Trinh Kiem

Trịnh Kiểm (1503–1570) was a Vietnamese official who ruled northern Vietnam from 1545 until his death. He established his family as hereditary governors of Vietnam, ruling in the name of the figurehead Later Lê emperors. During his rule, the Lê dynasty continued to wage war with the rival Mạc dynasty. Although he was the de facto ruler of Vietnam during his lifetime, he never assumed a higher position for himself. When he died, his son Trịnh Tùng declared himself a lord and conferred this title posthumously upon his dead father.