Childhood

Minh Tông was born in 1300 as Trần Mạnh, the only surviving son of emperor Trần Anh Tông and imperial consort Huy Tư, who was the daughter of general Trần Bình Trọng. According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, the precise birthday of Prince Trần Mạnh was 21 August in the lunar calendar, only one day after the death of Trần Hưng Đạo who was the most important minister in the early Trần dynasty and the main commander of second and third wars of resistance by Đại Việt against Mongol Empire, which made him one of the most famous heroes of Vietnam. The other sons of Anh Tông all died at a young age so the Emperor had his relative and important figure of the Trần clan, Trần Nhật Duật, raise Trần Mạnh in the hope that he would survive and began a key figure in the family. Indeed, Prince Trần Mạnh was well looked after due to the wholehearted devotion of Trần Nhật Duật.

In 1312, during the campaign against Champa personally commanded by Anh Tông, the 12-year-old prince Trần Mạnh was temporarily entrusted to the throne with assistance from Trần Nhật Duật and Trần Quốc Tú. Two years after, Anh Tông officially ceded his throne to Trần Mạnh, who ruled as Emperor Trần Minh Tông, but continued to hold the title Retired Emperor.

As emperor

According to history scholars, Minh Tông was a ruler of good intent but had no long-term vision of nation building. Despite that shortcoming, the Emperor still successfully governed Đại Việt with the assistance of many capable mandarins like Phạm Ngũ Lão, Đoàn Nhữ Hài, Mạc Đĩnh Chi and Chu Văn An. His biggest mistake, as often cited in historical records, was the death of Trần Quốc Chẩn, the Emperor's father-in-law and a prominent general.

In contrast to his father, Minh Tông had many sons. The first, prince Trần Vượng, was born not by Queen Lê Thánh but the Emperor's second consort Anh Tư. That led to a struggle between two parties in royal court, one that supported prince Trần Vượng for the position of Minh Tông's successor, while the other suggested that the position of crown prince must be reserved for the Queen's son. As a consequence, leader of the former, Trần Khắc Chung, who was the mandarin responsible for the escape of Princess Huyền Trân from Champa, launched a defamation campaign against Trần Quốc Chẩn who was not only the Queen's father but also a prominent general with many victories in battle. Believing the information provided by Trần Khắc Chung, Minh Tông ordered the imprisonment of his father-in-law, Trần Quốc Chẩn, who was deprived of food and ultimately died in 1328.

Continuing the foreign policy created by Anh Tông, Minh Tông kept friendly relations with Yuan dynasty while reinforcing the southern border to deal with the increasing hostility from the kingdom of Champa. In 1318, the Đại Việt army led by Trần Quốc Chẩn and Phạm Ngũ Lão won a campaign in Champa in which many Champa soldiers were killed. King Che Nang had to flee to Java, but a Trần marquis named Lý Tất Kiến also died in action. However, in 1326, Che Anan relieved Champa of its vassalage to Annam.

In 1329, Minh Tông decided to pass the throne to prince Trần Vượng, now emperor Hiến Tông, and took the position of Retired Emperor. During his reign, Minh Tông had two era names, which were Đại Khánh (大 慶, great jubilee, 1314–1323) and Khai Thái (開 泰, prosperous bloom, 1324–1329).

As retired emperor

The new emperor Hiến Tông was only a ten-year-old boy, so Minh Tông still kept real power behind the scenes in the royal court. In the period of Hiến Tông's reign, Đại Việt's army was defeated several times in skirmishes with Laos and Champa because of the lack of capable generals after the deaths of many capable officials like Phạm Ngũ Lão in 1320, Trần Quốc Chẩn in 1328 and Trần Nhật Duật in 1330. In the operation against Laos in 1335, Minh Tông personally commanded the military but the Đại Việt army continued to lose, while an important mandarin, Đoàn Nhữ Hài, was drowned in battle. Otherwise, there were increasing numbers of incompetent or corrupt officials in the royal court of Minh Tông and Hiến Tông and they became a significant factor in the growing instability of the later phase of the Trần dynasty.

Hiến Tông died in 1341 leaving no heir. Minh Tông therefore passed the throne to his tenth son, Trần Hạo, now Dụ Tông. For the next sixteen years, the Retired Emperor continued to wield real power over Trần Dynasty while the Emperor reigned only nominally. Minh Tông died in 1357, and he was posthumously named as Chương nghiêu văn triết hoàng đế (章堯文哲皇帝). The death of Minh Tông also marked the end of a prosperous and stable era of Đại Việt under the Trần Dynasty, and the country began to decline as the royal court and Trần clan soon fell into chaos.

