The Ly Dynasty

1. King Ly Thai To.

“Long life Ly Cong Uan! Long life Ly Cong Uan!”

The sounds were shouted by the crowd of population and troops.

The new king, Ly Cong Uan (or Ly Thai To), handing up the crown, and said slowly with warmly voice:

“ Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ve just became the king of the Viet. And I would like to promise you: from today, the nation will be strongest, the population will be happiness, and the court will be closed with the people!”

And in fact, the king was the trust man!

One of the Lys’ first acts was moving the capital (from Hoa Lu distric to Dai La fortress).

It was July 1010.

In the Royal Edic on the transfer of the capital, the king wrote:

“Dai La, the former capital of his highess Cao Bien, is situated in the very heart of our country. Its position evokes that of a coiled dragon, a seated tiger. It is equal distance from the four cardinal points and is favourably oriented to both mountains and rivers.

There, the location is sufficiently vast and flat, the land suficiently elevated and well-exposed. There, the population is sheltered from inundations and floods. There, all is flourishing and prosperous. It is the most beautiful site bringing toghether men and riches coming from the four cardinal points. It is also an excellent capital for a royal dynasty for ten thousand generations. I wish, therefore, to take advantage of this favourable locations and to establish the capital there.

What is your opinion, mandains of the Court?”

All of the mandarins, who had heared the king’s question, then were agreemented.

After 1010, the nation entered a priod of commercial, artistic and scientific achievements.

In 1028, king Ly Thai To died at the of 55, after a reign of 18 years.

2. King Ly Thai Tong.

As king Ly Cong Uan died, the princes were divided up two sides: first side was the Crown Prince, Ly Phat Ma, and other one was the party of three princes, Vo Duc Vuong and Dong Chinh Vuong and Duc Thanh Vuong.

The party of three princes wanted to kill the Crown Prince and seize the throne.

But the Crown Prince had two talented bodyguards, Ly Nhan Nghia and Le Phung Hieu, who well-known as the best swordmen in the capital.

When the troops of three princes came near the Can Nguyen palace, where the Crown Prince was stayed, he said to Ly Nhan Nghia and Le Phung Hieu:

“My three younger brothers do not make a funeral of the father, now lead the troops to besiege tightly the Royal Palace for throning. They became my enemies. Both of you, immediately lead the Royal Guard Units to force them handing down the weapons.”

Following the order of the Crown Prince, two generals, Le Phung Hieu and Ly Nhan Nghia, mounted on horsebacks and led their troops along main gate-way, attacked terribly the three-prince’s armies.

First, prince Vo Duc Vuong was killed by Le Phung Hieu.

Seeing that, two younger princes, Duc Thanh Vuong and Dong Chinh Vuong, hurry withdrew from the Long Phung citadel.

All of their troops handed down the weapons.

Next day, the Court proclaimed the Crown Prince as New King.

Since then, under the ruling of Ly Phat Ma, the country became the stronger: the stores were fulled by rice, the river ports were fulled by vessels, the villages were fulled by green colours, and pagodas and temples were grown up like umbrellas...

In 1049, the King ordered the construction of the One-pilla pagoda in Thang Long capital.

But soon after that, the King fell ill seriously.

And, in Spring 1054, he died at the age of 55, after a reign of 27 years.

3. King Ly Thanh Tong.

The Crown Prince Ly Nhat Ton succeeded his father to throne in late 1054.

It was king Ly Thanh Tong, the third king of the Ly Dynasty.

After throning, the king renamed the country to Dai Viet (The Great Viet).

Since then, the country became a powerfull nation.

The economic was advanced.

The military force was larger.

The literature was rising up.

Specially, in spring 1070, the king ordered the construction of the Temple of Literature in southern outskirt of the Royal city, for worship to Confucious and Duke of Zhou.

The king always was a closed friend of the population.

A day the king went to a distric of Thang Long outskirt as a court mandarin was beating a poor peasant.

Reason was imposible: the man had sold meat of his illness buffalo for a little money.

The king asked the man, listened him, tried to understand him, and then ordred the mandarin forgive the poor man.

Other day, after seeing the prisoners lived in a miserable conditions, the king ordered the mandarins to send warm clothes and good foods to all prisoners.

The first imperial Concubine, Y Lan, was a good friend of the people too.

