Trịnh Căn (

chữ Hán ( , ) are the Chinese characters that were used to write Literary Chinese in Vietnam, Literary Chinese (; ) and Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese. They were officially used in Vietnam after the Red River Delta region ...

: 鄭根; 18 July 1633 – 17 June 1709) ruled northern

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

from 1682 to 1709 (he ruled with the title ''Định Vương''). Trịnh Căn was one of the

Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...

who ruled Vietnam. With the

Trịnh–Nguyễn War The Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War (; chữ Hán: 鄭阮紛爭, lit. Trịnh–Nguyễn contention) was a 17th and 18th-century lengthy civil war waged between the two ruling families in Vietnam, the Trịnh lords of Đàng Ngoài and the Nguy� ...

ended, his reign was mostly devoted to administrative reforms. Trịnh Căn, the son of Trịnh Tạc, ruled Vietnam during a time of peace and general prosperity. He devoted his time to administrative affairs.Anh Tuấan HoÁng ''Silk for Silver: Dutch-Vietnamese Relations; 1637–1700'' - 2007 - Page 119 "The Governor-General also requested Chúa Trịnh Căn to deliver no raw silk to the factory.417 in 1686, the bottom dropped out of the Tonkinese raw silk market in Japan because of the change in the regulations on the import and export trade ..." One of his improvements was to force all government officials to take examinations in order to promote honesty and to remove incapable civil servants. He also reformed the laws and punishments; under Trịnh Căn mutilation was no longer a punishment for crimes, and public gambling was prohibited. In 1694, the last effective leader of the Lān Xāng federation died. The resulting succession battle caused the federation to collapse. The Vietnamese sent an army into

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

to assert their authority in the area in 1694. After 10 years of conflict with other Lao forces and with

Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to: * Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767 ** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom * Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locall ...

forces under king Phetracha, three weak Lao kingdoms emerged, each of which paid tribute to both Vietnam and Ayutthaya (modern day

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

). (Note: it is possible, but less likely, that it was a Nguyễn army under

Nguyễn Phúc Chu Nguyễn Phúc Chu ( vi-hantu, , 1675 – 1 June 1725) was one of the Nguyễn lords who ruled southern Vietnam (Đàng Trong) from 1691 to 1725.Anh Thư Hà, Hồng Đức Trần ''A Brief Chronology of Vietnam's History'' 2000 Page 163 "Nguy� ...

which intervened in Laos). As far as the Lê dynasty was concerned, the emperor, Lê Hy Tông, was forced to abdicate the throne in 1706. He was replaced by Lê Du Tông.

Sources

Annam and its Minor Currency
Chapter 16 (downloaded May 2006)

(downloaded May 2006) {{DEFAULTSORT:Trinh, Can 1633 births 1709 deaths Trịnh lords 17th-century Vietnamese monarchs 18th-century Vietnamese monarchs 17th-century Vietnamese poets

See also

Sources