Lê Thánh Tông
The Lê Dynasty was established by Emperor Lê Lợi in 1428 after expelling the Ming Dynasty of China, which had occupied Annam. In 1460, one of his successors, Lê Thánh Tông, rose to the throne, beginning what was regarded as a golden age in Vietnamese history. During his rule of 37 years, Lê Thánh Tông instituted wide-ranging political and structural organisation of the country, implementing a Confucian model of government, introducing a mandarin system of government, expanding education, science, and art. He also expanded Đại Việt's territory substantially. At the time, Đại Việt was confined to the area around the Red River Delta, but Lê Thánh Tông expanded Đại Việt's army and expanded south towards Huế in what is now central Vietnam by conquering Champa territory. He also pushed westwards into the hills against the Tai. However, after his death, Đại Việt fell into disarray as a succession of weak emperors came and went, and palace intrigue crippled the country. This caused public discontent and set the scene for popular uprising.