also marked the resignation of the king, Lê Than Tông, in favor of his son, Lê Chan Tông. In 1648 a major offensive came to grief as the Royal (Trịnh) army was defeated at the battle of Truong Duc. The young king died at this time (Some people believe it was as a result of the battle) and so his father, Lê Than Tông, took the throne for a second time. Now the Nguyễn tried going on the offensive. In 1653, the Nguyễn army attacked north and defeated the weakened Royal army. Quảng Bình Province was captured. Then Hà Tĩnh Province fell to the Nguyễn army. In the following year, Trịnh Tráng died as Nguyen forces made attacks into Nghệ An Province. Although he controlled a large, well-organized state, with a powerful military and advanced European cannons, Trịnh Tráng was completely unsuccessful in his attempts to conquer the smaller and weaker Nguyen territory. At the end of his life, it was the Nguyễn who were on the offensive. Trịnh Tráng's only success came against the Mac. During his rule, the royal army captured all but Cao Bằng Province from the weakened Mac rulers. See also Lê dynasty List of Vietnamese dynasties Trịnh–Nguyễn War Sources Annam and it Minor Currency Chapter 16 (downloaded May 2006) A Glimpse of Vietnam's History (downloaded May 2006) Trịnh lords 1577 births 1654 deaths 17th-century Vietnamese monarchs