Empress Lü Zhi
Encyclopedia
Empress Lü Zhi (died 180 BC), commonly known as Empress Dowager Lü (呂太后, pinyin
: Lǚ Tàihòu) or formally as Empress Gao (高皇后, pinyin
: Gaō Huánghoù), courtesy name
Exu (娥姁), was the wife and empress
of Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han Dynasty
. They had two known children—the eventual Emperor Hui
and Princess Luyuan. After her husband's death, she carried on a lengthy affair with one of his officials, Shen Yiji (審食其), the Marquess of Piyang, which lasted until her death.
during the late Qin Dynasty
. Her father Lü Wen (呂文) had fled from an enemy to Pei County
(沛縣) and become a friend of the county magistrate of Pei. Her eventual husband Liu Bang was a minor official (泗水亭長) there. Both Lü Gong and Liu Bang were guests in a banquet held by the magistrate of Pei County. Lü Wen was surprised at Liu Bang's appearance and behavior and predicted that he would eventually become a great man. This led to him offering his daughter, Lü Zhi, to Liu Bang in marriage, despite the fact that Liu was only a minor official. She bore Liu Bang a daughter, the later Princess Luyuan, and then, in 210 BC, bore him a son, Liu Ying
.
When Chen Sheng
rebelled against Qin rule in 209 BC, Liu joined the rebellion. For the next few years, Lü lived with Liu's father and rarely saw her husband.
, who wanted the glory for himself.
In 207 BC, after the fall of Qin, Liu became the Prince of Han (modern Sichuan
, Chongqing
, and southern Shaanxi
). However, Lü, her children, and her father-in-law did not go to the then-remote Principality of Han, but stayed in Liu's home county of Pei (in modern Xuzhou
, Jiangsu
). This is either because of Han's remoteness or because they were prevented from doing so by Xiang, whose Principality of Western Chu included Pei.
Late in 207 BC, Liu would break out of the isolation that Han was in by attacking the three Qins
—three principalities that Xiang had established to prevent Liu from receiving the territories of the former state of Qin. Qin had previously been promised to Liu, which started a four-year war known as the Chu Han Contention. Despite this, however, Xiang initially took no action against Lü or her father-in-law.
In 205 BC, while Xiang was occupied in a separate war against Qi, Liu took the opportunity to attack his capital Pengcheng, capturing it in the summer of 205 BC. Xiang quickly withdrew from the Qi campaign and staged a counter-attack that nearly annihilated Liu's forces and recaptured Pengcheng. In the aftermath, as Liu tried to retreat back to his territory, he went through Pei and tried to take his father, wife, and children with him. However, in the confusion, the family members became separated. Liu was able to take his children back to the safety of his own territory, while his father and his wife Lü were captured by Xiang's forces and held thereafter as hostages, along with Liu's official Shen Yiji, with whom she would later start a romantic relationship.
Near the end of the war, when there was a temporary truce between Liu and Xiang, Xiang transferred Liu Zhijia and Lü to Liu. Lü was then honored with the title Princess of Han. The truce, however, did not last long, as at Zhang Liang and Chen Ping
's suggestion, Liu broke the truce and defeated Xiang in 203 BC. Soon thereafter, Liu claimed the title of Emperor of China
. He established Princess Lü as his empress
, and established their son, Ying, as crown prince
.
and key decisions in home territories, assisted by Xiao He
and Zhang Liang. It was also during this time that Emperor Gao began to favour one of his younger concubines, Consort Qi, who bore him a son, Ruyi
(劉如意), who was established as the Prince of Zhao in 199 BC, displacing Empress Lü's son-in-law (Princess Luyuan's husband) Zhang Ao (張敖). Consort Qi yearned to have her son displace his older half-brother Prince Ying as the heir to the throne, and would often beg Emperor Gao to make her son the crown prince, drawing resentment from Empress Lü.
