The Mạc dynasty (;
Hán-Nôm:
茹 莫/
朝 莫) (1527–1677), officially Đại Việt (
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 ...
: 大越), was a
Vietnamese dynasty which ruled over a unified Vietnam between 1527 and 1540, and northern Vietnam from 1540 until 1593. The Mạc dynasty lost control over the capital
Đông Kinh (modern Hanoi) for the last time in its wars against the
Later Lê dynasty and 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 ...
in 1592. Subsequent members of the Mạc dynasty ruled over the province of
Cao Bằng with the direct support of the Chinese
Ming and
Qing dynasties until 1677 (with members of the Mạc dynasty accepted as officials of the Later Lê dynasty from 1627).
Mạc Đăng Dung
The founder of the Mạc dynasty was a descendant of the famed
Trần dynasty scholar
Mạc Đĩnh Chi. Mạc Đăng Dung chose to enter the military and ascended the ranks to become the senior general in the Lê dynasty army. Later he seized power and ruled Vietnam from 1527 till his death in 1541.

Mạc Đăng Dung, got his start as a bodyguard for
Lê Uy Mục, the unpopular Lê Emperor, around 1506. Over time, despite the deaths of several emperors, Mạc Đăng Dung increased his power and gained many supporters. However, he also gained the enmity of other rivals for power.
After a series of political crises that made both Lê Uy Mục and his successor
Lê Tương Dực assassinated, Mạc Đăng Dung continued to gain power and rank in the military. With the enthronement of the young emperor
Lê Chiêu Tông in 1516, a power struggle in the court ensued to the level of a civil war. From 1516 to 1520, the warlords of
Nguyễn Hoàng Dụ and
Trịnh Duy Sản,
Nguyễn Kính and
Trần Cao were fighting for power. Mạc Đăng Dung initially led the forces loyal to King Lê Chiêu Tông against the warlords, he eventually defeated the warlords and gained enough power to force Lê Chiêu Tông to abdicate in 1522 and install the puppet Emperor
Lê Cung Hoàng to the throne. Lê Chiêu Tông fled the court with the support of the warlord Trịnh Tuy to
Thanh Hóa where they fought against Mạc Đăng Dung until they were defeated and captured in 1526.
In 1527 Mạc Đăng Dung removed Lê Cung Hoàng and proclaimed himself as Emperor of the new Mạc dynasty under the title Minh Đức. The usurpation was not well received by the
Confucian
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, religion, theory of government, or way of life. Founded by Confucius ...
officials in the government. Some were killed, others fled to join a new revolt against the Mạc Emperors.
A new revolt was led by
Nguyễn Kim (father of Nguyễn Hoàng, the first of the
Nguyễn lords
The Nguyễn lords (, 主阮; 1558–1777, 1780–1802), also known as the Nguyễn clan (; ), were Nguyễn dynasty's forerunner and a feudal noble clan ruling southern Đại Việt in the Revival Lê dynasty. The Nguyễn lords were membe ...
who later ruled
southern Vietnam) and his subordinate and son-in-law
Trịnh Kiểm (the first 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 later ruled
Đàng Ngoài). They installed
Lê Trang Tông as Emperor of the
Revival Lê dynasty and built their base in
Thanh Hóa and
Nghệ An provinces to resist against Mạc Đăng Dung. Both sides tried to pull in allies, mainly the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
but also from King
Phothisarat I of
Lan Xang (modern-day
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 ...
). Mạc Đăng Dung, through submissive diplomacy and massive bribes, convinced the Ming not to attack in 1528. He then abdicated his position as Emperor in favor of his son,
Mạc Đăng Doanh a year later. However, this was done purely to solidify his son's position, Mạc Đăng Dung continued to rule with the title of ''
Senior Emperor'' (Viet: Thái thượng hoàng).
Restoration of the Lê

The revolt of the Revival Lê in the south gathered strength and over the next three years all the provinces south of the
Red River were captured by the Lê armies. In 1533 the figurehead Lê Emperor, Lê Trang Tông, was officially crowned at the recaptured
Tây Đô castle. This marked the beginning of the
Southern and Northern dynasties era. The Lê and Mạc would continue the lengthy
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
over the next 40 years.
In 1540, Mạc Đăng Doanh died and Mạc Đăng Dung reclaimed the throne. The Ming dynasty threatened Mạc Đăng Dung with an invasion of 110,000 men ready to invade Vietnam from Guangxi. Mac acceded to Chinese pressure and complied with bitter Ming demands, including crawling barefoot in front of the Chinese officials, giving up land to China, downgrading his status from the Emperor to Governor (''Đô thống sứ'' 都統使) and giving up official documents like tax registers to the Ming.
