LE HOAN (Le Dai Hanh) (Le Dai Hanh's temple in Hoa Lu) Le Hoan, the commander
in chief of the armies of Emperor Dinh Bo Linh, who also had and illicit relationship
with the Queen Mother, dethroned Dinh Bo Linh's heir and proclaimed himself King
Le Dai Hanh in 980. He retained the capital in Hoa Lu and succeeded in warding
off several Chinese invasions by the Song Court, but continued paying them tributes
every three years in exchange for a peaceful relations. Le Dai Hanh's reign marked
the first attempt to consolidate the Viet nation. He devoted a great deal of energy
to developing the road network in order to better administer the country's different
regions. However, the local forces were still reluctant to toe the line to the
central authority and mounted a succession of revolts. Le Hoan's 25 year reign
was marked by foreign wars. The Tan Dynasty in China had hoped to take advantage
of the instability in Vietnam by launching an invasion of its ex-dependency but
Le Hoan defeated the Chinese armies in 981 and obtained official Chinese recognition
of Vietnamese independence. On the domestic scene, the reign of Le Hoan was marked
by efforts to strengthen the fragile structure of the infant Vietnamese state.
He relied to a considerable degree on his sons, several of whom he appointed as
governors of key provinces. Le Hoan died in 1005, leading to a fratricidal strife
among his heirs. The victor himself died two years later, leaving an infant son
as successor. Through intrigues at court, a mandarin by the name of Le Cong Uan
was placed on the throne and founded a new Ly Dynasty. In 1005, after 24 years
of difficult rule, Le Dai Hanh died. The Tien Le dynasty eventually collapsed
after the death of one of Le Dai Hanh's heirs in 1009. [ Home | Main ]