During this period Empress Lü proved herself to be an able administrator of the home territories, and quickly built a strong working relationship with Emperor Gao's officials, who admired her for her capability and feared her for her ruthlessness. She would, indeed, be most known as an empress for her hand in the deaths of Han Xin
and Peng Yue
—whose military capabilities both she and her husband had been apprehensive of. In 196 BC, Emperor Gao travelled away from the capital, trying to suppress a rebellion by Chen Xi (陳豨), the Marquess of Yangxia. In this year it was alleged that Han, a friend of Chen's who by then had been demoted to a powerless marquess in Chang'an, had conspired to start a rebellion in the capital. Empress Lü, after consulting with Xiao He, had Xiao He summon Han for a meeting, at which Empress Lü's guards surprised Han, subsequently capturing and executing him and his clan.
Later that year, Peng Yue would suffer the same fate. Emperor Gao had summoned Peng Yue and his forces to join him in the campaign against Chen. Peng Yue, then the Prince of Liang
, however, did not do so, claiming illness, and Emperor Gao, angrily sent a messenger to rebuke him. An official of Peng Yue's encouraged him to rebel, but Peng Yue refused to do so. Despite this, Emperor Gao sent troops to arrest Peng Yue and subsequently stripped of his titles. He then exiled Peng Yue to Qingyi (青衣} in modern Ya'an
, Sichuan
). On Peng Yue's journey to the southwest he encountered Empress Lü. He pleaded with her, claiming his innocence. Empress Lü agreed to intercede on his behalf, and they returned to Luoyang
, where Emperor Gao was then, together. Peng Yue thought that Empress Lü was in fact going to beg Emperor Gao for his freedom. Instead, she told Emperor Gao that Peng Yue, being as capable as he was, would create a threat if exiled and Emperor Gao agreed; she then found an informant to falsely report that Peng Yue was about to start a new rebellion. Peng Yue was executed, as was his clan.
Empress Lü's own son, Crown Prince Ying, was in a precarious position, as Emperor Gao, unimpressed by his kind but weak character, continued to consider replacing him with Prince Ruyi. Since officials had a strong rapport with Empress Lü, they generally opposed the move, and Emperor Gao had to abandon it. After he died in 195 BC, Prince Ying succeeded him, acquiring the title Emperor Hui, Empress Lü became the empress dowager
.
) province. She dressed Consort Qi in prisoner clothes and forced her to hard labor—milling rice. She also summoned Prince Ruyi to the capital, intending to kill them together. Prince Ruyi's prime minister Zhou Chang (周昌), whom Empress Dowager Lü respected because of his stern opposition to Emperor Gao's proposal to make Prince Ruyi crown prince, temporarily protected him by refusing to allow him to go to Chang'an. Empress Dowager Lü solved this problem by first inviting Zhou Chang to the capital then, once he left Zhao, summoning Prince Ruyi.
Emperor Hui tried to save Prince Ruyi's life. Before Prince Ruyi could get to the capital, Emperor Hui intercepted his half-brother at Bashang (霸上, in modern Xi'an
) and received Prince Ruyi into his palace, and they dined together. Empress Dowager Lü wanted to kill Prince Ruyi, but was afraid that any attempt to do so might also harm her own son, and therefore she could not carry out her plans for several months.
Empress Dowager Lü got her chance in the winter of 195 BC. One morning, Emperor Hui was out hunting and wanted to take Prince Ruyi with him. The young prince was then only 12 years old and refused to get up from bed, and Emperor Hui left for the hunt on his own. Empress Dowager Lü heard this and immediately sent an assassin into the palace to force poisoned wine down the prince's throat. By the time that Emperor Hui returned, the young prince was dead. She then tortured Consort Qi most inhumanely— cutting her limbs off, blinding her, and deafening her. Consort Qi would eventually die from the continued torture. When Emperor Hui saw Consort Qi in a pig's bin blind and without limbs, he cried out loudly and became ill for about a year, complaining to his mother that he felt that he could no longer govern the empire, given that he, as the emperor, could not even protect the concubine and son so loved by his father. From that point on, Emperor Hui indulged himself with wine and women and no longer made key governing decisions, leaving them to his mother.
