Background

From the mid-1300s, Đại Việt faced serious troubles that damaged much of the kingdom. The fourteenth century ecological breakdown led to a social crisis as the ruling Trần dynasty weakened. Even in the capital, Thăng Long, turmoil broke out in 1369–70, provoking a princely coup and a short, bloody civil war. From the south, the Chams under Chế Bồng Nga repeatedly fought against Đại Việt, and even sacked Thăng Long in 1371. In 1377 Champa defeated and killed Đại Việt's king Trần Duệ Tông in a battle near Vijaya, then marched north and against sacked Thăng Long four more times from 1378 to 1383. The repeated destruction of a radical intellectual and reformer, Hồ Quý Ly (c. 1336 – 1408). In 1399 Hồ Quý Ly deposed the Trần royal family and declared himself as ruler of Đại Việt. This provoked a response from the Ming dynasty, who invaded Vietnam under the pretext of restoring the deposed Trần dynasty. In 1406 215,000 Chinese troops crossed the border commanded by generals Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng; they quickly defeated Hồ Quý Ly's army, conquered Vietnam, and renamed the country Jiaozhi.

The Ming Chinese began building up their colonial administration in Jiaozhi Province, encouraging the Ming Confucian ideology, bureaucratic and Classic Chinese study to the local people, forced the Vietnamese to wear Chinese clothes and adopt Chinese culture. The Ming government enjoyed some support from the Vietnamese, at least in the capital of Thăng Long, but their efforts to assert control in the surrounding countryside were met with stiff resistance. A general popular dissatisfaction with the colonial arrangement seems clear. Between 1415 and 1424, 31 uprising and revolt leaders against the Ming emerged in Lạng Giang, Nghệ An, Hanoi, Ninh Kiều, Lạng Sơn and other prefecture capitals where the Ming troops were stationed.

Early life

Lê Lợi was born on the sixth day of August, 1385 in Lam Giang village, Lam Sơn, Thanh Hóa province in a noble family, and he was the youngest among three sons. His father Lê Khoáng, was a wealthy Vietnamese aristocrat nobleman/land owner in the village, although there is some evidence to suggest his family was Mường in origin. There has also been hypotheses suggesting that Lê Lợi was a Mường military leader. However, recent genealogical studies of the Lê family have discovered that the primogenitor of Lê Lợi is Lê Mỗi, who is from Bái Đô (now part of Xuân Bái commune, Thọ Xuân district). Lê Mỗi had five children, and Lê Hối is his second son who is Lê Lợi's paternal great-grandfather. Bái Đô is an area that was historically never settled by Mường people. Regarding Lê Lợi's maternal lineage, the maternal side also originated from Kinh people who migrated to develop the Thủy Chú region. Therefore, it is confirmed that Lê Lợi is of Kinh ethnicity, not Mường. The Lê/Lê Duy clan was the powerful clan in Lam Sơn for hundreds of years. The area of Lam Sơn, Thanh Hóa back then in the late 14th century was a mixed region with various ethnic groups such as Vietnamese, Mường, Hmong and Tai villagers.

During Lê Lợi's early adult time, the Ming invasion and occupation suddenly happened. During two Trần princes's revolts against the Chinese rules (1408 – 1414), Lê Lợi joined the revolt as nominally in charge of the royal guard. He was arrested and imprisoned by the Chinese from 1413 to 1415 after the Trần princes were defeated, and other revolts were suppressed in 1411 and 1420. After his release, he worked as a tutor officer and translator for the Ming colonial administrator in Ngã Lạc county, Lạng Sơn (modern-day Bình Gia District, Lạng Sơn Province). He then became involved in a feud with a neighboring strongman who denounced him as a rebel to the Ming. The Ming chased him back to his village. It was widely reported that when Lê Lợi's daughter was nine years old, a Chinese eunuch, Ma Ji (fl. 1410–1427) had taken her away from her parents and sent her into Yongle's harem. Yongle's grand secretary Yang Shiqi noted that Zhang Fu time and again criticized Ma Ji's wanton behavior in Jiaozhi. Although Ma Ji did the bidding of His Majesty, his conduct provided the catalyst that brought the new uprising. The Chinese also said that Lê Lợi escaped to Laos and Cambodia several times. In early 1418, Lê Lợi again raised the flag of resistance at his home village of Lam Sơn, declaring himself Bình Định vương (平定王, Prince of Pacification).

Revolt against Ming rule

Lam Sơn revolt (1418–1423)

Lê Lợi began his revolt against the Ming Chinese on the day after Tết (New Year) February 1418. He was supported by several prominent families from his native Thanh Hóa, most famously were the Trịnh and the Nguyễn families. Initially, Lê Lợi campaigned on the basis of restoring the Trần family to power. A relative of the Trần king was chosen as the figurehead of the revolt but within a few years, the Trần pretender was removed and the unquestioned leader of the revolt was Lê Lợi himself.

