Hiển Khánh Vương

The paternal lineage of Lý Thái Tổ was not prominently recorded in Vietnamese official history. The Vietnamese annuals Việt sử lược and Đại Việt sử ký tiền biên only record Công Uẩn's mother as having the surname Phạm, and do not mention his father, suggesting that he was a fatherless child.^[1][2] Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư and Khâm định Việt sử Thông giám cương mục record that when Công Uẩn's mother went sightseeing at Tiêu Sơn temple, she copulated with a demigod or a Taoist immortal, and later gave birth to Công Uẩn.^[3][4] Researcher Trần Viết Điền argued that the conclusion that Lý Công Uẩn was the son of a demigod satisfied the expectation of people throughout the realm at the time to be ruled by the Son of Heaven; his view is supported by many people.^[5] Furthermore, Đại Việt sử ký tiền biên quotes another record stating that Lý Công Uẩn's mother became pregnant after being touched by an old monk at Ứng Thiên pagoda: "According to folklore, when the king's mother was 20 year old, she was poor and unmarried. She worked as a cook and steamed sticky rice every night for an old monk at Ứng Thiên pagoda. One night, she overslept when the stove went out. The monk accidentally touched her which woke her up and made her feel uneasy. She later became pregnant and was expelled by the monk. She then went to another pagoda and gave birth to the king."^[2]

Although historical sources differ about the origin of Công Uẩn's father, Hiển Khánh Vương, they all record that at the age of 3, Mrs. Phạm brought Công Uẩn to Cổ Pháp Pagoda, where he was raised by Lý Khánh Văn (李慶文). Khánh Văn, the head monk of the pagoda, adopted him and named him Lý Công Uẩn.^[3][6]

During the Nguyễn dynasty, Nam Hải dị nhân of Phan Kế Bính records a folklore stating that Lý Công Uẩn's father died after falling into a well, and that his tomb was later built up by termites. However, this story appears to be a distorted version of a folklore that originated during the Later Lê dynasty.^[7] There is also a folk hypothesis that Lý Công Uẩn is Patriarch Vạn Hạnh's son, however that hypothesis is dismissed by historians who argue that the Buddhist in Vạn Hạnh's hometown Siêu Loại – Cổ Pháp would not have paid homage to a violated monastic precepts monk like this.^[8]

In 1009, after Lý Công Uẩn became emperor, he granted his father the title Hiển Khánh vương (顯慶王) posthumously, Minh Đức Empress Dowager for his mother, Duke of Vũ Đạo for his uncle, Duke of Vũ Uy for his older brother, Duke of Dực Thánh for his younger brother.^[9]

According to Dream Pool Essays by Shen Kuo, Lý Thái Tổ was "a man of Fujian extraction".^[10] Some modern researchers agree that Công Uẩn's father, Hiển Khánh Vương, was of Fujian extraction.^[11]

Chinese-Vietnamese historian Li Taishan (李泰山) discovered a record in the genealogy of the Li clan of Anhai which showed that the father of Lý Công Uẩn was Li Chun'an (Chinese: 李淳安; pinyin: Lǐ Chún'ān, Vietnamese: Lý Thuần An, 9 October 921 – 29 November 999^{[citation needed]}).^[12][13] Historical sources disagree on whether Li Chun'an's wife Phạm Thị Ngà gave birth to Lý Công Uẩn in Fujian or Jiaozhi.^[14][12]

Li Chun'an was said to be the first of two sons of Li Song. After Li Song was falsely accused and executed in 948 during the Later Han dynasty, Li Chun'an escaped to Quanzhou^[15] which was then controlled by the warlord Liu Congxiao (but nominally under the control of the Southern Tang dynasty).

He resettled in the Li Family village in Anhai, Quanzhou and became a Water mid Land Transport Commissioner (水陸轉運使) at some point. Some time later, he deserted his official post to escape from an unspecified danger, and traveled by South China Sea to Jiaozhi (now Vietnam), Champa and Khmer Empire for business, spending the most time in Jiaozhi. He fathered several children, including Lý Công Uẩn who would later become the founding emperor of the Lý dynasty.^[16][12]

• Consort: Phạm Thị (Empress Dowager Minh Đức)
• Issues: Vũ Uy Vương, Lý Công Uẩn,^[9] Dực Thánh Vương
• Relatives: Lý Khuê, Vạn Hạnh, Lý Khánh Văn

• Lý Thái Tổ
• Vạn Hạnh