Emperor Hui would have to protect another sibling of his from Empress Dowager Lü. In winter of 194 BC, when Liu Fei
, Prince of Qi—his older brother by Emperor Gao's mistress Consort Cao—made an official visit to the capital, they both attended a feast put on by Empress Dowager Lü. Emperor Hui, honoring the prince as an older brother, invited him to a seat at the table even more honored than his own. The Empress Dowager was greatly offended and instructed her servants to pour a cup of poisoned wine for Prince Fei and then toasted him. As Prince Fei was about to drink the poisoned wine, however, Emperor Hui, realising what was happening, grabbed the cup as if he would drink it himself. Empress Dowager Lü immediately jumped up and slapped at the cup, spilling it. Prince Fei was able to get out of the situation by offering an entire commandery from his principality to Lü's daughter, Princess Luyuan, to serve as her realm. Empress Dowager Lü accepted this peace offering and allowed Prince Fei to return to his principality.
She also starved to death another son of her husband's—Liu You, the Prince of Zhao—whom she felt had slighted his wife, the Princess of Zhao, who was a niece of hers.
In 192 BC, Empress Dowager Lü (who at that point was involved in an affair with Shen) received a most unusual marriage proposal. The Xiongnu
chanyu
Modu
sent her a letter stating the following, intending to intimidate and mock her:
Empress Dowager Lü was greatly offended, but could do nothing due to the Xiongnu's military strength. Instead, she sent a letter back describing herself humbly as old and ugly and offered a daughter of an imperial prince to Modu in marriage (as part of the heqin
system) to promote peace.
In 191 BC, at Empress Dowager Lü's insistence, Emperor Hui married Princess Luyuan's daughter Zhang Yan
—his niece—as empress. The marriage would be a childless one. It was alleged that Empress Dowager Lü told Empress Zhang to take eight boys from others and execute their mothers, and then adopt the children as her own. There is a dispute about whether these children were Emperor Hui's; traditional historians believed that they were not, while modern historians generally believe that they were his sons by his concubines.
In 188 BC, Emperor Hui died. One of the children that Empress Zhang had adopted, Liu Gong
, became emperor (as Emperor Qianshao). However, now-Grand Empress Dowager Lü would be the one who actually and formally ruled over the empire, and traditional historians did not even consider Liu Gong a true emperor, often omitting him from the list of Han Dynasty emperors.
, Hebei
) and promoted Chen to right prime minister ("right" being the more honored direction) and her lover Shen Yiji to left prime minister.
She then proceeded to establish her family as princes. Her first step in this was establishing her grandson, and Princess Luyuan's daughter, Zhang Yan (張偃—different intonation than his sister the empress), as the Prince of Lu. In the following years she established these family members as princes:
She also, in an unprecedented action, created her sister Lü Xu (呂須) the Marchioness of Lingguang, with a separate march
from that of her husband Fan Kuai, in 184 BC.
Around 184 BC, Emperor Qianshao discovered that he was not in fact now-Empress Dowager Zhang's son and that his mother had been put to death. He made the mistake of remarking that when he grew up, Empress Dowager Zhang would pay for this. Grand Empress Dowager Lü, once she heard of this, had him secretly imprisoned within the palace and publicly announced that he was severely ill and unable to receive anyone. After some time, she told the officials that he continued to be ill and incapable of governing, and that he had also suffered a psychosis. She proposed that he be deposed and replaced. The officials complied with her wishes, and he was deposed and put to death. He was succeeded by his brother Liu Yi (劉義), whose name was then changed to Liu Hong (as Emperor Houshao).
informed her that the object was Prince Ruyi's spirit. She became apprehensive and began to suffer pain in her armpit, which eventually became a major illness. She died later that year.
She was first buried with her husband, but Emperor Guangwu reversed that and Empress Dowager Bo was enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple as "Empress Gao". Therefore, she was demoted into a separate temple.
In the aftermath of her death, the officials would plot against the Lü clan and have Grand Empress Dowager Lü's family members overthrown and executed.
