Trịnh Kiểm

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Trịnh Kiểm ruled part of Vietnam from 1545 - 1570.

Map of Vietnam circa 1560. Mac still control north-east Vietnam but their territory is shrinking.

Trịnh Kiểm is the founder of the famous Trịnh Lords who ruled Vietnam while a succession of figurehead kings nominally ruled the country. During his rule, the war with the Mạc Dynasty continued.

Trịnh Kiểm claimed decent from Trịnh Khả, who was one of the top aides of Lê Lợi and later became the top governmental official during the reign of the child-king Le Nhan Tong. His relationship to the General Trịnh who defeated a rebel army in 1511 and then rebelled himself in 1517 is unknown. Also unknown is his relationship to Trinh Duy Dai and Trinh Duy San (two of the leaders of the first revolt against Mac Dang Dung). What is known is that a second revolt against Mạc Đăng Dung took place not long after Dung usurped the throne and proclaimed himself the new king of Vietnam in 1527. This second revolt was lead by Nguyen Kim and his second-in-command was his son-in-law, Trinh Khiem (who married Kim’s daughter Ngoc Bao). The second revolt was successful to the point where the Nguyen-Trinh army captured the Western Palace (Tay Do) and enthroned their own King, Lê Trang Tông, in 1533.

The Nguyen-Trinh alliance then sent a formal embassy to China which denounced the usurpation of Mac Dang Dung and asked for help. In 1536, the Chinese delegation concluded that Dung had usurped the throne of the Le king. After hearing the report, the Jiajing Emperor dispatched an army to set things right, it arrived on the border of Vietnam in 1537. However, with protestations of loyalty to the Ming Dynasty and the offer of a piece of north Vietnam to the Chinese, Mac Dang Dung was able to get the Chinese army to leave. The official position of the Chinese government was, the MAC should rule in the north, and the Le should rule in the south. The Nguyen-Trinh alliance refused to accept this settlement, and so the war continued.

In 1541, Mac Dang Dung died and his grandson, Phuoc Hai, took over. In 1545, Nguyen Kim was assassinated by a supporter of the Mac. Nguyen Kim had two young sons (Nguyen Hoang and Nguyen Uong) but it was Trinh Khiem who took control of the Royal army.

The Nguyen-Trinh alliance, now under the command of Trinh Khiem, continued their war against the Mac. A new king was enthroned as Lê Trung Tông in 1548, then another Le king, Lê Anh Tông, was enthroned in 1556. In 1558 the eldest son of Kim, Nguyen Hoang, was sent to the south to take control over the recently conquered province of Quang Nam. By 1665, the Royal (Trinh) army had captured all the provinces south of the Red River and were threatening Hanoi.

In 1569, in failing health, Trinh Khiem passed authority over to his oldest son, Trinh Coi. In 1570, Trinh Khiem died. In the same year, Trinh Coi was defeated by a Mac army and was replaced by his younger, and much more capable brother, Trịnh Tùng.