From the start, the Ming had tried to ensure that local opposition forces would not obtain the new weapons technology, including the Chinese

musket known as the magic handgun. The Yongle Emperor had ordered all firearms counted and well-guarded. The Ming occupying army of Jiaozhi consisted 87,000 regulars, scattered in 39 citadels and towns in Northern Vietnam, but clustered in the Red River Delta areas. They also employed a significant number of local auxiliaries. Chinese armies had employed firearms before the fifteenth century, but they came to possess superior weapons from Annam during the Vietnamese campaigns of the early fifteenth century. They also captured one of the leading Vietnamese firearms experts, Hồ Nguyên Trừng (1374—1446), the eldest son of Hồ Quý Ly, who was charged with manufacturing their superior muskets and explosive weapons. The Artillery Camp was thus built around these Vietnamese firearm specialists, who instructed Ming soldiers under the supervision of palace eunuchs. The first record of firearm usage in Đại Việt was in 1390 when Vietnamese soldiers used cannons and killed the Cham king Chế Bồng Nga. Lê Lợi's Lam Son rebels employed firearms, copied in rebel-built arsenals from Ming weapons used against Hồ Quý Ly army ten years earlier.

When the Lam Son uprising took place, the Ming commanding officer was Marquis Li Bin, who stern attitude toward the Annamites of Jiaozhi and disregard for their sensibilities and political aspirations only intensified their hatred for the Chinese. In early 1418, Lê Lợi and his men successful managed and ambushed a Ming patrol column on the upper Chu River, near Lam Son but was then betrayed by a turncoat who showed Ming units a way to attack him by surprise from the rear. His partisan party scattered and he briefly went into hiding before regaining enough strength to ambush the Ming patrol and force it to withdraw. In 1419 Lê Lợi attacked and seized a Ming outpost near Lam Son held by a local noble who was working for the Chinese, and beheaded 300 enemies captured here. In the next year, Lê Lợi spent time marching around the western highlands to recruit more men. In late 1420 his force ambushed a Ming patrol. The Chinese marquis, Li Bin responded by mobilizing Ming and local military forces to against him, but Lê Lợi defeated them, gained the control over Quan Hoa district on the upper Mã River.

In late 1421, a large Ming army marched to the Mã River valley to attack Lê Lợi and the Vietnamese rebels. A Laotian army with 30,000 men and 100 elephants from Lan Xang approached down the valley from the opposite direction. Lê Lợi was under the illusion that the Laotians were his allies. However, they sided with the Ming and joined the Chinese to laid siege on Lê Lợi. By the end of 1422, Lê Lợi was utterly defeated and sued for peace. In 1423 he was forced to return to Lam Son. The Ming army offered a peace treaty, in which Lê Lợi paid an indemnity with unspecified amounts of gold and silver in return for food, salt, rice, and farm implements. However, the Ming arrested the messenger Lê Trăn. This raised suspicion to Lê Lợi and he cancelled the peace pact.

Capture of Nghệ An

Within a month of taking the throne, Emperor Zhu Gaozhi (r. 1424–1425), Zhu Di's son and successor, issued a proclamation indicating a dramatic change of Ming policy in Jiaozhi. calling for "reform", he abolished the collection of commodities. In other initiatives, he moved to end Zheng He's voyages, and he downgraded the role of the military. He wanted to consolidate the core of what had been achieved by his father and grandfather but had no taste for costly adventures. He recalled Huang Fu from Jiaozhi and lowered the priority of holding that distant place. After only one year as emperor, Zhu Gaozhi died suddenly of a heart attack, but his son and successor, Zhu Zhanji (r. 1425–1435), continued his father policies.

In late 1424, news of the new emperor's proclamation and of Huang Fu's recall prompted Lê Lợi to set out on a new trajectory. He returned the resistance movement as the rebel leader in the Thanh Hoa highlands. Lê Lợi rebuilt his partisan army, follow his comrade, Nguyễn Chích to march south through the mountains into Nghệ An, where they ambushed a Ming force in Quỳ Châu district. The Lam Son partisans advanced to Con Cuong district on the upper Cả River. By the end of 1424, Le Loi's rebels had forced the Ming army being clustered in Vinh, which is provincial capital of Nghệ An. Le Loi recruited thousands soldiers from ethnic minority in the highland west of the Cả River delta for his army. His forces then defeated an army of ethnic minority troops who had joined the Ming cause. Then they headed east down into the coastal lowlands of Nghệ An. He sought to convince the densely ethnic-Kinh population areas in Nghe An by demonstrating discipline and refraining from exactions.

In 1425, as the Ming court was preoccupied with the death of one emperor and the accession of another, Lê Lợi led armies both to the south and to the north. In the south, his soldiers under Trần Nguyên Hãn defeated a Ming army in modern Quảng Bình and then marched through modern Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên, and gained control of the southern land. In the north, Lê Lợi's men captured a Ming supply fleet in northern Nghệ An, then pursued the Ming force in Thanh Hoa and besieged them at Tây Đô. Nguyễn Trãi, a Confucian scholar who was a comrade of Lê Lợi, helped him mapped the army's strategy and tactics.

By the end of 1425, Lê Lợi's Vietnamese rebels liberated all land from Thanh Hoa to the south, and besieged all the Ming forces in the region.

Pushing north

In 1425, the Ming Emperor Zhu Zhanji expressed his opinion that it would be better to restore the Trần dynasty and return to the old tributary relationship. In the next year, Zhang Fu requested permission to resume command of Ming Jiaozhi army to deal with the worsening situation there, the emperor refused. In 1426, Zhu Zhanji proclaimed a general amnesty and abolished all taxes in Jiaozhi except for land taxes to be paid in rice, needed to supply Ming garrisons.

