Biography

Trần Thiếu Đế's name (𤇼 / Yên) was suggested by Khâm định Việt sử thông giám cương mục, because Nguyễn dynasty's officials could not find the exact Chinese character for this sovereign. At the age of only three, he was chosen to succeed his father Trần Thuận Tông who was forced by Hồ Quý Ly to resign and hold the title Retired Emperor. Only two years after Thiếu Đế's coronation, Hồ Quý Ly overthrew the Emperor to establish his own dynasty, the Hồ Dynasty.

Childhood

Thiếu Đế (Young Emperor) was born in 1396 as Trần Yên (陳), first child of the Emperor Trần Thuận Tông, and his wife, the Queen Thánh Ngâu who was daughter of Hồ Quý Ly. On March 15 of the Lunar calendar, 1398, under pressure of Hồ Quý Ly, Thuận Tông had to cede the throne to his three-year-old son, now Trần Thiếu Đế, and held the position of retired emperor.

According to Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư, actually Hồ Quý Ly wanted to overthrow Thuận Tông but before his death, the Retired Emperor Trần Nghệ Tông made Quý Ly promise him supporting the Emperor therefore Hồ Quý Ly decided to force Thuận Tông to abdicate before taking over the throne from the new emperor. After the coronation, Thiếu Đế changed the era name to Kiến Tân (建新, 1398-1400).

As emperor

Only one year after Trần Thiếu Đế's ascension as emperor, Hồ Quý Ly ordered general Phạm Khả Vĩnh to put the retired emperor Thuận Tông to death. Sometimes later, however, Phạm Khả Vĩnh allied with some imperial house members and high-ranking officials such as Trần Khát Chân, Trần Hãng and Lương Nguyên Bưu in a plot to murder Hồ Quý Ly. The plot failed and Hồ Quý Ly issued the execution of every plotter along with their families and even their slaves. That resulted in the death of over 370 persons. In June 1399, Hồ Quý Ly took another step when he self-entitled Quốc Tổ Chương Hoàng (King Chương Father of the Nation) and began to use ceremonials which were reserved exclusively for the Emperor. Profiting the chaotic situation in royal court, Nguyễn Nhữ Cái gathered thousands of people to rise a revolt against Trần's rulers in the northwestern region. This revolt was put down in December by the troops of general Nguyễn Bằng Cử.

Ultimately, the end of the Trần Dynasty was tolled on February 28 of the Lunar calendar, 1400 when Hồ Quý Ly decided to overthrow Thiếu Đế and established a new dynasty, the Hồ Dynasty. Being Hồ Quý Ly's own grandson, Thiếu Đế was only downgraded to Prince Bảo Ninh instead of being killed like his father. His fate during the Hồ Dynasty and the subsequent invasion of the Ming Dynasty is unknown.

背景

陳少帝出生於1396年，是陳順宗和皇后胡聖偶的兒子。1398年，陳順宗在黎季犛的脅迫下禪位給少帝，當時少帝年僅3歲。

被迫禪位

少帝繼位後，因年幼，朝政完全由黎季犛把持。1399年，黎季犛遣范可永殺死了陳順宗，同時殺死了陳渴真、陳沆、范翁善、梁元彪、何德鄰、范牛悉等陳朝皇室的支持者及其家屬370餘人。同年6月，黎季犛自稱「國祖章皇」，穿龍袍，使用皇帝的車仗。其長子黎元澄出任司徒，次子黎漢蒼任太傅，為篡位作了準備。清化人阮用甫上書抗議，被黎季犛囚禁。而強盜阮汝蓋見黎季犛欲代陳自立，於8月在鐵山地區起兵，打著支持陳朝皇室的旗號四處劫掠。同年12月，黎季犛命東路安撫使阮鵬舉將阮汝蓋鎮壓。

黎季犛謀篡陳朝皇位已久，終於在1400年以陳少帝的名義代陳自立，建立了胡朝。至此，陳朝滅亡。因陳少帝是黎季犛外孫的緣故，黎季犛沒有將他殺死，而是廢為保寧大王（）。此後，陳少帝就在史籍中失去了記載。