEMON KING ‘. He was portrayed by NEO-CONFUCIANIST historians as being deeply contrasted to his predecessors like Emperor LE THANH TONG and others . In 1505 AD , he ordered his servants to assassinate his 65 years old grandmother, Grand Empress DOWAGER TRUONG LAC . He also launched a bloody purge to kill those officials of the royal court who didn’t support him to become the Emperor . After investigating all the princes of the royal court , he killed those whom he considered as dangerous for his position . He also massacred CHAM slaves working in the government offices . He used to spend almost every night drinking with beauties in the palace . And whenever he got fully drunk , he used to kill those ladies . People became so afraid of his despotic rule that they feared to go before him . His cousin brother Prince LE OANH , after escaping the bloody purge , with some of the officials including NGUYEN VAN LANG plotted against the Emperor LE UY MAC . He launched a coup in November 1509 AD . Emperor LE UY MAC was aware that he had killed LE OANH’S parents . At last , the Emperor was deposed and requested to suicide . He died on 1st December 1509 AD . He was buried at the tomb of AN LANG . And the Prince LEO OANH became his successor as Emperor LE TUONG DUC .

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