Emperor Lý Anh Tông (1136 – 14 August 1175) of Đại Việt (literally Great Viet),ýAnhTô was the sixth emperor of the later Lý dynasty, from 1138 until his death in 1175.<ref>Cuong Tu Nguyen Zen in Medieval Vietnam: A Study and Translation of the Thiè̂n ... – 1997 – Page 395 "Lý Anh Tông (1136–1175), whose personal name was Thien Tộ, was the second son of Lý Thần Tông. Anh Tong ..."</ref>Keith Weller Taylor, John K. Whitmore Essays Into Vietnamese Pasts 1995 – Page 67 "The Hien Chi Empress Dowager is Le CSm Thanh, the mother of the infant king Ly Anh Tong. The succession from Lý Thần Tông to Lý Anh Tông provided an occasion for the uprising of Suy Vi. The annals confirm this episode and pose no ... Since Lý Anh Tông, given name Lý Thiên Tộ (李天祚), was chosen as the successor of his father Lý Thần Tông at the age of only two, the early period of his reign witnessed the dominant position of Đỗ Anh Vũ in the royal court until his death in 1157, afterwards the Emperor ruled the country with the assistance of a prominent official named Tô Hiến Thành. The reign of Lý Anh Tông was considered the last relatively stable period of the Lý dynasty before the turbulence during the reign of Lý Cao Tông.
Early years
Anh Tông was born during the third month of 1136 (Lunar calendar) as Lý Thiên Tộ, the first son of Lý Thần Tông and Lê Thị, the Emperor and Empress of Vietnam. Initially Lý Thiên Tộ wasn't chosen as the Lý dynasty crown prince because his father preferred Lý Thiên Lộc, four years older and the son of his favourite concubine. In the ninth month of 1138, the ill emperor decided to make Lý Thiên Tộ his successor and demote Lý Thiên Lộc to Prince Minh Đạo (Vietnamese: Minh Đạo vương) after a campaign launched by three other concubines of the Emperor, Ladies Cảm Thánh, Nhật Phụng and Phụng Thánh, who were afraid that the coronation of a concubine's son would threaten their positions in the royal family.
Soon after naming his successor, on the 26th day of the same month, Lý Thần Tông died. On the first day of the tenth lunar month (5 November), two year old Lý Anh Tông ascended the throne. After changing the era name to Thiệu Minh, he elevated his mother (Lady Cảm Thánh) to Empress Mother Lê Thịof of the Lý dynasty. During his 37-year reign, Lý Anh Tông had three more era names: Đại Định (1140–1162), Chính Long Bảo Ứng (1163–1173) and Thiên Cảm Chí Bảo (1174–1175).
As emperor
Early reign (1138–1157)
Since he had attained the throne at such a young age, the child emperor was ruler in name only, with the real power in the hands of Empress Lê Thị, who acted as regent for her son. Since Empress Lê Thị favored Đỗ Anh Vũ, the royal court witnessed the rising power of this official who decided almost all matters of the country and despised other officials. According to Ngô Sĩ Liên in Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư'', the reason for the favouritism of Empress Lê Thị for Đỗ Anh Vũ was the secret personal relationship between them, as a result, some mandarins such as Vũ Đái, Nguyễn Dương, Nguyễn Quốc and Dương Tự Minh tried to topple Đỗ Anh Vũ but failed and thus died under his order. After the death of the Empress in 1147, Đỗ Anh Vũ maintained his strong position in the royal court until his own death in the eighth month of 1158. The rise of Đỗ Anh Vũ in the royal court was considered by Ngô Sĩ Liên as bad judgment on the Emperor's part, and one of the more serious weaknesses of Lý Anh Tông's reign.
In 1140, the priest Thân Lợi, calling himself the son of Lý Nhân Tông, raised a revolt against Lý Anh Tông in the northern region (now Thái Nguyên). The army of Thân Lợi successfully dominated the frontier region and defeated the army of the royal court led by the high-ranking official Lưu Vũ Nhĩ. After the victory, Thân Lợi, proclaimed himself King Bình (Bình Vương), and directly attacked the capital Thăng Long. Đỗ Anh Vũ, the chancellor, assumed the task of suppressing the rebellion, a mission that he accomplished after five months. Thân Lợi was later captured by Tô Hiến Thành and beheaded on the order of Lý Anh Tông.