Lê Thánh Tông (Hán tự: 黎聖宗; 1442–1497) was emperor of Đại Việt from 1460 until his death. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest kings or emperors of Vietnamese history and the Vietnamese “Hammurabi.”

Early years

Lê Thánh Tông, also called Tư Thành, was the son of Emperor Lê Thái Tông and his mother was Nguyen Thi Dao. He was a half brother of Lê Nhân Tông and it is likely that his mother and Nguyễn Thị Anh (the mother of Lê Nhân Tông) were related (cousins or perhaps sisters). He was educated just like his half brother, the emperor, at the palace in Hanoi. When his elder half brother, Nghi Dân, staged a coup and killed the emperor in 1459, Prince Tu (as he was called) was spared. Nine months later, when the second counter-coup was successfully carried out, the plotters asked Prince Tu to become the new emperor and he accepted.

The leaders of the counter-coup which removed (and killed) Nghi Dân were two of the last surviving friends and aides of Lê Lợi: Nguyen Xi and Đinh Liệt. These two old men had been out of power since the 1440s but they still commanded respect due to their association with the heroic Lê Lợi. The new king appointed these men to the highest positions in his new government, Nguyen Xi as Emperor’s Councilor and Đinh Liệt as commander of the army of Vietnam.