Nguyễn lords

Nguyễn lords
Chúa Nguyễn (主阮)
Nguyễn Vương (阮王)
1558–1777
1780–1802
Heirloom seal
Đại Việt quốc Nguyễn chủ vĩnh trấn chi bảo" (大越國阮𪐴永鎮之寶, "Seal of the eternal government of the Nguyễn Lords of the state of Great(er) Viêt")
(from 1709)
Map of Vietnam circa 1650
  Nguyễn
  Lê dynasty under Trịnh's control
  Mạc as rump state
  Kingdom of Champa
.
Map of Đại Việt in 18th century
  Nguyễn's domain
  Lê dynasty's domain under Trịnh's authority
StatusSubordinates of Trịnh lords (1558–1600) and lordship (fief) within Lê dynasty of Đại Việt (1558–1777, 1780–1789)
De facto independent state (1789–1802)
Rump state (1775–1785)
Government in exile (1785–1788)
CapitalÁi Tử (1558–1570)
Trà Bát (1570–1600)
Dinh Cát (1600–1626)
Phước Yên (1626–1636)
Kim Long (1636–1687)
Phú Xuân (1687–1712), (1738–1775)
Bác Vọng (1712–1738)
Quảng Nam (1775)
Gia Định (1775–1777, 1780–1783, 1788–1802)
Capital-in-exileBangkok (1785–1788)
Common languagesVietnamese
Religion
Neo-Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Vietnamese folk religion, Catholicism
GovernmentFeudal dynastic hereditary military dictatorship (1558-1775)
Absolute monarchy (1789-1802)
Lords/Kings 
 1558–1613
Nguyễn Hoàng (first)
 1738–1765
Nguyễn Phúc Khoát (as King)
 1780–1802
Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (last)
Population
 1800
1,770,000
CurrencyCopper-alloy and zinc cash coins
Preceded by
Succeeded by
House of Nguyễn Phúc
Revival Lê dynasty
Nguyễn dynasty

The Nguyễn lords (Vietnamese: Chúa Nguyễn, 主阮; 1558–1777, 1780–1802), also known as the Nguyễn clan (Vietnamese: Nguyễn thị; chữ Hán: 阮氏), were Nguyễn dynasty's forerunner and a feudal noble clan ruling southern Đại Việt in the Revival Lê dynasty. The Nguyễn lords were members of the House of Nguyễn Phúc. The territory they ruled was known contemporarily as Đàng Trong (Inner Realm) and known by Europeans as the Kingdom of Cochinchina and as Kingdom of Quảng Nam (Vietnamese: Quảng Nam Quốc; chữ Hán: 廣南國) by Imperial China, in opposition to the Trịnh lords ruling northern Đại Việt as Đàng Ngoài (Outer Realm), known as the "Kingdom of Tonkin" by Europeans and "Kingdom of Annam" (Vietnamese: An Nam Quốc; chữ Hán: 安南國) by Imperial China in bilateral diplomacy. They were officially entitled, in Sino-Vietnamese, the Nguyễn Vương (chữ Hán: 阮王) in 1744 when lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát self-proclaimed himself to elevate his status equally to Trịnh lords's title known as the Trịnh Vương (Vietnamese: Trịnh Vương; chữ Hán: 鄭王). Both Nguyễn and Trịnh clans were de jure subordinates and fief of the Lê dynasty. However, the de jure submission of the Nguyễn lords to the Trịnh lords ended in 1600.

While they recognized the authority of and claimed to be loyal subjects of the revival Lê dynasty, they were de facto rulers of southern Đại Việt. Meanwhile, the Trịnh lords ruled northern Đại Việt in the name of the Lê emperor, who was in reality a puppet ruler. They fought a series of long and bitter wars that pitted the two halves of Vietnam against each other. The Nguyễn were finally overthrown in the Tây Sơn wars, but one of their descendants would eventually come to unite all of Vietnam. Their rule consolidated earlier southward expansion into Champa and pushed southwest into Cambodia.