Trịnh Tùng (19 December 1550 – 17 July 1623), also known as Trịnh Tòng and later given the title ''Bình An Vương'' (平安王), was the de facto ruler of

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), was a Vietnamese monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day Hanoi. Its early name, Đại Cồ Việt,(ch ...

from 1572 to 1623. Trịnh Tùng is the first official Trịnh lord, although his father— Trịnh Kiểm—was de facto ruler of Dai Viet before him, Trịnh Kiểm never claimed himself as Trịnh lord. Therefore, Trịnh Kiểm is not considered as the first Trịnh lord. Trịnh Tùng was reputed to be from the first generation 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 from 1545 to 1789; however, since he was so young when the family first came to power, Trịnh Tùng theoretically belonged to the second generation. The Trịnh family wielded the military power of the country and took turns as regents to the figurehead Lê kings who nominally reigned over the country. Trịnh Kiểm, Tùng's father, was given the title of 'Duke' during his life and after his death was conferred with the title of ''Thái Vương'', which means "Great Prince". From the time of Trịnh Tùng onwards, members of the Trịnh family were given the title of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

while in power. Also known with the title of Lord, they had the right to choose the crown prince and had power over political and military matters. During his rule, the war with the

Mạc dynasty The Mạc dynasty (; Hán-Nôm: 茹莫/ 朝莫) (1527–1677), officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a Vietnamese dynasty which ruled over a unified Vietnam between 1527 and 1540, and northern Vietnam from 1540 until 1593. The M ...

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History

Trịnh Tùng was the second son of Trịnh Kiểm. In 1572, upon the death of his father, Trịnh Tùng's elder brother, Trịnh Cối, took command. Immediately challenged by Trịnh Tùng, Trịnh Cối lost a battle to the Mạc, and thus Trịnh Tùng took control of the situation. He proved to be a very capable leader and in 1571, the Lê Loyalist Army captured the Eastern capital Thăng Long from emperor

Mạc Mậu Hợp Mạc Mậu Hợp (莫茂洽, 1560–1593) was the fifth and effectively last reigning emperor of the Mạc dynasty from 1562 to 1593. Biography Mạc Mậu Hợp was born in 1560 at Đông Đô. He became the emperor in 1562. In 1592, the Sout ...

. However, a counteroffensive the next year drove them out. In the midst of this reversal, the nominal Lê emperor, Lê Anh Tông, fled to Nghệ An Province. Trịnh Tùng appointed a new emperor ( Lê Thế Tông), and had the previous king assassinated. The war against the Mạc continued for the next twenty years until 1592, when the Eastern Capital ( Dong kinh) was reconquered. Mạc Mậu Hợp was captured during the retreat and subsequently executed. Further military actions took place against the army of the Mạc in the years 1593 and 1594. The Royal (Trịnh) army was lent assistance in this battle by Tung's uncle

Nguyễn Nguyễn (阮) (sometimes abbreviated as Ng̃) is the most common surname of the Vietnamese people. Outside of Vietnam, the surname is commonly rendered without diacritics as ''Nguyen''. By some estimates 30 to 39 percent of Vietnamese peopl ...

army. In formal recognition for his defeat of the Mạc, Trịnh Tùng was given the title ''Pacifying Prince'' (Bình An Vương) in 1599. In 1619, Emperor Lê Kinh Tông, and Tùng's own son, Trịnh Xuân schemed against Trịnh Tùng so the emperor could reclaim actual Imperial power but the plot was discovered, the emperor was forced to garrotte himself and a new emperor was put in his place ( Lê Thần Tông). This led

Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên (阮福源; 16 August 1563 – 19 November 1635), temple name Nguyễn Hy Tông, was the second of the Nguyễn lords, ruling all of southern Vietnam from 1613 to 1635. During his time in office, the Nguyễn lords establ ...

to a formal ending of his relations with the court which, after seven more years, led to 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� ...

. By 1623, Trịnh Tùng was growing old. He tried to secure his succession by dividing rule between his two sons in order to avoid conflict. His attempt was not successful. :"Jealousy broke out in his family even before his death, as not only both his sons but also one of his brothers tried to (take) his power. Trịnh Tùng was taken ill to his brother's house and there his younger son was murdered. The elder, called Trịnh Tráng, hearing of this, ran away to the province of

Thanh Hóa Thanh Hóa () is the capital of Thanh Hóa Province. The city is situated in the east of the province on the Ma River (Sông Mã), about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of capital Hanoi and 1560 kilometers (969 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh Cit ...

, taking with him the king and the royal family. Trịnh Tùng was then driven away from his brother's place, and, abandoned by the servants who had carried him away in a sedan chair, died alone on the road. So ended the life of a statesman who had more capacity and energy than any other man mentioned in the whole of Annamese history..." - Annam and its Minor Currency
Chapter 16 (retrieved May 2006) File:Funeral of Lord Trinh Tung 3.png, Funeral of Lord Trinh Tung painted by Western merchants File:Funeral of Lord Trinh Tung.png, Funeral of Lord Trinh Tung painted by Western merchants

Sources

(retrieved May 2006)

History

Sources

See also