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Le Van Thinh

Type Figure Region Thang Long Time c. 1038–1096 Also known as Le Van Thinh、Mao Phu

Le Van Thinh (c. 1038–1096), courtesy name Mao Phu, was a famed Ly dynasty official who placed first in the 1075 imperial examination, Vietnam's firs…

Timeline

  1. 1075–1083Thang Long · VietnamIn 1075 Ly Nhan Tong opened the examinations to recruit officials; Le Van Thinh placed first in the three rounds of metropolitan tests, becoming the first top graduate in Vietnamese examination history. He immediately entered official service and served as tutor to Nhan Tong, inaugurating the system of selecting Confucian scholars for office through examinations.
  2. 1084–1094Binh Binh Stockade (Quang Nguyen frontier) · Cao BangIn 1084 he was ordered to go to Binh Binh Stockade to negotiate the border with Song general Cheng Zhuo, successfully recovering the six counties and three caves of Quang Nguyen. The following year he was promoted to Grand Preceptor, the second chancellor-level senior minister of the Ly dynasty, rising through learning rather than military merit, and became a model for later generations of advancement through examination fame.
  3. 1095–1096Tao River · VietnamIn 1095 Nhan Tong toured Am Duong, where rumors spoke of a tiger-shaped assassin; the captured figure was identified as Le Van Thinh. The histories record that he was falsely accused of treason; Nhan Tong could not bear to have him killed and instead banished him upstream, where he died at Tao River in 1096. Later scholars generally believe this case involved political framing.

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