Background

Phế Đế (Deposed Emperor) was born in 1361 as Trần Hiện, second child of the Prince Cung Tuyên Trần Kính, then Emperor Trần Duệ Tông, and his wife Lady Lê, then Queen Gia Từ. Initially, Duệ Tông wanted to make his first son Prince Chương Vũ Trần Vĩ crown prince but Trần Vĩ soon died during Duệ Tông's reign so Prince Kiến Đức Trần Hiện became the first in line of successor.

In January 1377, after the Battle of Đồ Bàn in which Duệ Tông and seventy percent of his troops were killed by Champa's army, the Retired Emperor Nghệ Tông decided to cede the vacant throne to Prince Kiến Đức. After the coronation, Phế Đế changed the era name to Xương Phù (昌符, 1377–1388).

As emperor

Although being the Emperor of Đại Việt, Phế Đế was only a de jure ruler because it was Nghệ Tông who still held the real power. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, Phế Đế was actually worse than his father, he had a weak and ignorant character which was profited by Hồ Quý Ly in his gradual control of royal court.

After the major defeat of Duệ Tông at Đồ Bàn, Champa's force continued to attack Đại Việt several times, unable to stop Chế Bồng Nga's troops, Trần's rulers even decided to hide royal treasure and worshiping objects, on Mount Thienkien and the Kha-lang Caves, fearing that Chế Bồng Nga's troop might capture the royal palace in Thăng Long. Besides the threat from Champa, Phế Đế and his regent Nghệ Tông also had to face with many inside revolts ignited by famine and Chế Bồng Nga's stimulation.

In May 1380, Trần's army under the command of Hồ Quý Ly had the first victory over Champa's troops in Thanh Hóa. After this point, general Đỗ Tử Bình resigned from the position of highest commander of Tran army and thus Hồ Quý Ly began to hold all civil and military power in royal court. Despite another victory by the troops of general Nguyễn Đa Phương in February 1382, Trần Dynasty had to suffer a severe attack from Chế Bồng Nga in June 1383 which made Nghệ Tông fled from capital Thăng Long in spite of the begging advice to stay from his mandarins. This decision of Nghệ Tông was heavily criticized by the historian Ngô Sĩ Liên in his work Đại Việt sử kí toàn thư as a "coward decision". In the northern border, Ming dynasty also began to expose their ambition of invading southern kingdoms like Đại Việt and Champa.

Facing the unstoppable rise of Hồ Quý Ly in royal court, Phế Đế plotted with minister Trần Ngạc to reduce Hồ Quý Ly's power but Hồ Quý Ly already got ahead of this plot by a defamation campaign against the Emperor which ultimately made Nghệ Tông decide to dethrone and downgrade Phế Đế to Prince Linh Đức in December 1388. Some loyal generals of Phế Đế tried to bring troops in royal palace to overturn this decision but they were stopped by Phế Đế himself soon before his forced suicide by the order of Nghệ Tông. On December 27 of Lunar calendar, 1387, Nghệ Tông passed the throne to his youngest son Trần Ngung, now Trần Thuận Tông, who was only eleven. In the meantime, Hồ Quý Ly faction purged Phế Đế's supporters so that Hồ Quý Ly became the most powerful man in royal court. After the coronation, Thuận Tông had Phế Đế buried at An Bài Mountain.

Family

Trần Phế Đế had one wife, Queen Quang Loan, who was Nghệ Tông's daughter, and one son, Prince Thuận Đức.

背景

廢帝陳晛於1361年出生於大越首都昇龍，為陳睿宗和嘉慈皇后的次子。睿宗原本想立長子陳煒為嗣子，但陳煒於1374年因疽病發作而死，年僅14歲。陳睿宗只得追封他為彰武大王，立次子陳晛為太子。

1377年，占城國王制蓬峨在闍槃戰役中殺死陳睿宗。太上皇陳藝宗立陳晛為帝，改元昌符。

即位為王

雖然陳廢帝是大越國的皇帝，但他沒有實權，執掌政權的仍然是太上皇陳藝宗。根據《大越史記全書》的記載，廢帝的統治才能比其父睿宗更差，他懦弱和與世無爭的性格導致胡季犛逐漸控制了陳朝的政權。

陳朝軍隊於闍槃戰役為占城所重創之後，占城趁此機會多次北伐。陳朝無力抵擋制蓬峨的軍隊。陳廢帝與太上皇陳藝宗等人害怕占城攻陷國都，甚至考慮帶著皇室財寶和祭祀器物出逃。而此時陳朝饑荒和制蓬峨軍隊的騷擾促使了農民起義的爆發，這使陳朝的局勢更加雪上加霜。

1380年5月，陳朝軍隊由胡季犛率領，在清化第一次擊敗了制蓬峨。此後，杜子平被剝奪軍權，由胡季犛代替其職務，胡季犛從此掌握了陳朝的內政和軍事大權。1382年2月，越將阮多方再敗占軍。但在1383年6月，制蓬峨發動了更為強大的攻勢，兵臨昇龍城下。陳藝宗不顧大臣勸諫，與陳廢帝等出逃。明朝見越占發生戰爭，遣使為兩國斡旋。

此時，陳廢帝覺察到胡季犛的權勢太大，與大臣陳顎合謀，欲銷胡季犛兵權。但胡季犛已經意識到了這一圖謀，搶先向太上皇陳藝宗進讒。於是藝宗於1388年12月脅迫廢帝退位，廢為靈德大王，在太陽府將其縊殺，參與謀害胡季犛的大臣也都受到了牽連。

廢帝死後，陳順宗將他的屍體葬於安排山。