Trịnh Giang ( vi-hantu, 鄭杠; 14 October 1711 – 30 December 1762) ruled northern
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
(
Tonkin
Tonkin, also spelled ''Tongkin'', ''Tonquin'' or ''Tongking'', is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain ''Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, includi ...
) from 1729 to 1740. His title as ruling lord (''chua'') was ''Uy Nam Vương''. He was one of the
Trịnh Lords
The Trịnh lords ( vi, Chúa Trịnh; Chữ Nôm: 主鄭; 1545–1787), formal title Trịnh Viceroy (; ), also known as Trịnh clan (鄭氏, ''Trịnh thị'') or the House of Trịnh, were a noble feudal clan who de facto ruled Northern Viet ...
who ruled Vietnam. He was a bad ruler, being wasteful, inept, and callous.
History
Trịnh Giang was the son of his predecessor Trịnh Cương. He is considered one of the worst of the Trịnh lords. During his years in power, he spent money on luxuries and did little about the growing problem of landless peasants in the countryside. Also, a series of natural disasters struck, floods caused ruin for many villages and yet Trịnh Giang did nothing to relieve the suffering. Instead, he obtained (through rich gifts) a new title from the
Yongzheng Emperor
, regnal name =
, posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi ()
, temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung ()
, house = Aisin Gioro ...
of China, Supreme King of Annam ( vi, An Nam Thuong Vuong). This foolish action provoked a rash of revolts as the people felt he was usurping the title of the Lê Emperor.
By 1737, his government had run out of money and had to put public offices up for sale.
A mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
could gain a step in rank by the payment of six hundred strings of cash, and the commonest man in the kingdom was able to obtain the highest rank by the payment of two thousand eight hundred strings.
In the midst of revolts and
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
, Trịnh Giang turned the government over to a favored
eunuch
A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.
The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
in 1738. Two years later he was deposed and
Trịnh Doanh
Trịnh Doanh (4 December 1720 – 15 February 1767) ruled northern Vietnam (Tonkin) from 1740 to 1767 (he ruled with the title ''Minh Đô Vương''). Trịnh Doanh was a third son of Trịnh Cương, and belonged to the line of Trịnh lords
...
took over.
As far as the
Lê dynasty
The Lê dynasty, also known as Later Lê dynasty ( vi, Hậu Lê triều, chữ Hán: 後黎朝 or vi, nhà Hậu Lê, link=no, chữ Nôm: 茹後黎), was the longest-ruling Vietnamese dynasty, ruling Đại Việt from 1428 to 1789. The Lê ...
was concerned, the king,
Hôn Đức Công (1729–1732), was imprisoned shortly after assuming the throne and was then murdered after three years.
[Thê ́Anh Nguyêñ, Alain Forest > Notes sur la culture et la religion en péninsule indochinoise 1995 Page 141 "Depuis le règne de Trinh Giang (1729-1740), le pouvoir était déstabilisé au fil des dépositions et des désignations arbitraires de successeurs. Trinh Giang avait déposé puis fait assassiner l'empereur Lê Duy Phuong, qu'il avait remplace par ."] He was replaced by Lê Thuần Tông (1732–1735) who was in turn replaced by Lê Ý Tông (1735–1740).
See also
*
List of Vietnamese dynasties
Prior to the Abdication of Bảo Đại, abdication of Bảo Đại on 30 August 1945 in the aftermath of the August Revolution, Vietnam was ruled by a series of Dynasty, dynasties of either local or Chinese origin. The following is a list of ma ...
Sources
*''Encyclopedia of Asian History'', Volume 4. 1988. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.
Annam and its Minor CurrencyChapter 16 (downloaded May 2006)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trinh, Giang
Trịnh lords
1762 deaths
1711 births
18th-century Vietnamese monarchs