In 1426 Lê Lợi sent his armies led by his generals, Trịnh Khả, Lý Triện, Đỗ Bí, Lưu Nhân Chú, Bùi Bị, Đinh Lễ and Nguyễn Xí through the mountains north of Tây Đô to emerge at the head of the Red River plain, threatening Dongguan and cutting it off from the road to Yunnan. When Ming soldiers were recalled from Vinh to reinforce Dongguan, Lê Lợi, leaving some troops to besiege Vinh, followed the Ming forces as they moved north, rallying thousands of men from Thanh Hoa as he went. Pushing into the Red River Delta he proclaimed as king a certain Trần Cảo, supposedly a Trần prince. Men and scholars from the Red River Delta began to join his army as he called for those who had favored the Ming to come to his side and arrested those who did not. The Chinese general, Wang Tong, at Dongguan as Huang Fu's replacement, was prepared to surrender, but local people who were loyal to Ming persuaded him to resist. Civilians in the Red River Delta welcomed and supported the Lam Son army where they came.

In early December 1426, Lý Triện and Đinh Lễ's 3,000 Vietnamese rebels achieved a surprise victory over the Ming army led by Wang Tong with about 30,000 Chinese soldiers were killed or captured in Tốt Động (32 km south of Hanoi) while countless horses,

supplies, weapons, and so on fell into Vietnamese hands. Among these Ming troops were 510 soldiers armed with firearms, led by the regional military commander of the Firearms Battalion, Xie Rong, whom had been sent on May 8, 1426, by the Ming emperor to follow Wang Tong.

By 1427, captured northern and Muslim prisoners also furnished the Vietnamese with siege techniques, primitive tanks, flying horse carts, Muslim trebuchets (hui hui pao 回回砲), and another artillery piece that the Chinese called a "thousand-ball thunder cannon".

By the beginning of 1427, five major Ming strongholds were under siege. These were Dongguan and Tây Đô; Cổ Long, a fortress built to guard the southern entrance to the Red River delta in Y Yen district, near Vu Ban in Nam Định Province, on the road between Dongguan and Tây Đô; a fortress at Chí Linh, near Phả Lại, that guarded the eastern part of the Red River delta; and Xương Giang, a citadel at the modern city of Bắc Giang that guarded the route out of the Red River Delta to the northern border. All the Ming garrisons south of Tay Do had surrendered. Lê Lợi established his headquarters at Bồ Đề, in Gia Lâm district, directly across the Red River from Dongguan.

Final victories

In late March 1427, around 120,000 Chinese reinforcements led by Liu Sheng and Mu Sheng advanced into Jiaozhi from Yunnan and Guangxi, included 10,000 crack troops who had followed Zheng He on his expeditions.

At first, Lê Lợi commanded the residents be moved Lạng Giang, Bắc Giang, Quy Hoa, Tuyên Quang to segregate Ming troops. He knew Liu Sheng kept the main forces, so he sent Le Sat, Le Nhan Chu, Le Van Linh, Dinh Liet to wait at Chi Lang, and at the same time commanded Le Van An, Le Ly to take alternative forces to support. With Mu Sheng's forces, he knew Thanh was an experienced general and will be waiting for Liu Sheng's results before taking actions, so Lê Lợi commanded Pham Van Xao and Trinh Kha entrenched all time. In September, Liu Sheng's 90,000-strong army was defeated in Chi Lang, himself was executed.

Mu Sheng heard Liu Sheng was killed and beheaded so he scared and ran away. Pham Van Xao and Trinh Kha followed, killed 10,000 soldiers, arrested 1,000 ones and horses.

Le Loi understood that Ming Jiaozhi was at its end. The Ming were unlikely to make any serious effort to reassert their control in Jiaozhi.

By making Trần Cảo king, Lê Lợi satisfied the aim of restoring the Trần that had ostensibly led to the initial Ming intervention and that Zhu Zhanji now eagerly want to terminate further intervention. With imperial forces under siege, Ming could not be idle. Maintaining the appearance of empire required efforts to reinforce or to rescue the besieged remnants of Jiaozhi.

After a six-month siege on the Ming-held citadel of Xương Giang, the citadel fell to Lê Lợi in October 1427, ended the war. The Xuande Emperor of the Ming dynasty decided to withdraw his army from Northern Vietnam. After this final victory, the Vietnamese repatriated 86,640 Ming prisoners to China and confiscated all their weapons. The defeat is considered by historian Ben Kiernan as the greatest policy disaster suffered by the early Ming empire. China would not again invade its southern neighbor for 360 years. According to a Ming report, Le Bi (黎秘), the chief eunuch of Lê Lợi and 10,000 Vietnamese were killed after Ming forces crushed and defeated their invasion in 1427 of a Chinese town in Guangxi.

Restoring Đại Việt

In 1427, after 10 years of war, Đại Việt regained its independence and the Ming Empire officially acknowledged Đại Việt as an independent state (Annam). On April 15, 1428, Lê Lợi took the throne and claimed himself King of the restored Dai Viet kingdom. He chose his reign name Thuận-Thiên (順天), literally "To obey Heaven."

Lê Lợi's proclamation of independence reflected the Sino-Vietnamese tensions as well as Vietnamese pride and patriotism:

Reign

Lê Lợi formally re-established Đại Việt as the Xuande Emperor of the Ming Empire officially recognized Lê Lợi as the king of Dai Viet in 1431. In return, Lê Lợi sent diplomatic messages to the Ming imperial court, promising his loyalty as a nominate tributary state of China and cooperation, and paid 50,000 gold taels for obtaining investiture. The Ming imperial court accepted this arrangement, much as they accepted the vassal status of Korea under the Joseon dynasty. Lê Lợi briefly established good relations with Champa's king, Indravarman VI (r. 1400–1441).

