Trịnh–Nguyễn War
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| Trịnh-Nguyễn civil War | |||||||||
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| Part of Civil Wars in Vietnam | |||||||||
.png) Division map of Vietnam by Trịnh lords (red) and Nguyễn lords (blue) in 1757. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Trịnh lordsSupported by:  Dutch East India Company Tây Sơn rebellion |
 Nguyễn lordsCombat support:  Portugal[1] | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Trịnh Tráng Trịnh Tạc Trịnh Căn Trịnh Sâm Hoàng Ngũ Phúc Lê Văn Hiểu Đào Quang Nhiêu Pieter Baeck † Jan Erntsen † |
Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên Nguyễn Phúc Lan Nguyễn Phúc Tần Nguyễn Phúc Thuần Đào Duy Từ Nguyễn Hữu Tiến Nguyễn Hữu Dật Tôn Thất Hiệp | ||||||||
The Trịnh–Nguyễn Civil War (Vietnamese: Trịnh-Nguyễn phân tranh; chữ Hán: 鄭阮紛爭) was a 17th-century lengthy civil war waged between the two ruling families in Vietnam, the Trịnh lords of Đàng Ngoài and the Nguyễn lords of Đàng Trong, centered in today's Central Vietnam.[1] The wars resulted in a long stalemate and century of peace before conflicts resumed in 1774 resulting in the emergence of the Tây Sơn forces following Trịnh Lords at the time, Nguyễn Lords collapsed in Saigon in 1777. During the division of Vietnam, Gianh River was used as the de facto border between two regimes Đàng Ngoài and Đàng Trong in peacetime.
Origins
Both the Trịnh and Nguyễn families were descended from aides, namely
Partition
The prime mover in the period from 1525 onwards was
In 1593, Nguyen Hoang went personally to the court, bringing money and an army to help destroy the remaining Mac armies. Once the Mạc were defeated, Nguyen Hoang held the office of Grand Vizier for the next 7 years. However, his nephew Trinh Tung became increasingly wary of Nguyen Hoang's influence in the court and kept Hoàng near him at all times for surveillance purposes. Nguyen Hoang adopted Trinh Tung's two important generals as his nephews and incited them to rebel against their commander. When the rebels stormed the court, Trinh Tung fled with the Emperor while Hoàng took to the Southern Provinces, never to return. In 1600 the old Nguyen ruler broke relations with the
The first campaign
In 1620, Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên officially refused to send taxes to the court in Hanoi. A formal demand was made to the Nguyễn to submit to the authority of the court, and it was formally refused. In 1623 Trịnh Tùng died and was succeeded by his son
While the Trịnh ruled over a much more populous territory, the Nguyễn had several advantages. First, they were on the defensive. Second, the Nguyễn were able to take advantage of their contacts with the Europeans, specifically the Portuguese, to purchase advanced European weapons and hire European military experts in fortifications. Third, the geography was favorable to them, as the flat land suitable for large organized armies is very narrow at this point of Vietnam; the mountains nearly reach to the sea. [citation needed]
After the first assault, the Nguyễn built two massive fortified lines which stretched a few miles from the sea to the hills. The walls were built north of Huế near the city of Đồng Hới. The Nguyễn defended these lines against numerous Trịnh offensives which lasted until 1672.[1] The story from this time is that the great military engineer was a Vietnamese general who was hired away from the Trịnh court by the Nguyễn. This man is given the credit in Vietnam for the successful design of the Nguyễn walls. Against the walls the Trịnh mustered an army of 100,000 men, 500 elephants, and 500 large ships (Dupuy "Encyclopedia of Military History" pg. 596). The initial attacks on the Nguyễn wall were unsuccessful. The attacks lasted for several years. [citation needed]
Later campaigns
In 1633 the Trịnh tried an amphibious assault on the Nguyễn to get around the wall. The Trịnh fleet was defeated by the Nguyễn fleet at the battle of Nhat-Le.
Nguyễn offensive
The Nguyễn launched their own invasion of northern Vietnam in 1653. The Nguyễn army attacked north and defeated the weakened Royal army.
The end of the fight
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Seventh campaign
In 1671, the Trịnh made a last effort to conquer the southern Nguyễn. They gathered a massive army of 80,000 men, the largest invasion force of the entire conflict. The attacking army was under the command of Trịnh Tạc and his son,
Conquest of Huế (1775)
The long peace came to an end in 1774. At the time, the Nguyễn were under heavy assault from
Legacy
To fight against the larger and more powerful Imperial army under Trịnh clan, Nguyễn lords actively expanded their territory to the South into the former land of the Champa empire. They annexed much of the area that is now the southern half of Vietnam. Both sides were enthusiastic about using foreign technologies and welcoming to outsiders. From foreign traders, craftsmen, and mercenaries (mostly from Portugal, Holland, China and Japan), both sides acquired advanced civil and military technologies such as mechanics, shipbuilding and artillery construction, as well as cultural and religious elements. This long period played an important role in the formation of Vietnamese identity. [citation needed]
The Dutch brought
See also
- Southern and Northern Dynasties of Vietnam
- Northern and southern Vietnam
- Sino–Dutch conflicts
- Cambodian–Dutch War
- Lê–Mạc War
Citations
References
- Beck, Sanderson (2007). "Southeast Asia to 1800". Literary Works of Sanderson Beck. Sanderson Beck. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- Dupuy, R. Ernest; Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 B.C. to the Present (Fourth ed.). New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-270056-1.
- Hoang, Anh Tuan (2007). Silk for Silver: Dutch-Vietnamese Rerlations; 1637 - 1700. Vol. 5 of TANAP monographs on the history of the Asian-European interaction (illustrated ed.). BRILL. ISBN 978-9004156012. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
- Li, Tana; Reid, Anthony, eds. (1993). Southern Vietnam Under the Nguyẽ̂n: Documents on the Economic History of Cochinchina (Dàng Trong), 1602-1777. Vol. 3 of Economic history of Southeast Asia data paper series. Contributors Australian National University. Economic History of Southeast Asia Project, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ASEAN Economic Research Unit (reprint ed.). Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 981301668X. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
- Mateo, José Eugenio Borao (2009). The Spanish Experience in Taiwan 1626-1642: The Baroque Ending of a Renaissance Endeavour (illustrated ed.). Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622090835.
- Reid, Anthony (1993). Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450-1680: Expansion and crisis, Volume 2. Vol. 2 of Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, 1450–1680 (illustrated ed.). Yale University Press.
- Sardesai, D. R. (1988). Vietnam: Trials and Tribulations of a Nation. Promilla & Co. ISBN 978-8185002095.
- Weiss, Peter (1971). Discourse on Vietnam. Playscripts Series. Translated by Geoffrey Skelton (reprint ed.). Calder and Boyars.
- Wiest, Andrew; Barbier, Mary Kathryn; Robins, Glenn, eds. (2009). America and the Vietnam War: Re-examining the Culture and History of a Generation (illustrated ed.). Taylor & Francis.
- Zottoli, Brian A. (2011), Reconceptualizing Southern Vietnamese History from the 15th to 18th Centuries: Competition along the Coasts from Guangdong to Cambodia, University of Michigan
Primary sources
- Dror, Olga; Taylor, K. W., eds. (2006). Views of Seventeenth-Century Vietnam: Christoforo Borri on Cochinchina and Samuel Baron on Tonkin. Ithaca, NY: SEAP Publications, Cornell University Press.
External links
- Coins of Vietnam - with short historical notes