An overview of the Trung sisters rebellion

The Trung sisters rebellion was the first anti-Northern uprising in Vietnamese history led by two sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi. The uprising drove the Eastern Han rulers out of Giao Chi, bringing independence to the Vietnamese here even for a very short time. The Trung sisters’ uprising took place in the early 40s of AD, nearly two thousand years ago. For the first time in the nation’s history, the women raised the flag of the uprising and at the same time were crowned as the king.

Who were the Trung sisters?

Source: Youtube

Trung Trac and Trung Nhi are twin sisters, the daughter of the official Lac general in Me Linh (present-day Vinh Phuc Province), of the Hung Vuong lineage. Her mother, Mrs. Man Thien, raised two sisters alone after her husband died early, taught them the profession of mulberry planting and silkworm rearing, aroused patriotism and directed them to exercise martial arts. These things had contributed to the victory of the Trung sisters rebellion later.

The cause of the rebellion

For a long time, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi hated the policy of oppression and exploitation of the Eastern Han and the Official To Dinh. As brave, courageous and clever women, the Trung sisters gathered people in the area to rebel and were trusted by the people of Me Linh. Trung Trac then married Thi Sach, the son of General Lac from a patriotic and influential family in Chu Dien. The two families joined together, secretly linking leaders from all over the region to prepare for uprisings. This led to Thi Sach being killed by the Han army during the preparation of the uprising.

The direct cause of the Trung sisters rebellion was still due to the harsh rule of the Han government in the North, along with the policies of assimilation of the Vietnamese in Giao Chi. The greed, brutality, exploitation, increase in subsistence and taxes, and oppression of the people by the To Dich mandarin made people live in misery, further leading to contradictions with the ruling regime of the Han Dynasty. In addition, the indirect cause was that Thi Sach, Trung Trac’s husband, was killed by the Official To Dinh to quell the opposition, but backfired.

The evolution of the Trung sisters rebellion

The Trung sisters rebellion was divided into two phases. Phase 1 began in AD 40, with Trung sisters waving the flag of rebellion in the spring at Hat Mon. It attracted talented people from all over the country to join, quickly grew and defeated the Han army, mastered Me Linh, and then advanced to Co Loa and Luy Chau. Official To Dinh abandoned the citadel and fled to Nam Hai, the Han troops in other districts also met with heavy defeat - the uprising there won a complete victory.

Phase 2 of the Trung sisters rebellion started in 42 AD, with the Han Dynasty increasing reinforcements including elite troops, boats and led by Ma Vien. They attacked the Trung sisters’ army in the Hop Pho area, where the people fought bravely but still suffered a heavy defeat against the Han army. After that, Ma Vien divided his army into 2 groups and marched to Luc Dau. Trung sisters’ army entrenched at Co Loa and Me Linh, but Ma Vien continued to pursue, forcing them to retreat to Cam Khe, where Trung sisters died in March 43.

Picture of the rebellion - Source: Luoc Su Toc Viet

The result of the rebellion

The Trung sisters rebellion won the first victory in 40, but failed after the Han Dynasty reinforced reinforcements in 42. However, the resistance war lasted until the end of November 43, although Trung sisters had died 8 months before - March 43. The cause of the phase 1 victory was due to the people's full support, the excellent command of Hai Ba Trung and the heroic fighting of the insurgents. However, because the Han Dynasty was too strong, the uprising ended in a failure.

The Trung sisters rebellion restored the nation’s independence, opened a new page in history, and affirmed the strength and role of Vietnamese women. The rapid success to take over the management and administration of the country is the rise of the national consciousness, negating the wrong power of the Great Han. The uprising has shown the people’s patriotism, will to fight and determination to win in regaining the country’s independence and sovereignty. The Trung sisters rebellion also paved the way and set the direction for future fights for national liberation.