In 1066, the concubine had gave a son, the Crown Prince Can Duc.

For thank Buddishima, the King and the concubine ordered the constructions of hundreds pagodas in whole country.

In Fall 1072, the King was sickness, and then he died.

The Crown Prince, at the age of six, became the new king (King Ly Nhan Tong).

4. King Ly Nhan Tong.

When Ly Can Duc succeeded his father to the throne in 1072, the Court was deeped under a conflic badly.

His mother, madam Y Lan had been killed the former queen, then seized all politic power in the Court, became the Queen Mother.

But, thanked this, the nation was keeping in the peace.

In 1076, the Queen Mother ordered the construction of Quoc Tu Giam - the National Sons’ School) near the Temple of Literature (It is the First National University of Vietnam).

By that time, the song Dynasty in China had became Dai Viet’s main enemy.

In spring 1077, the Song Court sent 200,000 men led by two generals, Quach Quy and Trieu Tiet, to invade Dai Viet.

General Ly Thuong Kiet, following the order of the King and the Queen Mother, had led the army to Cau River to build a defence-line, barred the stricke of the Song troops.

The fighting on two banks of the river lasted about six months.

Finally, the Song army was defeated badly by general Ly Thuong Kiet. But, two princes of the Ly Dynasty, Chieu Van and Hoang Chan, had been killed in the battle.

In late 1077, Quach Quy and his troops were forced to back the own country.

In 1107, the Queen Mother, Y Lan, was died.

After that, king Ly Nhan Tong acted all of the Court affairs.

In 1128, King Ly Nhan Tong died at the age of 63.

The King had had no son. So, the Court proclaimed general Ly Duong Hoan, a godson of Ly Nhan Tong, as the new king.

5. King Ly Than Tong.

King Ly Than Tong, initial name Ly Duong Hoan, handed the throne in 1128. He ruled the nation for 11 years, from 1128 to 1138.

The King was born in Thang Long in 1100.

When he was born, the mother had had no milk. So he was feeded from rice-water everyday.

When grown up, the King was not well.

In winter 1131, he was illness seriously.

At the time, near Ta Vong lake, there lived the monk, Khong Minh Khong, a traditional medician too. He was teacher of all medicians in the Royal Health Carre Institute. When hearding the bad new about the King’s health from his former students, the monk hurry entered the Royal Palace.

Thanks that, the King passed the death-gate.

And then, the King presented to Khong Minh Khong a village of Thuan Xuong Distric.

In Fall 1138, the King and the Monk were illness seriously toghether.

The King did not pass the death-gate twice.

He was died in late 1138.

Three years later, the monk died too.

The son of Ly Than Tong, according to the last letter of his father, ordered the construction of Ly Quoc Su Pagoda for worship to the Monk.

6. King Ly Anh Tong.

Ly Thien To was eldest son of king Ly Than Tong.

He was born in Thang Long in 1135.

When the father died, Ly Thien To was three yeas old.

After the funeral, the Court handed the throne to Ly Thien To.

He became the new king of Ly Dynasty.

Because the King was too young, the mother, now was the Queen Mother, had to act all of the Court affairs in fact. But her knowledge was not enough for this.

Everyday general Do Anh Vu had to enter the palace of the Queen Mother. Later, the man fell in love with her. The court’s affairs were seized in Do Anh Vu’s hands.

The man was seemed viewing the throne.

In 1145, in Thang Long there was a rebellion against Do Anh Vu.

A night, four generals, Duong Tu Minh, Duong Cat Loi, Dong Ton Trach and Vu Cat Dai, led four units of the Royal Guards, into the Royal City, then besieged the palace of the Queen Mother.

Do Anh Vu was seized immediately.

After that, Do Anh Vu was brought to Tu Liem distric for working with the peasants.

The Queen Mother had found someways for helping her lover.

In the end, Do Anh Vu backed the Royal City, four years later.

He seized his former position soon.

And he revenged badly four generals, who rose up against him before.

However in the Court there was a highest mandarin who could barred some affairs of Do Anh Vu. He was To Hien Thanh.

With the justice, To Hien Thanh operated all of affairs of the Court.

Thanks to the active intervention of the honest mandarins, the Ly Dynasty could be maintained.

In 1175, King Ly Anh Tong died, at the age of 40, after a 37 year reign.

