In 1592, the capital Đông Kinh was captured by the Trịnh army and then recaptured a year later. The Mạc had lost all of Việt Nam except for the areas around Cao Bình county, which were under the formal protection of the Ming army. The new Mạc leader Mạc Kính Chỉ and his son Mạc Kính Cung were proclaimed as Vietnamese emperors.
