King Le Than Tong, real name Le Duy Ky, was born on November 19, 1607. He is known as the only king of the Le Dynasty to be crowned twice.
In the book Anecdotal History of Vietnam by historian, Professor. Nguyen Khac Thuan recorded that the first time King Le Than Tong reigned from 1619 to 1643, a total of 24 years. After that, he ceded the throne to his son Le Duy Huu (ie King Le Chan Tong) to become Thai Emperor for 6 years (1643 - 1649).
In 1649, Le Chan Tong died, Le Than Tong became king for another 13 years (1649 - 1662).
After Le Than Tong passed away, he was succeeded by his second son named Le Duy Vu (name Huyen Tong). King Huyen Tong reigned for 9 years before passing away at the age of 18 due to serious illness.
The successor was another son of King Le Than Tong, named Le Duy Hoi (named Gia Tong) but also could not overcome his illness after 4 years on the throne.
Next, Le Than Tong's youngest son, Le Duy Hop (named Hy Tong), succeeded the throne. Le Hy Tong is the son who has been in power the longest - 30 years.
King Le Than Tong gave birth to 10 children, including 4 sons, and all 4 became kings. He has 6 wives, 4 of whom are foreigners.
The book Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu (The Ky Tiep Bien, volume 18) writes: "The King took Vuong's daughter (referring to Trinh Trang, at this time appointed Thanh Do Vuong) Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc, and made her Queen.
Previously, Ngoc Truc married the King's uncle, Cuong, Cong Le Tru, and gave birth to four children. At that time, Le Tru was imprisoned in prison, Vuong married his daughter to the king, and the king immediately accepted him into the palace.
At that time, the king was only 23 years old and Mrs. Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc was 36 years old.
The book Dai Viet Complete History records: "The courtiers Nguyen Truc and Nguyen Danh The repeatedly offered their petitions. The king did not listen and said: "Once the job is done, it's over, let's do it. From that day on, it rained." day and night without stopping".
In addition to establishing a queen, King Le Than Tong also took a number of foreign women as wives. Among the king's six wives, in addition to Queen Ngoc Truc and the Muong concubine, the remaining concubines were Siamese (present-day Thailand), Han (Chinese), Ai Lao (present-day Laos) and Hoa. Lan (ie Netherlands).
The sixth wife's name is Orona - the only European queen in the Vietnamese feudal dynasties.
Since the early 17th century, Tonkin had many European expatriates coming to do business and open many shops. During a trip with the Dutch merchant group to Dai Viet in 1630, Ms. Orona met King Le Than Tong in the capital city of Thang Long. At that time, following her father's advice, she stayed and became a royal concubine in Vietnam.
The fact that King Le Than Tong had a Western wife is a special thing. All six of the king's wives lived in harmony with each other.
Legend has it that the 6 statues of the 6 wives of King Le Than Tong at Mat Son Pagoda (Thanh Hoa) were made by 6 women with the same dedication and effort, with the wish to be together forever.
In it, the statue of Queen Trinh Thi Ngoc Truc sits on a lotus throne, while other ladies wear crowns in a meditating position. Each statue represents a different face and it is clear that each lady's outfit matches her national costume.
