Map of Southern and Northern Dynasties of Vietnam

The Northern and Southern dynasties (;

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 ...

: ) in the

history of Vietnam Vietnam, with its coastal strip, rugged mountainous interior, and two major deltas, became home to numerous cultures throughout history. Its strategic geographical position in Southeast Asia also made it a crossroads of trade and a focal point ...

, spanning from 1533 to 1592, was a political period in the 16th century during which 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 ...

(Northern dynasty), established by

Mạc Đăng Dung Mạc Đăng Dung (chữ Hán : 莫登庸; 23 November 1483 – 22 August 1541), also known by his temple name Mạc Thái Tổ (), was an emperor of Vietnam and the founder of the Mạc dynasty. Previously a captain of the imperial guard (Pra ...

Thăng Long Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the capital and second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red and Black Rivers). As a municipality, Hanoi consists of 12 urban districts, 17 rural d ...

, and the

Revival Lê dynasty The Revival Lê dynasty ( 茹黎中興; Hán-Việt: 黎中興朝 ''Lê trung hưng triều''), also called the Later Lê Restoration in historiography, officially Đại Việt (Chữ Hán: 大越), was a Vietnamese dynasty that existed between ...

(Southern dynasty) based in Tây Kinh were in contention. For most of the period, these two dynasties fought a lengthy war known as the

Lê–Mạc War The Lê–Mạc War (; chữ Hán: 戰爭黎莫) was a civil war waged between two Vietnamese dynasties, the Mạc and Revival Lê, during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period of Vietnamese history. The Vietnamese throne was usurped b ...

. Initially, the domain of the Southern court was confined within Thanh Hoa province. After the expedition of

Nguyễn Hoàng Nguyễn Hoàng (28 August 1525 – 20 July 1613) was a Vietnamese official who ruled southern Vietnam from 1558 to his death in 1613. As the first of the Nguyễn lords, he established a powerful state that contested rule over Vietnam for the ne ...

to reclaim Lê territory in the South from Mạc garrison force, Northern dynasty only controlled the provinces from Thanh Hoa up North. Both dynasties claimed to be the sole legitimate dynasty of Vietnam. The nobles and their clansmen switched side frequently to the extent that loyal retainers such as Prince Mạc Kính Điển were praised even by their foes as rare virtuous men. As lords without land, these nobles and their armies behaved a little or no better than petty thieves, raiding and looting the farmers to feed themselves. This state of chaos brought along the destruction of the countryside and reduced many formerly prosperous cities such as

to poverty. The two dynasties fought for nearly sixty years, ended in 1592 when the Southern dynasty defeated the North and recaptured Đông Kinh. However, Mac family members had maintained an autonomous rule in

Cao Bằng Cao Bằng () is a city in northern Vietnam. It is the capital and largest settlement of Cao Bằng Province. It is located on the bank of the Bằng Giang river, and is around away from the border with China's Guangxi region. According to the 2 ...

under the protectorate of Chinese dynasties until 1677.

Mạc Đăng Dung usurps the throne

In the early 16th century, the

Later Lê dynasty Later may refer to: * Future, the time after the present Television * ''Later'' (talk show), a 1988–2001 American talk show * '' Later... with Jools Holland'', a British music programme since 1992 * ''The Life and Times of Eddie Roberts'', or ...

started weakening. The degenerated Lê dynasty, which endured under six rulers between 1497 and 1527, in the end was no longer able to maintain control over the northern part of the country, much less the new territories to the south. The weakening of the monarchy created a vacuum that the various noble families of the aristocracy were eager to fill. Soon after Lê Chiêu Tông fled south with the Trịnh and the Nguyễn in 1522, Mạc Đăng Dung proclaimed the emperor's younger brother, Le Xuan, as the new emperor under the name Lê Cung Hoàng. In reality, the new emperor had no power. Three years after Mạc's forces killed his older brother, Lê Chiêu Tông, Mạc Đăng Dung ended the fiction that Lê Cung Hoàng actually ruled by killing him in 1527. Mạc Đăng Dung, being a scholar-official who had effectively controlled the Le for a decade, then proclaimed himself the new emperor of Vietnam in 1527, and established the Mac dynasty.

References

Sources

* * *{{cite book, last1=Taylor, first1=K. W., title=A History of the Vietnamese, date=2013, publisher=Cambridge University Press, isbn=978-0521875868, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P2HP31kOSA4C&q=history+of+vietnam Mạc dynasty Revival Lê dynasty

Mạc Đăng Dung usurps the throne

See also

References

Sources