Trung Trac

Trưng Trắc was a Vietnamese, women, military leader who helped to liberate ancient Vietnam from the Chinese Empire after 247 years of captivity. With the help of her sister Trưng Nhị, who also helped lead, and volunteers, the Vietnamese were able to overthrow their Chinese conquerors. Growing up in a military family, the sisters received training in martial arts and studied the arts of warfare. They witnessed early on the brutality of the Chinese after many of their neighbors were beaten savagely by imperial soldiers. After the execution of the love of her life, Thi Sách, Trưng Trắc with the help of her sister led a rebellion and forced the Chinese out of Nanyue, ancient Vietnam. Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị became queens of Vietnam and recruited mostly women into the national army. However, this act proved costly. A large force of Chinese males invaded unclothed which was an offense and shamed the female warriors. Many fled leaving behind a small force of male combatants and a pregnant noble lady who gave birth on the battlefield. Legend has it that woman battles with one arm holding her newborn while the other grasped a sword. The Trưng sisters were ashamed of their defeat and drowned themselves in a nearby river. The two's influence was great, inspiring a rogue Vietnamese women to draw a fallen comrade's sword and charge into a Chinese camp, slaying the enemy soldiers around her before taking her own life. The sisters helped to promote matriarchal structure within Vietnam, making it one of the first major, Asian empires to place women before men.