Feudal clan that ruled northern Dai Viet (Dang Ngoai / 'Tonkin') as hereditary military strongmen for over two centuries, nominally as subjects of the restored Le emperors but in practice as the realm's true rulers, engaged in a decades-long civil war with their southern rivals the Nguyen lords.
Overthrown in 1786-1787 when Tay Son forces under Nguyen Hue captured Thang Long, ending Trinh rule; the last Trinh lord was killed attempting to flee in 1787.
The atlas holds 2 border frames for Trinh lords (Chua Trinh) — the shape you scrub through changes in 1545 · 1644.
Broad, current single-volume history of Vietnam with substantial coverage of the Trinh-Nguyen division and civil war; used as a verified fallback after no dedicated English-language monograph on the Trinh lords specifically turned up in Open Library.