ENVOY MISSIONS FROM THE MẠC DYNASTY (VIETNAM) TO THE MING COURT (CHINA), 1527 – 1592

Abstract

After its establishment in 1527, the Mạc dynasty dispatched its first diplomatic mission to the Ming dynasty in 1528 to formally announce its throne accession and explain the delay in requesting investiture. Between this initial mission and the collapse of the Mạc in 1592, the court sent a total of 15 diplomatic missions to the Ming. These took place in the years 1528, 1538, 1540, 1542, 1543, 1544, 1545, 1548 (twice), 1575 (twice), 1576, 1580, 1584, and 1590. The missions served various diplomatic purposes, including beseeching investiture, offering tribute, expressing gratitude, reporting bereavement, and declaring surrender. Among these, beseeching investiture and offering tribute were the most central and recurrent objectives. Drawing upon primary materials from Vietnamese historiography, such as Complete Annals of Đại Việt, General History of Đại, Imperially Commissioned Comprehensive History of Vietnam, Encyclopedia of Institutions of Successive Dynasties and the Ming Shilu (Veritable Records of the Ming dynasty), this article offers a systematic analysis of the Mạc dynasty's diplomatic engagements with the Ming from 1527 to 1592. It focuses on key dimensions of these missions, including their frequency, objectives, internal organization, the backgrounds of the envoys, and the system of tribute and goods. In doing so, the article contributes to a deeper understanding of Vietnam–China diplomatic relations during the Mạc period, particularly as revealed through the practice of sending envoys.