[Yamazaki] The Ming official position was that the Mạc should rule over the northern half of Vietnam, while the Lê should rule over the southern half (in other words, below the Red River). The Nguyễn and the Trịnh refused to accept this division of the country and the war continued.
In 1541, Mạc Đăng Dung died and was succeeded by his grandson
Mạc Phúc Hải.
1541–92: Lê–Mạc wars
Mạc Phúc Hải ruled only for six years before he died due to illness. During his rule, he was defeated by the Trịnh army and lost more territories. He was succeeded by
Mạc Phúc Nguyên (ruled from 1546 to 1561) who had to fight against his uncle Mạc Chính Trung to enthrone. In 1561, he died because of
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...
.
Mạc Mậu Hợp succeeded the throne, and ruled from 1562 to 1592. He was the last significant Mạc ruler. In 1572 the capital was captured by the Trịnh army but then he recaptured it a year later. Then, in 1592,
Trịnh Tùng unleashed a massive invasion of the north and conquered Hanoi along with the rest of the northern provinces. Mạc Mậu Hợp was captured during the retreat and was cut to pieces over three days. The Mạc had lost control over most of Northern Vietnam, only retaining areas in and around
Cao Bằng Province under the formal protection of the Ming army.
1592–1677: withdrawn to Cao Bằng and decline
In 1592, the new Mạc leader was Mạc Kính Chỉ. He managed to assemble a large army which defeated the army of Trịnh Tùng but a year later, he and his army were wiped out by a new Trịnh army under Trịnh Tùng. Later, his brother Mạc Kính Cung withdrawn to
Cao Bằng province and ruled for more than thirty years (1593–1625). Based out of Van Ninh (
Quảng Ninh Province) the Mạc army staged many attacks against the Trịnh. The Trịnh requested and received aid from the Nguyễn and the joint army (with
Nguyễn Hoàng) defeated the Mạc.
In 1598, yet another official Ming commission declared the Mạc to be rulers over
Cao Bằng province and so the Mạc rulers stayed in this protected area, occasionally launching raids into Trịnh controlled Vietnam.
In 1627, the Lê army attacked Cao Bằng, the Mạc ruler
Mạc Kính Khoan had to surrender and accept the Lê title of ''Thông quốc công'', reducing the Mạc realm to a duchy under the Lê dynasty.
After the fall of the Southern Ming, the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
became the mediator in the Lê-Mạc conflict while receiving tribute from both sides.
The
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...
attempted to negotiate peace between the two states.
After the Lê attacked and gained control of
Cao Bằng Province without permission from the Qing, the Kangxi Emperor demanded in 1667 that
Trịnh Tạc return
Cao Bằng Province to the Mạc.
In 1673, the Qing had lost interest in mediating the conflict on behalf of the Mạc.
In 1677, the
Revolt of the Three Feudatories in southern China prompted the Qing to enlist the aid of the Lê, who accused the Mạc of joining the rebels.
The Kangxi Emperor and his advisors agreed to arrest
Mạc Kính Vũ as he fled into
Guangxi
Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...
, China, leading to the demise of the Mạc dynasty.
Relations with Ming and Qing China
The Lê dynasty held a
tributary relationship with the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...
in exchange for recognition and military protection.
As part of their tributary relationship, the Ming provided external military support to the Lê state against the Mạc beginning in 1537.
After the 1540 surrender of the Mạc to the Ming, the Ming court ceremonially revoked the Lê dynasty's status as an independent kingdom and reclassified it as a ''
dutongshisi'': a category only slightly higher than a chieftaincy.
After 1540, the Ming received tribute from both the Lê dynasty and the Mạc, a state of affairs that continued through the end of the
Southern Ming at which point the two sides became tributary states of the Qing dynasty.
See also
*
List of Vietnamese dynasties
*
Stone stele records of imperial examinations of the Lê and Mạc dynasties
Notes
Citations
References
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External links
Coins of Vietnam Coins and Banknotes of Vietnam and French Indochina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mac dynasty
Vietnamese dynasties
States and territories established in 1527
States and territories disestablished in 1677
1527 establishments in Vietnam
Tributaries of Imperial China
17th-century disestablishments in Vietnam
1677 in Vietnam
1677 disestablishments in Asia