Lê Văn Duyệt
Vietnamese general, mandarin
Lê Văn Duyệt (1763 or 1764 – 30 July 1832) was a Vietnamese general who helped Nguyễn Ánh—the future Emperor Gia Long—put down the Tây Sơn wars, unify Vietnam and establish the Nguyễn dynasty. After the Nguyễn came to power in 1802, Duyệt became a high-ranking mandarin, serving under the first two Nguyễn emperors Gia Long and Minh Mạng.
Born into a family of peasants in what is today's Đồng Tháp, Duyệt joined Prince Nguyễn Ánh in fighting the Tây Sơn peasant rebellion. Because of Duyệt's military ability, he quickly rose through the ranks of the Nguyễn army and became a marshal when the hostilities ended. After the foundation of the Nguyễn dynasty, Duyệt served as a high-ranking mandarin and, later, viceroy of the southern part of Vietnam, ruling from Gia Định (modern-day Saigon).
His governance greatly stabilized and helped develop the southern Vietnam, turning it into a wealthy and peaceful region. In addition, Duyệt opposed Emperor Minh Mạng's ascension and defended Christian missionaries and converts from the emperor's isolationist and Confucian policies. These attitudes brought Duyệt into conflict with Minh Mạng and led to the posthumous desecration of Duyệt's tomb, which provoked his adopted son Lê Văn Khôi to revolt against the court the following year in 1833. Later, Emperors Thiệu Trị and Tự Đức, son and grandson of Minh Mạng, rehabilitated the general's honor and restored his tomb.
Early life
Lê Văn Duyệt was born in either 1763 or 1764 in Định Tường (present day Đồng Tháp), a quaint part of the Mekong Delta, in southern Vietnam.
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