Top 5 Kings Who Ascended the Throne at a Very Young Age in Vietnam

Lý Cao Tông (06/07/1173-1210), also known by the names Lý Long Cán or Lý Long Trát, was the seventh king of the Lý Dynasty, ruling from 1175 to 1210. He was the sixth son of King Lý Anh Tông, with mother Đỗ Thụy Châu. At just 3 years old, he was brought to the throne. King Lý Anh Tông deposed his eldest son, Long Xưởng, and made Lý Cao Tông the crown prince, entrusting Tô Hiến Thành to assist him.

After the death of King Lý Anh Tông in 1175, Queen Chiêu Linh, the official wife of Lý Anh Tông, wished to enthrone her son, Lý Long Xưởng. However, due to the determination of Prime Minister Tô Hiến Thành, Lý Cao Tông was still recognized as the legitimate ruler.

Although Lý Cao Tông retained the throne, he did not grow into a capable monarch. In 1190, he appointed his brother-in-law Đàm Dĩ Mông, a man with no formal education, as the prime minister, leading to further deterioration of the court's governance.

In 1208, when the Quách Bốc revolt broke out, King Lý Cao Tông fled with his family to the Tam Nông region (Vĩnh Phú). Crown Prince Sảm, accompanied by Tô Trung Tự, took refuge at Hải ấp (Lưu Xá village, Hưng Hà, Thái Bình) and became a fisherman. He found a beautiful daughter of Trần Lý, Trần Thị Dung, and married her. He granted Trần Lý the title Minh Tự and appointed Tô Trung Tự, Trần Thị Dung’s uncle, as the chief military officer.

The Trần brothers: Trần Thừa, Trần Tự Khánh, and Trần Thủ Độ rallied their forces to help Crown Prince Sảm restore the capital Thăng Long, eventually bringing King Lý Cao Tông back. King Lý Cao Tông passed away in 1210 after ruling for 34 years, dying at the age of 38.

Lý Chiêu Hoàng (09/1218 - 03/1278), also known as Lý Phế Hậu or Chiêu Thánh Empress, was the ninth and final emperor of the Lý Dynasty, ruling from 1224 to 1225. In Vietnamese history, she was the first and only female monarch, and what makes her story even more extraordinary is that she was appointed by her father, Lý Huệ Tông, who passed on the throne to her. However, this was part of a larger scheme orchestrated by the powerful military commander Trần Thủ Độ, who held the reins of power at the time.

In 1225, Lý Chiêu Hoàng was arranged by Trần Thủ Độ to abdicate in favor of Trần Thái Tông, marking the official end of the Lý Dynasty, which had ruled Đại Việt for over 200 years. After the abdication, Lý Chiêu Hoàng became the consort of King Trần Thái Tông, but was later deposed in 1237 due to her inability to bear an heir. The next empress, Hiển Từ Thuận Thiên, was her elder sister.

After 1258, she remarried Lê Phụ Trần, a general who had played a key role in saving King Thái Tông. The couple lived together for more than 20 years and had a son, Lê Tông, who held the title of Hầu, and a daughter, Princess Ngọc Khuê, known as Ứng Thụy. In early 1278, she returned to her homeland in Cổ Pháp (Bắc Ninh), where she passed away in March of that year at the age of 61.

Lê Nhân Tông (09/05/1441 - 03/10/1459), born Lê Bang Cơ, was the third emperor of the Later Lê Dynasty in Vietnamese history, ruling for 17 years from 1442 after the death of Emperor Lê Thái Tông until his assassination by Lê Nghi Dân in 1459.

On November 16, 1441, Lê Nhân Tông was appointed crown prince. On August 12, 1442, at the age of 1, he ascended the throne, adopting the reign title Thái Hoà. At that time, his mother, Empress Tuyên Từ, served as regent. In November 1453, when the king was 12, the regent handed over the power back to him and retired to the palace. The young emperor changed the reign title to Diên Ninh and granted an amnesty to the people.