Lê Lợi renamed the capital, Thăng Long, to Đông Kinh, which later known as Tonkin. He embarked on a significant reorganization of the Vietnamese government, based on the old system of government which was developed during the late 14th century. He also elevated his longtime comrades and generals such as Nguyễn Trãi, Tran Nguyen Han, Lê Sát, Pham Van Sao, and Trịnh Khả to high official rank.

The Le government rebuilt the infrastructure of Vietnam: roads, bridges, canals. Land distribution were awarded to soldiers that contributed in the war against the Ming Empire. He revived the classical examination and devised good administrative laws. With the peace returned, men released from the army service, included non-Viet soldiers, were encouraged to settle in low density areas in the country, increasing rice production led population expansion during his reign, particularly in the coastal areas.

From 1430 to 1432, the king and his army fought a set of campaigns in the hills to the west of the coastal area. Then, in 1433, he became sick and his health declined. On his deathbed he appointed his prince Lê Sát as the regent for his second son, who would rule after him as Lê Thái Tông. He was posthumously named as Thái Tổ.

Internal palace politics quickly decimated the ranks of Lê Lợi's trusted counselors, Trần Nguyên Hãn committed suicide when he was being taken to the capital for investigating his suspected betrayal, Phạm Văn Xảo was executed in 1432 and Lê Sát, who ruled as regent for five years, was executed in 1438. Nguyễn Trãi was killed in 1442 (it was claimed he was involved in or responsible for the death of Lê Thái Tông). Only Trịnh Khả survived to an old age and even he was executed in 1451.

Myths and legends

Many legends and stories were told about Lê Lợi (magical sword, escaped death thanks to fox,...). In story help from fox, Lê Lợi was fighting Ming dynasty for Vietnam's independence. When he was defeated and ran, he saw a corpse of a woman on the way. Lê Lợi then dug a hole and gave her a proper burial, saying that if she protected him from getting captured, he would repay her.

When the Ming soldiers were close, he hid in the bushes. The Chinese soldiers then sent dogs to sniff him out, but spotted within the bushes was a fox with a human face. The fox ran away and the dog followed, but those Ming soldiers killed the dogs for not doing their proper jobs. The soldiers then left, and Lê Lợi escaped capture.

After he became king, he would return to that area and set up a shrine, conferring the woman the title of Hộ Quốc Phu Nhân, or Lady Protector of the Nation. The fox spirit eventually became a local god of the area.

Image:Hua-Quen See Hanoi.JPG|The Lake of the Returned Sword in Hanoi is where Lê Lợi returned the sword to the Golden Turtle, according to the legend.

File:Water puppets 329481647 7decc2a6e4 o.jpg|Water puppet of Lê Lợi on the Lake of the Returned Sword

File:Khuditichlamkinh.jpg| Temple of Lê Lợi in Lam Sơn, Thanh Hóa

File:Lang vua Le Lọi.jpg| Tomb of Lê Lợi

The most famous story concerns his magical sword. Much like King Arthur and his sword Excalibur, Lê Lợi was said to have a magic sword of wondrous power. One story tells that he obtained the sword, inscribed with the words 'The Will of Heaven' (Thuận Thiên) from the Dragon King (Vietnamese: Long Vương), a demi-god to the local people, who decided to lend his sword to Lê Lợi. But there was a catch: the sword did not come straight to him in one piece.

It was split into two parts: a blade and a sword hilt. First, in Thanh Hóa province, there was a fisherman named Lê Thận, who was not related to Lê Lợi in any way. One night, his fishing net caught something heavy. Thinking of how much money he would get for this big fish, he became very excited. However, his excitement soon turned into disappointment when he saw that his catch was a long, thin piece of metal which had somehow become entangled to the net. He threw it back into the water, and recast the net at a different ___location. When he pulled the net in, the metal piece had found its way back into the net. He picked it up and threw it far away with all its strength. The third time the fishing net came up, the same thing happened, the metal piece was once again caught in the net. Bewildered, he brought his lamp closer and carefully examined the strange object. Only then did he notice that it was the missing blade of a sword. He took the blade home and not knowing what to do with it, put it in the corner of his house. Some years later, Lê Thận joined the rebel army of Lê Lợi, where he quickly rose in ranks. Once, the general visited Lê Thận's home. Lê Thận's house lacked lighting, so everything was dark. But as though it was sensing the presence of Lê Lợi, the blade at the corner of the house suddenly emitted a bright glow. Lê Lợi held up the blade and saw two words manifesting before his very eye: Thuận Thiên (Will of Heaven). With Lê Thận's endorsement, Lê Lợi took the blade with him.

One day, while on the run from the enemy, Lê Lợi saw a strange light emanating from the branches of a banyan tree. He climbed up and there he found a hilt of a sword, encrusted with precious gems. Remembering the blade he found earlier, he took it out and placed it into the hilt. The fit was perfect. Believing that the Heaven had entrusted him with the great cause of freeing the land, Lê Lợi took up arms and rallied people under his banner. For the next few years, the magic sword brought him victory after another. His men no longer had to hide in the forest, but aggressively penetrated many enemy camps, captured them and seized their granaries. The sword helped them push back the enemy, until Vietnam was once again free from Chinese rule. Lê Lợi ascended the throne in 1428, ending his 10-year campaign, and reclaimed independence for the country. The stories claim Lê Lợi grew very tall when he used the sword and it gave him the strength of many men. Other stories say that the sword blade and the sword hilt came together from different places, the blade fished out of a lake, the hilt found by Lê Lợi himself.

