Early years

Anh Tông was born in 1276 as Trần Thuyên, the first son of the then-emperor Trần Nhân Tông and Empress Khâm Từ Bảo Thánh. In 1292 he was invested as crown prince by Nhân Tông and ultimately was ceded the throne in 1293 while his father still reigned as Retired Emperor for 16 years.

According to officially commissioned historical books, although being an intelligent ruler and a devoted son, the young Emperor Anh Tông often drank alcohol and escaped from the royal citadel to wander around Thăng Long at night. One time the Emperor was so drunk that he forgot to welcome the Retired Emperor who was coming back from Thiên Trường for a visit. When he was made aware of the situation, Nhân Tông departed immediately in a fury from Thăng Long and Anh Tông had to write a petition for the Retired Emperor with the help from a young scholar named Đoàn Nhữ Hài. After that event, Anh Tông appointed Đoàn as court counselor and avoided drinking.

As emperor

Anh Tông was the first Trần emperor who reigned without having to face attacks from the Mongol Empire. Despite the deaths of the two most important generals of the early Trần dynasty, Trần Quang Khải in 1294 and Trần Quốc Tuấn in 1300, the Emperor was still served by many efficient mandarins like Trần Nhật Duật, Đoàn Nhữ Hài, Phạm Ngũ Lão, Trương Hán Siêu, Mạc Đĩnh Chi and Nguyễn Trung Ngạn. Anh Tông was very strict in suppressing gambling and corruption but he also generously rewarded those who served him well. Under the reign of an able emperor and capable court administration, Đại Việt witnessed a long period of peace and prosperity.

Foreign policy during Anh Tông's reign was continuing the détente with the Yuan dynasty while restraining the two other neighbours of Đại Việt, the kingdoms of Champa and Laos. The Emperor's envoy to the Yuan dynasty was so successful that the leader Mạc Đĩnh Chi was dubbled the "Two-state exemplar" because he came first as Trạng nguyên (Zhuangyuan, 狀元) in Đại Việt's imperial examination and was praised in the Yuan dynasty court for his eloquence. After the failed invasions of the Mongol Empire, Đại Việt's southwestern border was invaded several times by Laos until Anh Tông appointed Phạm Ngũ Lão to oversee the pacification of the frontier regions.

In 1306, the king of Champa Chế Mân offered Vietnam two Cham prefectures Ô and Lý in exchange for a marriage with Vietnamese princess Huyền Trân. Anh Tông accepted this offer, then he took and renamed Ô prefecture and Lý prefecture to Thuận prefecture and Hóa prefecture, both of them often referred shortly as Thuận Hóa region. Only one year into the marriage, Chế Mân died and in line with the royal tradition of Champa, Huyền Trân was to be cremated with her husband. Facing this urgent condition, Anh Tông sent his mandarin Trần Khắc Chung to Champa to save Huyền Trân from an imminent death. Finally Huyền Trân was able to return to Đại Việt but Chế Chí, the successor of Chế Mân, no longer wished to abide by the peace treaty with Đại Việt. After that event, Anh Tông himself, along with generals Trần Quốc Chân and Trần Khánh Dư commanded three groups of Đại Việt military units to attack Champa in 1312. Chế Chí was defeated and captured in this invasion, and Anh Tông installed a hand-picked successor, Che Man's brother Che Da-a-ba-niem, but the relations between Đại Việt and Champa remained strained for a long time afterwards.

As retired emperor

After 21 years of rule, Anh Tông passed the throne to the crown prince Trần Mạnh, who became the Emperor Trần Minh Tông, and Anh Tông retained the title Thái thượng hoàng for six more years before dying in 1320 at the age of 54. Anh Tông had only one era name during his reign, which was Hưng Long (興隆, prosperity). After the Emperor's death, he was given the posthumous name Hiển văn duệ vũ khâm minh nhân hiếu hoàng đế (顯文睿武欽明仁孝皇帝).

According to history books, Anh Tông was praised for his righteous reign, which created a peaceful and prosperous period in the history of Đại Việt. He was known as a modest ruler who was quick to mend his mistakes, was always cautious and intelligent in judgment, and the only major criticism of him was building a tower and gathering monks in Yên Tử mountain. According to the royal historian Ngô Sĩ Liên, Anh Tông was a father with sense of responsibility for his son, which is seen as an important factor in Minh Tông's good governance in the future. The decision made by Anh Tông and his father Nhân Tông to marry off the royal princess Huyền Trân to the king of Champa in exchange for peace and land was sometimes considered a stigma on the Trần dynasty.