Under the reign of Lê Nhân Tông, Đại Việt enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity. The Champa forces attacked Châu Hóa twice, leading the court to mobilize its army several times. The most significant victory came in 1446 when the Đại Việt forces defeated the Champa and captured their ruler, replacing him with a new one. Additionally, in 1448, the emperor expanded Đại Việt's territory by incorporating Bồn Man lands.

The young king was also kind to his half-brother, Lạng Sơn Vương Lê Nghi Dân, whose mother, Dương Thị Bí, had been guilty of offending Emperor Lê Thái Tông. Lê Nghi Dân was not made crown prince, fueling his ambition to seize the throne. On October 3, 1459, Lê Nghi Dân, along with his supporters Phạm Đồn, Phan Ban, Trần Lăng, and a gang of rebels, infiltrated the palace and assassinated Lê Nhân Tông and Empress Tuyên Từ. Lê Nhân Tông was killed at the age of 19, having ruled for 17 years.

Mạc Mậu Hợp (1560 – 1592) was the eldest son of Emperor Mạc Tuyên Tông. He was the fifth king of the Mạc Dynasty during the period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties in Vietnamese history. Mạc Mậu Hợp was born in Cao Đôi village, Bình Hà district (now Long Động village, Nam Tân commune, Nam Sách district, Hải Dương province, Vietnam).

When Emperor Mạc Tuyên Tông died of smallpox at an early age, Mạc Mậu Hợp, only 2 years old, was enthroned with the help of Regent Mạc Kính Điển in January 1562. The administration was still under the control of Mạc Kính Điển and his brother Mạc Đôn Nhượng. Mạc Mậu Hợp adopted the reign title Thuần Phúc in his first year.

King Mạc Mậu Hợp led a luxurious and arrogant lifestyle, often indulging in flattery and neglecting the advice of wise ministers. As a result, the administration of the Mạc Dynasty gradually weakened.

On November 25, 1592, the Lê-Trịnh naval forces, consisting of 300 ships, attacked several districts, including Kim Thành, Thanh Hà, Nam Sách, and Kinh Môn (now part of Hải Dương province). The Mạc forces were defeated, and many of Mạc's supporters defected to Trịnh Tùng's side. Mạc Mậu Hợp fled but was captured, brought to the capital Đông Đô, where he was hanged alive for three days and then beheaded at Bồ Đề sandbank. His head was presented to the Lê emperor in Vạn Lại, Thanh Hóa, where it was displayed publicly. Mạc Mậu Hợp ascended the throne at the age of 2 and ruled for 29 years, dying at 31 years old.

Lý Anh Tông (1136-1175), born Lý Thiên Tộ, was the second son of Emperor Lý Thần Tông and Empress Lê Thị Anh. He was the sixth king of the Lý Dynasty in Vietnamese history, ruling from 1138 until his death in 1175. His older brother, Lý Thiên Lộc, was not made heir due to being the son of a concubine.

Lý Anh Tông ascended to the throne at the tender age of 3. As a result, his mother, Empress Lê Thị, took the reins of power as regent. The Empress, however, was involved in a relationship with the high-ranking official Đỗ Anh Vũ, and as a result, all matters of state were controlled by this influential figure. Fortunately, the court had many capable officials like Tô Hiến Thành, Hoàng Nghĩa Hiền, and Lý Công Tín, who thwarted Đỗ Anh Vũ's ambitions. Under Tô Hiến Thành's leadership, the emperor's forces successfully defended the kingdom from external threats, strengthening the nation's military and selecting competent generals to lead and govern. As a result, Đại Việt remained strong and prosperous, inheriting the legacy of past rulers.

King Lý Anh Tông initially named his eldest son, Long Xưởng, as the crown prince. However, after Long Xưởng committed a grave mistake, the king removed him from the position and instead declared his younger son, Long Cán (Trát), the son of Empress Đỗ, as the new heir.

When the king fell ill, he entrusted the care of his young son to Tô Hiến Thành, appointing him as the Grand Chancellor in charge of military and state affairs. King Lý Anh Tông passed away in July 1175, having ruled for 37 years, at the age of 40. His son, Long Cán, ascended the throne as King Lý Cao Tông at the age of just 2.