The stories largely agree on what happened to the sword: One day, not long after the Chinese had accepted Vietnam as independent, Lê Lợi was out boating on a lake in Hanoi. The golden turtle, Kim Quy, advanced toward the boat and the king, then with a human voice, it asked him to return the magic sword to his master, Long Vương (Dragon King), who lived under the water. Suddenly it became clear to Lê Lợi that the sword was only lent to him to carry out his duty, but now it must be returned to its rightful owner, lest it corrupt him. Lê Lợi drew the sword out of its scabbard and lobbed it towards the turtle. With great speed, the turtle opened its mouth and snatched the sword from the air with its teeth. It descended back into the water, with the shiny sword in its mouth. Lê Lợi then acknowledged the sword had gone back to the Long Vương (Dragon King) and caused the lake to be renamed 'The Lake of the Returned Sword' (Hoan Kiem Lake) located in present-day Hanoi.

Countless poems and songs were written about Lê Lợi, both during his lifetime and in later years. Lê Lợi is looked upon as the perfect embodiment of the just, wise, and capable leader. All future Vietnamese kings were measured against the standard of Lê Lợi and most were found wanting.

Every town in Vietnam has one of the major streets named after Lê Lợi, but in Hanoi the name is Lê Thái Tổ Street.

In popular culture

In video games

• The video game Age of Empires II HD: Rise of the Rajas contains a six-chapter campaign depicting Lê Lợi.

• The Japanese video game "Hero * Senki WW" features a playable female version of Lê Lợi.

• The name of Vietnamese MMORPG video game Thuận Thiên kiếm is named after the mythical sword of Lê Lợi.

• In Firaxis' "Sid Meier's Civilization V" Le Loi is the Emperor of the Vietnamese Empire.

In anime

• Japanese anime "Fate/Grand Order x Himuro's Universe: Seven Most Powerful Great Figures Chapter".

Ancestry

早年及抗明戰爭

家世及早年

黎利來自越南清化路梁江縣藍山鄉（今清化省壽春縣藍山市鎮）的一個豪族家庭。據史書所說，黎利的曾祖父黎誨遊經這裡時，認為必是佳處，於是定居，三年後發展成可觀的產業，從此「世為一方君長」。到黎誨的兒子黎汀（黎利之祖父）繼承家業時，已經是「有眾至千餘人」的巨賈了。

陳廢帝昌符九年農曆八月初六日（西曆1385年9月10日），黎利出生於雷陽主山（父親是黎汀的次子黎曠，母親是雷陽主山人鄭蒼）。在他年輕時，陳朝政局正日走下坡，並發生了胡季犛篡陳及明朝派軍攻越的事變。

在胡季犛覆亡、明朝佔領越南之際，黎利對明朝的態度，中越兩國的歷史文獻，說法略異，而分歧主要在於黎利有否出任過明朝的官職。越南文獻指黎利面對明朝各種計謀、誘惑下，仍然不為官爵所動；《大越史記全書》記載，明據越南後，對當地人採取了勞役及招降兩種手段，而黎利則「不為官爵所誘、威勢所怵，明人巧計百端，終不致也。」其後感到後陳朝的抗明活動無望，便「晦跡山林，潛心韜畧，延攬智謀之士，招集流離之民」，以密謀反明。但中國文獻卻指黎利降明後任官另有所圖；《明實錄》中載：「利初從陳季擴反，充偽金吾將軍，後束身歸降，以為巡檢，然中懷反側。」這段文字提出黎利曾向明投降，並獲授官銜，而暗中有所圖謀的說法。

對於以上兩種說法，現時仍未有定論，但黎利本人亦曾說過一句值得注意的話。他曾向大臣們憶述，當初明朝統治越南時，他曾「罄家所有以奉事之，冀其免禍，而彼害朕之心曾不少恕，義兵之舉，朕實出於不得已焉耳。」

藍山起義

黎利不滿明朝的統治，便隱居山林，廣交豪傑之士，召募流亡群眾。到1418年2月份（明永樂十六年農曆正月），黎利決定在藍山鄉起兵反明，自稱「平定王」（）。當時，除黎利外，還有潘僚、鄭公證、黎餓等起義軍，但維持不久，便被明軍所擊破。

明軍獲悉黎利起義，便派馬騏領兵征討。黎利引誘敵軍到洛水（清化錦水），用伏兵將之擊退，這是黎利最初嚐到的勝果。其後，黎利移軍至靈山（據陳仲金考證，至靈山在清化境內），途中遭到明軍追擊，被俘獲了不少軍民及家屬。黎利便率殘兵駐紮至靈山。此後，從1419年（明永樂十七年）至1424年（明永樂二十二年），黎利以至靈山、藍山鄉等地為為主要據點，多次領兵與明軍交戰，各有勝負。期間，黎利得到重要開國功臣阮廌的歸附。

軍勢壯大

1424年（明永樂二十二年），黎利聽從黎隻「乂安險要，地大人眾，……今宜先取茶隆，略定乂安，以為立腳之地」的建議，向該區步步進迫。1425年（明洪熙元年）行軍期間，黎利得到沿途百姓的支持，便順勢約法三章，宣佈：「民苦於虐政久矣，凡所至州縣，秋毫無犯，非偽官（明朝官府）之牛穀，雖甚饑困，不得濫取。」憑著嚴格的軍紀，黎利軍所到之處，都得到群眾響應，「相與併力圍乂安城（今乂安省興元縣）」。雖然明軍尚能堅守該城，但轄下地區，已被黎利佔領。

