Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi – The rebel sisters who became Joint Queens of Vietnam and became national heroines
Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi are national heroines of Vietnam.[1] They led a massive rebellion against Han Chinese rule and were made queens. Even though they were ultimately defeated, they became symbols of Vietnam’s resistance against foreign invasion.[2] Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi have been honoured in a temple and at an annual festival.[3] Their story has also been written about in various forms of literature.[4]
The birth dates of Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi are unknown.[5] They were born in Jiaozhi (northeast of modern-day Hanoi in Vietnam).[6] They were said to be descended from ancient Hung kings.[7] Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were the daughters of a local chieftain named Ba Man Thien.[8] Trung Trac married a local chieftain named Thi Sach.[9] It is unknown if Trung Nhi ever married.[10]
The people that lived in the Jiaozhi region were once known as the Luo tribes.[11] They integrated into the Chinese Empire during the Qin and Han periods.[12] Each territory had its own army with its own chieftain, which was similar to the Han system.[13] Modern historians believe that Trung Trac may have received military training from her father, Ba Man Thien.[14]
The governor of the Jiaozhi region, Su Ding, was very cruel to the Luo tribes in the region.[15] He was known to be “greedy and incompetent.”[16] Trung Trac’s husband, Thi Sach, rebelled against Su Ding’s tyranny.[17] In 40 C.E., Su Ding executed Thi Sach.[18] The execution of her husband caused Trung Trac to join in the rebellion against Su Ding.[19] Trung Trac was aided by her sister, Trung Nhi.[20] They gained widespread support, especially from other tribes in various regions of modern-day Vietnam that were also resisting the Chinese Empire.[21] Trung Trac and Trung Nhi commanded an army of 83,000 soldiers.[22] They successfully captured sixty-five fortresses.[23]
In 40 B.C.E., Trung Trac and Trung Nhi were proclaimed as joint queens of Vietnam.[24] They established their royal court at Me Linh.[25] They abolished heavy taxes that were imposed by the Han Chinese.[26] They also started to restore traditional Vietnamese culture and customs.[27] Their major goal as joint queens was to seek revenge that was committed against their country and Queen Trung Trac’s deceased husband.[28] They also planned to restore the “traditional Vietnamese aristocratic rule.”[29]
In 41 C.E., Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty sent ten thousand troops to crush the queens’ rebellion.[30] He appointed General Ma Yuan and General Duan Zhi to be in charge of his army.[31] General Duan Zhi died as soon as he first arrived in Hepu.[32] This left General Ma Yuan solely in charge of the Han army.[33] General Ma Yuan executed a thousand of the queens’ supporters.[34] He had also taken ten thousand as captives.[35] Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi were forced to pull back to Jinxi, which was a rough area that was surrounded by “toxic vapours.”[36] They were frequently cut off from supplies.[37] The queens quickly became unable to sustain their rebellion.[38] In 43 C.E., Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi were captured by General Yuan Ma and executed.[39] Their heads were sent to Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty.[40]
Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi became national heroines of Vietnam.[41] They are seen as exemplary models for Vietnam to resist foreign domination.[42] Many schools, hospitals, and streets are named after them in Vietnam.[43] There is a temple outside of Hanoi in honour of Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi.[44] Many people in Vietnam prayed to them for help in droughts and floods.[45] In Han Loi village, the residents held an annual festival on February 6th commemorating Queen Trung Trac and Queen Trung Nhi.[46] Their images have appeared on postage stamps.[47] They have also been written about in novels, poems, and plays.[48] Thus, the courageous deeds of these queens will never be forgotten.
Sources:
Lai, M & Wong, T. (2015). “The Zheng Sisters”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E.. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 253-255.
Rielly, E. J. (2022). “The Trung Sisters”. Salem Press Encyclopedia.
“Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).” (2007). Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. (Commire, A. Ed.; Klezmer, D. Ed.) Vol. 2, Yorkin Publications. p. 1890.
[1] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[2] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[3] Rielly, 2022
[4] Rielly, 2022
[5] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[6] Lai and Wong, 2015
[7] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[8] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[9] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[10] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[11] Lai and Wong, 2015
[12] Lai and Wong, 2015
[13] Lai and Wong, 2015
[14] Lai and Wong, 2015
[15] Lai and Wong, 2015
[16] Rielly, 2022, para. 4
[17] Lai and Wong, 2015
[18] Lai and Wong, 2015
[19] Lai and Wong, 2015
[20] Lai and Wong, 2015
[21] Lai and Wong, 2015
[22] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[23] Lai and Wong, 2015
[24] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[25] Rielly, 2022
[26] Rielly, 2022
[27] Rielly, 2022
[28] Rielly, 2022
[29] Rielly, 2022, para. 8
[30] Lai and Wong, 2015
[31] Lai and Wong, 2015
[32] Lai and Wong, 2015
[33] Lai and Wong, 2015
[34] Lai and Wong, 2015
[35] Lai and Wong, 2015
[36] Lai and Wong, 2015, p. 254
[37] Lai and Wong, 2015
[38] Lai and Wong, 2015
[39] Lai and Wong, 2015
[40] Rielly, 2022
[41] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[42] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[43] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[44] “Trung Sisters (d. 43 CE).”, 2007
[45] Rielly, 2022
[46] Rielly, 2022
[47] Rielly, 2022
[48] Rielly, 2022
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