Trần Cao

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Trần Cảo (also known as Trần Cao; d. after 1525) was a Vietnamese rebel leader in the early 16th century. He was born in Dưỡng Chân, Thủy Đường (now Thuỷ Nguyên, Hải Phòng). Little is known about his early life. He was a low-ranking official of the Lê Dynasty who claimed to be descended from Trần Thái Tông and related to Empress Quang Thục.

In March 1516, he proclaimed himself Đế Thích giáng trần (incarnation of Śakra) and gathered about ten thousand fighters at Quynh Lam Temple in Đông Triều, a site known for miracles. After shaving their heads, they marched unopposed through the Kinh Bac region to Gia Lâm and on to Từ Liêm in Sơn Tây.

In May 1516, Cảo's forces captured Thăng Long (Hanoi) and forced Emperor Lê Chiêu Tông to flee to Tay Do. Lê loyalists soon attacked and retook Thăng Long, and Cảo retreated to his border stronghold at Hai Duong-Kinh Bac. A long war then followed between the Lê loyalists and Cảo's rebels. Sometime before 1525, he handed command to his son Tran Cung (or Tran Thang) and became a monk. After that, no further records of Trần Cảo exist.