由於明軍主力集中在乂安城，其他地點防務較弱，黎利便轉移視線，攻克新平、順化等地。當時，黎利軍已佔領了南部的國土（相當於現今越南中部），便向北出兵東都（今河內）。1426年10月及11月間（明宣德元年，農曆十月），在重要戰役崒洞之役中，黎利軍重挫明軍，迫使明朝的軍事力量只限於幾個被包圍的城市。

擊敗明軍

在黎利軍勢力日益壯大的同時，明征夷將軍王通與黎利議和，黎利最初亦同意的。但王通暗中向明廷求援，黎利便繼續派軍攻擊明軍的各個駐守城市。

明室了解到戰況不利，便派柳昇為主將（又作「柳升」），率十萬軍隊南下剿亂。1427年10月（明宣德二年農曆九、十月間），柳昇進入越南，開始攻擊黎利軍隊。黎利便向部下們作出指示：「今柳昇之來，途路遼遠，人必疲勞，吾以逸待勞，蔑不勝矣」，下令軍士們邊戰邊退，將敵軍徐徐地引入腹地，並在適當地方設伏。明將柳昇到這時仍大意輕敵，只親自帶領100騎兵追趕黎利軍隊。到達支棱（位於諒山省）的泥濘地時，明軍由於移動困難，黎利的伏軍乘機施襲，於是在馬鞍山（當地山名，又名倒馬坡）擊殺柳昇。明軍由於主將陣亡，全軍敗退，黎利再派軍大舉追擊，於是獲得大勝。此次決定性的戰役，迫使明軍不得不議和。

戰事大致平息後，1427年（明宣德二年）農曆十一月，黎利派出使節入明，要求冊封陳暠（黎利所立的傀儡君主）為王，明隨即封陳暠為「安南國王」，征夷將軍王通領兵撤退，整場抗明戰事至此告終。

用兵之道

黎利能夠長期與明軍周旋，甚至擊敗明軍，這與他的用兵之道及越南北部的自然環境有著密切的關係。他用兵設伏出奇，避實擊虛，由於在與明軍的每次對陣中，明軍往往都有著兵員龐大的優勢，但同時亦由於行軍遙遠，軍士無法在最佳狀態下作戰。黎利曾經說過：「彼眾我寡，彼勞我逸，兵法所謂，勝敗在將，不在乎眾寡。今彼軍雖眾，而吾以逸待勞，破之必矣。」因而從藍山起義開始，黎利就經常採用迴避與伏擊相結合的戰術。在崒洞之役及支棱之戰中，黎利正是憑著這個戰略取勝。

黎利對於部下的紀律和團隊精神十分重視，故此管理得相當嚴謹。他曾頒下「軍憲十條」，軍士們必須遵守，內容是：

黎利又對所有文武官員申示三條戒文：「一、勿無情；二、勿欺慢；三、勿奸貪。」，紀律嚴明令黎利軍隊能夠以寡敵眾。

治理國家

《平吳大誥》及即皇帝位

戰事完結後，阮廌起草了《平吳大誥》，宣示黎氏成為大越國的新統治者。該誥文稱，「因胡之煩苛，致使人心之怨叛，狂明伺隙，因以毒我民，惡黨懷奸，竟以賣我國」的國家亂亡時代已經過去，黎王朝「一戎大定，迄成無競之功，四海永清」。該文發表的時間，《大越史記全書》將之記在明宣德二年農曆十二月十七日（若按西曆計算，則是1428年1月3日）黎利軍與明軍達成和議之後。

黎利即位前，先要除掉陳暠。陳暠是在1426年（明宣德元年）被黎利擁立的傀儡君主。據《大越史記全書》所說，陳暠原叫胡翁，是「丐者之子」，「假稱陳氏之後」。黎利擁立陳暠的原因，是由於黎利在起義時鑑於「人心思陳，故立之以從人望」，並且「欲籍辭以應明人」。黎利驅逐明軍後，便先殺陳暠，然後登基稱帝。關於陳暠的死因，一說是遁逃時被朝廷所獲，便飲毒藥而死；一說是他「潛駕海船而卒」；一說是潛逃時被黎利令人追殺；一說是黎利曾說「我以百戰得天下，而暠居大位」，陳暠在驚惶下潛逃，最終被黎利追殺。

1428年（黎順天元年，明宣德三年）農曆三月十五日（西曆3月30日），黎利在東京（河內）即位，改年號順天，建國號大越，都東京（今河內）。

國內的施政

• 教育方面，黎利政府在京城設國子監，在地方各府路設學堂，教授儒學。舉辦科舉，文武官員四品以下者，須經明經科考試，文官考經史，武官考武經。又在各路開明經科試，以招攬人才。而佛道人士，亦須經過自己所屬宗教的經典考試，合格的可作僧侶或道士，不合格的勒令還俗。

• 律令方面，黎利參考唐代刑律，設有笞、杖、徒、流、死五刑：笞刑：分成五等，自10鞭至50鞭。杖刑：分成五等，60至100杖。徒刑：分成三等，有犒丁、象坊兵、屯田兵。流刑：分成三等，即流至近州、流至遠州及流至外州。死刑：分成三等，即絞刑和斬首、梟首示眾、凌遲處死。若果是功臣、官員、軍民、老人等有罪，以及自行投案的，則可依次減刑或酌情減刑。至於游手好閒、圍棋賭博、不務正業之徒，黎利以嚴刑峻法來打擊，如賭博則刖手三分，圍棋則刖手一分；無故群聚飲酒茶者，杖100，收容此等歹徒者，亦有罪，但量刑時減罪一等。