During her regency, members of the Lü clan
gradually took over important posts in the government; however, upon her death, officials that previously served under Emperor Gao, including Chen Ping
, Zhou Bo and Guan Ying, eliminated the Lü clan
and placed Emperor Wen on the throne. In this way, Empress Dowager Lü's devotion to her husband's wishes oddly enough led to her own clan's downfall, as Chen and Zhou were named by her to their posts long after Emperor Gaozu's death pursuant to his instructions on ministerial succession.
, generally promoted capable officials. During her regency, therefore, the people of the empire enjoyed a measure of rest from the turmoils of the destruction of Qin Dynasty and the wars of the Chu Han Contention. However, due to her trade embargo against Nanyue
, Nanyue made repeated attacks against the Principality of Changsha (modern Hunan
) and the Commandery of Nan (modern Hubei
).
Emperor Hui's infant sons, Liu Gong
and Liu Hong
, were installed as her puppets on the throne after Emperor Hui's death in 188 BC. Thus, real power rested in her hands for sixteen years.
|-
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Lǚ Tàihòu) or formally as Empress Gao (高皇后, pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: Gaō Huánghoù), courtesy name
Chinese style name
A Chinese style name, sometimes also known as a courtesy name , is a given name to be used later in life. After 20 years of age, the zì is assigned in place of one's given name as a symbol of adulthood and respect...
Exu (娥姁), was the wife and empress
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Emperor Gaozu of Han, founder of the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
. They had two known children—the eventual Emperor Hui
Emperor Hui of Han
Emperor Hui of Han was the second emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was the second son of the first Han emperor, Han Gaozu and Empress Dowager Lü. He is generally remembered as a weak character dominated by his mother, Empress Dowager Lü, personally kind and generous but unable to escape...
and Princess Luyuan. After her husband's death, she carried on a lengthy affair with one of his officials, Shen Yiji (審食其), the Marquess of Piyang, which lasted until her death.
Family background and marriage to Liu Bang
Lü Zhi was born in Shangfu County in Shandong ProvinceShandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
during the late Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
. Her father Lü Wen (呂文) had fled from an enemy to Pei County
Pei County
Pei County is a county of Jiangsu, China. It is under the administration of Xuzhou city. It has an area of 1,576 square kilometers and a population of 1,217,400.-External links:**...
(沛縣) and become a friend of the county magistrate of Pei. Her eventual husband Liu Bang was a minor official (泗水亭長) there. Both Lü Gong and Liu Bang were guests in a banquet held by the magistrate of Pei County. Lü Wen was surprised at Liu Bang's appearance and behavior and predicted that he would eventually become a great man. This led to him offering his daughter, Lü Zhi, to Liu Bang in marriage, despite the fact that Liu was only a minor official. She bore Liu Bang a daughter, the later Princess Luyuan, and then, in 210 BC, bore him a son, Liu Ying
Emperor Hui of Han
Emperor Hui of Han was the second emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was the second son of the first Han emperor, Han Gaozu and Empress Dowager Lü. He is generally remembered as a weak character dominated by his mother, Empress Dowager Lü, personally kind and generous but unable to escape...
.
When Chen Sheng
Chen Sheng
Chen Sheng , also known in some sources as Chen She , was the leader of the first rebellion, known as Daze Village Uprising, against the Qin Dynasty during the reign of Qin Er Shi.-Start of the rebellion:...
rebelled against Qin rule in 209 BC, Liu joined the rebellion. For the next few years, Lü lived with Liu's father and rarely saw her husband.
Life during Chu Han Contention
During the last years of the Qin dynasty, Liu Bang played a major role in its downfall, but in doing so he offended Xiang YuXiang Yu
Xiang Yu was a prominent military leader and political figure during the late Qin Dynasty. His given name was Ji while his style name was Yu ....
, who wanted the glory for himself.
In 207 BC, after the fall of Qin, Liu became the Prince of Han (modern Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, Chongqing
Chongqing
Chongqing is a major city in Southwest China and one of the five national central cities of China. Administratively, it is one of the PRC's four direct-controlled municipalities , and the only such municipality in inland China.The municipality was created on 14 March 1997, succeeding the...