Family

• Minh Tông had including one empress, one other wife and one concubine:

　• Empress Lê Thánh, eldest daughter of prince Hue Vu Trần Quốc Chẩn

　• Imperial consort Anh Tư

　• Imperial concubine Lê Thị

• Minh Tông had eleven sons and two daughters，two sons died young:

　• Trần Vượng (1319–1341), who eventually became emperor Trần Hiến Tông

　• Prince Cung Tĩnh Trần Nguyên Trác (1319–1370)

　• Prince Cung Định Trần Phủ (1321–1394), who eventually became emperor Trần Nghệ Tông

　• Prince Cung Mẫn Trần Nguyên Hú (?–1347)

　• Prince Cung Giản Trần Nguyên Thạch (?–1350)

　• Prince Cung Túc Trần Nguyên Dục (?–1364)

　• Prince Cung Tín Trần Thiên Trạch (?–1379)

　• Trần Hạo (1336–1369), who eventually became emperor Trần Dụ Tông

　• Prince Cung Tuyên Trần Kính (1337–1377), who eventually became emperor Trần Duệ Tông

　• Thiên Ninh Princess Trần Ngọc Tha (Bạch Tha)

　• Huy Ninh Princess (?–1370), wife of Hồ Quý Ly

背景和英宗統治時期

陳明宗出生於1300年，是英宗的第四子，也是英宗與昭慈皇后陳氏（陳平仲之女）的獨子。根據《大越史記全書》的記載，陳明宗出生於陰曆8月21日，而這一天正是抗元名將陳國峻逝世的第二天。英宗的其他兒子都英年早逝，英宗不得不將他的唯一嗣子託付給陳日燏，希望陳日燏能夠好好照顧明宗，不使皇統斷絕。

1312年，陳英宗御駕親征占城。年僅12歲的明宗由陳日燏、陳國璓輔佐，以太子身份監國。兩年之後，陳英宗禪位給他。明宗尊英宗為太上皇。

即位為王

根據歷史學者的觀點，陳明宗有統治國家的才能，但卻沒有發展國家建設的長遠目標。儘管明宗有這些缺點，但他任用了像范五老、段汝諧、莫挺之、朱文安之類的賢人，使國家依舊得到了發展。史書中提到，明宗在位時最大的過失是殺死了自己的岳父、先朝的名將陳國瑱。

與父親不同的是，陳明宗擁有眾多的兒子。次子陳旺是明慈皇太妃黎氏所生，為明宗寵愛。因陳旺不是正后憲慈宣聖皇后陳氏所生，導致了嫡庶之爭。陳國瑱支持自己的女兒，士人陳克終則支持黎氏。兩人互相詆毀，最終陳克終獲得了勝利，陳旺被立為太子。明宗將陳國瑱投入監獄。1328年，陳國瑱餓死在監獄裡。

在外交問題上，陳明宗繼承了英宗的政策，繼續與元朝保持良好的關係，而加緊對占婆的侵略。1318年，陳明宗遣陳國瑱、范五老入侵占城。占軍起初勝利，擊斃越將李必見；但後來占軍慘敗，占王制能出奔爪哇。

1325年元朝寧遠知州添插言：安南士官押那攻掠其本末諸寨。1326年安南將阮叩侵元朝思州路。

1329年，陳明宗禪位給兒子陳旺，是為陳憲宗。憲宗尊他為太上皇。

禪位之後

新皇陳憲宗當時年僅10歲，因此由太上皇陳明宗執掌朝政。憲宗在位期間，陳朝著名文臣武將，諸如范五老（死於1320年）、陳國瑱（死於1328年）、陳日燏（死於1330年）都逝世了。陳朝缺乏人才，因此在多次軍事衝突中為哀牢和占城所敗。1335年，明宗以太上皇的身份親征哀牢。但越軍再次被打敗，重臣段汝諧也於此役中陣亡，儘管如此，陳明宗仍然炫耀戰功，在接近哀牢國境的山上磨岩刻碑。此後陳朝出現了越來越多無能、腐敗的官員，陳朝走向衰弱。

1341年，憲宗逝世，無嗣。明宗將自己的第十子陳暭立為皇帝，是為陳裕宗。明宗則繼續以太上皇身份執掌朝政。1357年，明宗逝世。諡號章堯文哲皇帝。

家庭

妻妾

• 儷聖皇后陳氏，陳裕宗生母，惠武大王陳國瑱長女，後追尊憲慈宣聖皇太后

• 次妃黎氏，憲慈皇后同母異父妹，陳藝宗生母

• 英姿元妃黎氏，追封明慈皇太妃，陳憲宗生母

• 妃黎氏，追封惇慈皇太妃，陳睿宗生母

子女

• 長子陳元昱 1336年前生-1364年，有一養子楊日禮（明朝認為是親生子），楊日禮1369年即位為帝，但不久被廢，由三叔父陳藝宗接位。

• 次子陳憲宗 1319年-1341年

• 三子陳藝宗 1321年-1394年

• 陳元晫 1319年-1370年，生有一子，被楊日禮一起殺害。

• 陳元煦

• 陳元石

• 陳善澤

• 十子陳裕宗 1336年-1369年

• 十一子陳睿宗 1337年-1377年

• 女天寧公主陳玉瑳，嫁正肅王陳堪，後封諒國太長公主，改名陳國馨

• 女月山公主

• 女徽寧公主，嫁胡季犛