• 地區建置方面，黎利將全國分為「東」、「西」、「南」、「北」及「海西」五道，各道設有「總管」及「行遣」，分掌軍民簿籍。而在基層的地區建置上，「大社」（百人以上的村社）用三人為社官、「中社」（五十人以上的村社）用二人為社官；「小社」（十人以上的村社）用一人為社官。社官負責管理社內事務。

• 土地制度方面，黎利設立均田法，緩和貧富不均，鑑於不少「無功之輩」佔有過多田土，而曾參予開國戰爭的兵士則無地可耕，於是制定均田法，將公有田地分給上自大臣，下至老弱孤寡之人，以放緩貧富懸殊的現象，讓各階層的人都有田可耕。

• 軍事方面，當抗明戰爭結束後，黎利決定裁軍，從原本佔領東都時的25萬人，減至10萬人作防衞，其餘歸農。又將全軍分為五番，只留下一番執勤，其餘四番歸農，輪流執行。而黎利統治期間，越南仍有起義發生，如1430年（黎順天三年）農曆十一月，太原省石林州爆發了閉克紹、農得泰起義，黎利親自率兵鎮壓，至次年農曆二月討平。

• 黎利生性猜忌，即位後就殺戮功臣，功臣陳元扞、范文巧等都因讒言中傷而獲誅。

對外關係

• 對明朝的關係：黎利驅逐明軍後，便遣使入明，爭取得到明朝冊封為「安南國王」，要求明朝承認黎利是越南實際統治者的既定事實。起初，朝廷不允，要求黎利在國內訪尋陳朝宗室子孫為王，經過數次使者往還後，1431年（黎順天四年）農曆正月，黎利的使者向明廷陳述已「大集國人，遍求陳氏子孫，的無見存」，明廷便只得尊重黎利握有政權的事實，命他「權署安南國事」，規定黎利每隔三年向明朝貢一次，每次朝貢必鑄金人兩尊，稱之為「代身金人」。※陳仲金認為，兩尊「代身金人」可能是為支棱之役中被殺的柳昇與梁銘兩位明將抵命。至於黎利的求封，陳仲金作出如下的解釋：「因為我國與中國相較，大小懸殊，且孤身隻影獨處南方，全無羽翼屏障，這樣一味敵對抗拒，不肯低下一點，則永無寧日。雖表面上屈居中國之下，但其實內裡仍然保持自主，中國人並不幹涉我國內政。這也是一種機智巧妙的外交，可使國家獲得安定。」

• 對其他中南半島民族的關係：

　• 占婆：早在黎利稱帝之前，1427年（明宣德二年）農曆七月，占人到來進貢方物（土產），黎王朝政府與占人開始有了接觸。

　• 哀牢（瀾滄王國）：在抗明戰爭期間，黎利曾與哀牢交好，哀牢國王蘭亨登與之結盟。但在另一名逃亡哀牢的義軍首領路文律的挑撥離間下，蘭亨登背棄了盟約。1421年（明永樂十九年）農曆十一月，黎利與明軍交戰時，遭到哀牢的突襲。其後，黎利的一名極為愛重的侄兒黎石，亦遭哀牢軍擊斃。到後黎朝已有了統治基礎後，1432年（黎順天五年）黎利便攻打哀牢。

　• 忙禮州、復禮州：黎利於1432年（黎順天五年）農曆正月，攻打忙禮州；當年的農曆十一月又征復禮州。

黎利曾使用的稱銜

黎利一生中，曾擁有過多個稱銜：

• 平定王：從1418年（明永樂十六年）到1427年（明宣德二年）的「抗明十年」期間使用。

• 皇帝：1428年（黎順天元年）農曆三月十五日（西曆3月30日），黎利即位，建國號「大越」時內部使用。

• 順天承運睿文英武大王：1428年（黎順天元年）農曆三月開始，黎利「凡有大赦詔令」時，便使用這個稱銜。

• 藍山洞主：1428年（黎順天元年）農曆三月黎利開始使用的號。後來黎利下令編修《藍山實錄》時，使用了「藍山洞主」的名義作序。

• 安南國王及權署安南國事：1431年（黎順天四年）農曆正月，明朝命黎利「權署安南國事」。

去世

1433年（黎順天六年）農曆八月二十二日（西曆9月5日），黎利「崩於正寢」。年49歲。次子黎元龍繼位，是為黎太宗。十一月二十二日（西曆1434年1月2日），歸葬藍京永陵，廟號太祖，上尊號曰統天啟運聖德神功睿文英武寬明勇智弘義至明大孝高皇帝。

家庭

• 曾祖父：黎誨，移居藍山鄉，發展產業，黎利追尊為「高上祖明皇帝」。

• 曾祖母：阮氏玉緣，黎利追尊為「普慈高明皇太后」。

• 祖父：黎汀，繼承父親家業，黎利追尊為「顯祖昭德澤皇帝」。

• 祖母：阮氏廓，黎利追尊為「顯慈嘉淑皇太后」。

• 伯父：黎從。

• 父親：黎曠，黎利追尊為「宣祖憲文福皇帝」。

• 母親：鄭氏蒼，黎利追尊為「貞慈懿文皇太后」。

• 長兄：黎學，黎利年幼時由他養育。

　• 長兄有一名兒子黎石，黎利追贈為忠武大王。

• 次兄：黎除，他的五世孫是黎英宗。

• 後宮：據《大越史記全書‧本紀實錄‧黎太宗紀》載：「太祖不立正室，惟郡王母鄭宸妃與范惠妃等數人而已。國母（黎太宗生母范陳）亦先帝側室。」以下列出有「皇后」尊銜的，其實是後來追尊而已。

