kingdom · Mainland Southeast Asia

Tay Son dynasty

1778 CE – 1802 CE · capital Phu Xuan

A peasant-rooted Vietnamese dynasty of three brothers who toppled both the Nguyen and Trinh lords and routed a Qing invasion at Dong Da in 1789.

Origins

In 1771 the brothers Nguyen Nhac, Nguyen Hue and Nguyen Lu of Tay Son village in Binh Dinh rose against the Nguyen lords, attracting peasants, merchants and highland peoples with promises to redistribute wealth. In 1778 Nguyen Nhac proclaimed himself emperor at Do Ban, near the old Cham capital of Vijaya.

Rule and society

Nguyen Hue defeated a Siamese army at Rach Gam-Xoai Mut in 1785 and overthrew the Trinh lords in 1786. When the Qing invaded to restore the Later Le dynasty, he declared himself emperor Quang Trung and destroyed them at Dong Da in 1789. He promoted chu nom as an official script, reformed land registers and planned a new capital in Nghe An.

Decline and legacy

Quang Trung's death in 1792 left the throne to his young son Canh Thinh, and the brothers' realms quarrelled. Nguyen Anh, backed by French volunteers and southern supporters, captured Phu Xuan in 1801 and Thang Long in 1802, founding the Nguyen dynasty.

Connections (5)

More states of Mainland Southeast Asia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Tay Son dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tay-son-dynasty
MLA
“Tay Son dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tay-son-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Tay Son dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tay-son-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Tay Son dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/tay-son-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