7. King Ly Cao Tong.

King Ly Anh Tong had two sons: the eldest son - Ly Long Trat (or Ly Long Xuong), and the younger son - Ly Long Can.

When grown up, Ly Long Trat was handed name the Crown Prince.

But Ly Long Trat was a bad son.

He had made love with a imperial concubine of the king.

Cause that, king Ly oredered to replace his position by the younger son, Prince Ly Long Can.

After the death of king Ly Anh Tong, the Court, led by prime minister To Hien Thanh, handed the throne to prince Ly Long Can.

It was king Ly Cao Tong, the seventh king of the Ly Dynasty.

But the Queen Mother, Chieu Linh, maitainly wanted to replace Long Can’s position by her son, Ly Long Xuong.

For against the Queen Mother, To Hien Thanh ordered the Royal Guard Units to keep out Ly Long Xuong from the Royal City.

Thanks for that, the throne of king Ly was maintained.

But soon after that, To Hien Thanh was died in illness.

Since then, the Ly Dynasty fell down into decline.

In spring 1208, in Thang Long a rebellion erupted led by general Quach Boc.

King Ly Cao Tong brought his mother to Tam Nong (Phu Tho province now), while the Crown Prince, Ly Hao Sam, and prince Ly Hao Tham, with general Dam Di Mong and some mandarin of the Court, ran to Hai Ap village (Thai Binh province now). The Crown Prince stayed at the house of Tran Ly, a fisherman.

After that, the crown prince fell in love with Tran Thi Dung, a daughter of Tran Ly, and then married her.

In late 1208, Tran Ly and Tran Thua, Tran Thu Do... grouped armed men to help the Crown Prince to restore control of the Capital and bring back king Ly and the Queen Mother from Tam Nong.

Thang Long was stability again.

But soon after that, the King fell ill seriously.

In late 1210, king Ly Cao Tong died.

The Crown Prince, Ly Hao Sam, was handed the throne.

He appointed his wife, Tran Thi Dung, as the Queen.

8. King Ly Hue Tong.

After 1210, the Trans were seized all of political power in the Court.

King Ly was a puppet in the hands of Tran family.

The eldest brother of the Queen, Tran Thua, a peasant, became the highest mandarin.

The lover of the Queen, Tran Thu Do, became the prime minister.

At the time, the Ly Dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

In the doldrums about relations between Tran Thi Dung and Tran Thu Do, the King was drunk all days and nights, and he completely neglected his duty.

That situation had gave the Prime Minister a golden opportunity for handing the throne.

With himself, Tran Thu Do wanted to replace the King’s positions, both in the Court and in his family.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister ordered the King transfer the throne to his daughter, princess Ly Phat Kim, at the age of seven.

Somemonths later, the former king was forced to go into a monastery in Chan Giao Pagoda (in the Royal City).

Ly Phat Kim became the Queen of Dai Viet.

And her mother, Queen Tran Thi Dung, became Tran Thu Do’s wife.

For completting the tragic play, Tran Thu Do forced Ly Hue Tong to commit suicide at the age of 33, when the former king extracting of grass in the Chan Giao Pagoda’s garden.

9. Queen Ly Chieu Hoang.

Queen Tran Thi Dung and King Ly Hue Tong had had two daughters: Ly Thuan Thien and Ly Phat Kim.

When grown up, princess Ly Thuan Thien became the wife of Tran Lieu, a general of the Tran, (he also was the father of famous general Tran Quoc Tuan).

King Ly Hue Tong handed the name the Crown Prince to Ly Phat Kim, the youngest daughter.

After the death of King Ly Hue Tong, Ly Phat Kim became the Queen of the Ly Dynasty.

She was the last ruler of the Lys.

In the Court, at the time, prime Minister Tran Thu Do took control of important affairs.

Tran Thu Do and Tran Thi Dung were ploting a scheme for handing the throne.

In Spring 1225, Tran Thu Do brought Tran Canh, a nephew of Tran Thi Dung, at the age of 8, into the Royal Palace as a playmate for Queen Ly Chieu Hoang.

Later, Tran Thu Do announced that the Queen had got married to Tran Canh.

On 21 Octobre 1225, the Queen organized a big ceremony where in front the Court officials, she issued an edict on transfering the throne to her husband, Tran Canh.

Here, the Ly Dynasty was ended.