Family

• Anh Tông had one empress, two other wives and several concubines:

　• Empress Thuận Thánh (?–1330), daughter of Trần Quốc Tảng and granddaughter of Trần Quốc Tuấn. She was entitled Queen dowager when Trần Mạnh was made emperor

　• Imperial consort Chiêu Hiến, daughter of Trần Bình Trọng, natural mother of Trần Mạnh

　• Imperial consort Tĩnh Huệ, daughter of Phạm Ngũ Lão

　• Đa La Thanh, daughter of northern monk Du Chi Bà Lam

　• Imperial concubine Trần Thị Thái Bình

　• Palace maid Vương Thị

• Besides three short-lived sons, Anh Tông was survived by only one son, Trần Mạnh, who eventually became his successor Trần Minh Tông. The Emperor also had five daughters:

　• Princess Thiên Chân

　• Princess Ý Trinh

　• Princess Huy Chân

　• Princess Huệ Chân

　• Princess Thánh Chân

早年

陳英宗是陳仁宗的長子，為欽慈保聖皇后所生。1292年被冊立為皇太子。1293年，陳仁宗禪位給他，他尊父親為太上皇。但此時陳仁宗依舊執掌朝政達16年之久，直至1308年逝世。

根據越南官修史書《大越史記全書》記載，雖然英宗是一位英明的統治者和孝子，但在他年輕的時候經常酗酒，並常在夜間潛出皇禁遊覽昇龍城。一次，太上皇自天長府回京，陳英宗因大醉而沒有迎接太上皇的到來，太上皇大怒離京。英宗酒醒後，對自己的行為頗為後悔，令段汝諧作書向上皇請罪。此後，英宗任命段汝諧執政，並再也不敢酗酒。

在位期間

陳英宗在位時期，陳朝與元朝結束了戰爭。在抗元功臣陳光啓（1294年）和陳國峻（1300年）相繼逝世後，英宗任命一些士人執政。這些士人包括了陳日燏、段汝諧、范五老、張漢超、莫挺之和阮忠彥。英宗嚴厲地打擊賭博和貪污行為，但他對那些阿諛奉承的人卻非常慷慨。在他的努力下，越南保持了長期的和平並繁榮發展。

在外交關係上，陳英宗對元朝的態度較仁宗時代有所緩和，但卻與占城和哀牢保持著敵對關係。陳英宗派莫挺之為使者，出使元朝。因莫挺之是陳朝歷史上第一位狀元，且又有良好的口才，受到了元朝的讚賞，回國後亦受陳朝的尊敬。在元越戰爭結束後不久，哀牢多次進犯越南的西南邊境。英宗遣范五老出師，擊退了哀牢的進攻。

1301年農曆二月，使臣鄧汝霖在元朝竊畫宮苑圖本，私買輿地圖及禁書等物，又抄寫陳言徵收交趾文書，及私記北邊軍情及山陵等事宜，元朝將他扣留，並派使臣到越南與陳英宗交涉，和平解決問題。兩年後鄧汝霖回國。

1306年，陳英宗將玄珍公主嫁給了占城國王制旻。出於聘禮，制旻將烏、里二州贈與陳朝。陳朝以其地置順州、化州。一年以後，制旻逝世。根據印度教習俗，玄珍公主應該投火殉死。但英宗卻遣陳克終往占城，通過欺騙的手段，迎玄珍公主歸國。占城人以此事為國恥，國王制至欲進攻越南。陳英宗得知後，率惠武王陳國瑱、仁惠王陳慶餘等人，於1312年御駕親征占城。制至戰敗被俘。陳英宗立制至之弟制陀阿婆粘為占城的傀儡國王，從此占越保持了和平。

1313年正月，交趾軍約三萬餘眾，馬軍二千餘騎，犯元朝鎮安州雲洞，殺掠居民，焚燒倉廩廬舍，又陷祿洞、知洞等處，虜生口孳畜及居民貲產而還，複分兵三道犯歸順州，屯兵未退。四月，國王親領兵焚養利州官舍民居，殺掠二千餘人，且聲言：「昔右江歸順州五次劫我大源路，掠我生口五千餘人；知養利州事趙玨禽我思浪州商人，取金一碾，侵田一千餘頃，故來仇殺。」

元朝調查認為是阮盝世子太史之奴所為，但不確定。於是質問安南。安南回牒：「邊鄙鼠竊狗偷輩，自作不靖，本國安得而知？」且以行賄元朝官員樞密院千戶劉元亨應對。劉元亨拒絕，質問安南，安南不予理睬。

禪位之後

1314年，陳英宗禪位給皇太子陳奣，是為陳明宗。英宗則接受了太上皇的稱號並繼續執掌朝政，直到1320年逝世。死後諡號顯文睿武欽明仁孝皇帝。