　• 范氏玉陳，黎太宗生母。她是黎利側室，在抗明戰爭期間去世。紹平元年六月二十四日（1434年7月29日，黎太宗追尊她為「恭慈國太母」。紹平四年（1437年）二月，再追尊為「恭慈光穆皇太后」。

　• 鄭宸妃。

　• 范惠妃。

　• 陳貞淑妃

• 子

　• 長子：黎思齊，初為太子，1433年，黎順天六年降為郡王。1438年卒，死後追封郡哀王。

　• 次子：黎元龍，即黎太宗。

　• 女 長女黎氏玉呂，郡主。 次女黎氏玉義，郡主

評價

黎利本人及臣下的評價

黎利本人及臣下的評價：在一次黎利與臣下的交談中，透露了各人對他能夠成功開國的看法。臣下們都認為：「明淫刑虐政，久失民心，帝反其道而用之，以仁易暴，以治易亂，此所以成功之速也。」黎利的看法則是：「卿等所言，固是如此，亦有未盡。朕昔時遭板蕩，棲跡藍山，本欲苟全性命而已，初無取天下之心。及其賊虐愈甚，民命弗堪，凡有智識者，皆被其害。朕雖罄家所有以奉事之，冀其免禍，而彼害朕之心曾不少恕，義兵之舉，朕實出於不得已焉耳。」

《大越史記全書》的評價

編撰《大越史記全書》的越南史官，就綜合了他的一生，作以下評論：

※上引《大越史記全書》的評論，未必出自同一個人的手筆，因而出現自相矛盾的現象，例如「論曰」提到黎利「多忌好殺」，「史臣論曰」則說黎利「未嘗濫殺一人」；「又曰」提到黎利「起集義兵，經營天下，前後凡數十戰」，「史臣論曰」則說黎利「不戰而屈人兵」。但不論如何，《大越史記全書》的評論，已代表了黎王朝的官方看法。

近現代學者的評價

越南方面，近代著名史家陳仲金（又譯陳重金），就稱他是「英雄出世」的救國者。但在嚴刑峻法方面，陳仲金認為會「殘害了人們的身體」，但亦「使國內減少了終生遊手好閑專以騙人為生之人。」在誅殺功臣方面又認為他是「蜚鳥盡，良弓藏；狡兔死，走狗烹。」。而越共學者則以愛國主義立場，稱他為「一位剛直、慷慨的愛國者」，為了「抗敵救國」，「他獻出了自己的全部心血和財產。」

其他國家的學者亦對黎利有正面評價，中國學者郭振鐸及張笑梅，認為黎利「削平各地豪族，統一安南」，使「明朝承認既成事實」，並說他「恢復了兩國之間的政治、經濟和文化交流的正常關係。」加州大學洛杉磯分校學者薩爾德賽（Damodar Ramaji SarDesai）認為，雖然黎利將越南從中國統治之中解放出來，但他卻無法改善農民缺乏土地及糧食的狀況。直到後來的黎聖宗，才憑籍著佔領占婆而解決這些問題。

黎利對後世文化的影響

有關還劍湖的傳說

由於黎利的事跡在越南家喻戶曉，因此在越南民間，亦衍生了一些有關他的傳說。

相傳越南河內的還劍湖裡棲息著一種「神龜」。關於「神龜」與黎利的傳說，據阮初時范廷琥、阮案合撰的《桑滄偶錄·下·還劍湖》提到，黎利起義時，得到一把名叫「順天」的古劍，到稱帝後也經常佩帶。有一天，黎利在還劍湖泛舟，忽然「巨黿（斑鱉）浮水上，射之不中，以劍指之，墜水沒，黿隨劍去。帝（黎利）怒，命塞湖口，築堤竭水求之，不得。」就這樣，黎利在湖中喪失了古劍，無法找回。越南人相傳，這些斑鱉取走神劍藏於湖底，以備日後再需要它來抗敵。從此，斑鱉就成為人們心目中的「神龜」。

2000年，生物學家何廷德在還劍湖發現一種新的鱉類物種，將這種巨鱉命名為「還劍鱉」，拉丁文學名為「Rafetus leloii」。其學名的種加詞「leloii」就是來自于黎利的名字。

在近代越南政壇裡的作用

黎利的成功得國，在近代越南史裡，成為各權力派系的政治樣板及宣傳工具。

越共軍隊在1954年的奠邊府戰役擊敗法軍後不久，胡志明在一次演說中向越共戰士們提到黎利、徵氏姐妹、趙嫗、陳興道及阮惠等歷史人物，要求所有戰士要為他們「感到自豪」，並且要牢記他們為國打拼的功勞。

越戰時期的親美勢力亦以黎利作為宣傳，在越戰時期的北越範圍裡，由美國支持的反越共組織，便引用黎利擊退外敵的事跡，向民眾宣傳反共意識。

以黎利命名的越南街道

現今越南的一些大城市裡，不少街道是以黎利來命名，以作紀念，如胡志明市的「黎利街」。