, and southern Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
). However, Lü, her children, and her father-in-law did not go to the then-remote Principality of Han, but stayed in Liu's home county of Pei (in modern Xuzhou
Xuzhou
Xuzhou , otherwise known as Pengcheng in ancient times, is a major city in and the fourth largest prefecture-level city of Jiangsu province, People's Republic of China...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
). This is either because of Han's remoteness or because they were prevented from doing so by Xiang, whose Principality of Western Chu included Pei.
Late in 207 BC, Liu would break out of the isolation that Han was in by attacking the three Qins
Three Qins
The Three Qins refer to three of the Eighteen Kingdoms, formed from the division of the empire after the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in 206 BC...
—three principalities that Xiang had established to prevent Liu from receiving the territories of the former state of Qin. Qin had previously been promised to Liu, which started a four-year war known as the Chu Han Contention. Despite this, however, Xiang initially took no action against Lü or her father-in-law.
In 205 BC, while Xiang was occupied in a separate war against Qi, Liu took the opportunity to attack his capital Pengcheng, capturing it in the summer of 205 BC. Xiang quickly withdrew from the Qi campaign and staged a counter-attack that nearly annihilated Liu's forces and recaptured Pengcheng. In the aftermath, as Liu tried to retreat back to his territory, he went through Pei and tried to take his father, wife, and children with him. However, in the confusion, the family members became separated. Liu was able to take his children back to the safety of his own territory, while his father and his wife Lü were captured by Xiang's forces and held thereafter as hostages, along with Liu's official Shen Yiji, with whom she would later start a romantic relationship.
Near the end of the war, when there was a temporary truce between Liu and Xiang, Xiang transferred Liu Zhijia and Lü to Liu. Lü was then honored with the title Princess of Han. The truce, however, did not last long, as at Zhang Liang and Chen Ping
Chen Ping (Han Dynasty)
Chen Ping was an adviser to Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention period of Chinese history. After Liu Bang founded the Han Dynasty and became known as Emperor Gaozu, Chen Ping served as a chancellor and received titles of a marquis.-Biography:Chen Ping was a native of Huyou Town , Yangwu...
's suggestion, Liu broke the truce and defeated Xiang in 203 BC. Soon thereafter, Liu claimed the title of Emperor of China
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
. He established Princess Lü as his empress
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
, and established their son, Ying, as crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.
As empress
Despite Emperor Gao's victory over Xiang, there would still be many unpacified areas of the empire for years, requiring the new emperor to engage in many campaigns thereafter. He put Empress Lü and Crown Prince Ying in charge of the capital Chang'anChang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
and key decisions in home territories, assisted by Xiao He
Xiao He
Xiao He was a Chinese statesman who lived during the early Han Dynasty. He served Liu Bang during the insurrection against the Qin Dynasty, and fought on Liu's side in the Chu–Han contention against Xiang Yu. After the founding of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He became chancellor and held office until...
and Zhang Liang. It was also during this time that Emperor Gao began to favour one of his younger concubines, Consort Qi, who bore him a son, Ruyi
Liu Ruyi
Liu Ruyi , also known as Prince Yin of Zhao was the fourth son of Emperor Gao of Han and Concubine Qi. In 200 BC, he was made Prince of Dai after Liu Xi was demoted for fleeing his Dai province from Xiongnu forces. In 198 BC, Ruyi replaced Zhang Ao as Prince of Zhao after Ao was falsely accused...
(劉如意), who was established as the Prince of Zhao in 199 BC, displacing Empress Lü's son-in-law (Princess Luyuan's husband) Zhang Ao (張敖). Consort Qi yearned to have her son displace his older half-brother Prince Ying as the heir to the throne, and would often beg Emperor Gao to make her son the crown prince, drawing resentment from Empress Lü.
During this period Empress Lü proved herself to be an able administrator of the home territories, and quickly built a strong working relationship with Emperor Gao's officials, who admired her for her capability and feared her for her ruthlessness. She would, indeed, be most known as an empress for her hand in the deaths of Han Xin
Hán Xìn
Han Xin was a military general who served Liu Bang during the Chu–Han contention and contributed greatly to the founding of the Han Dynasty...
and Peng Yue
Peng Yue
Peng Yue , style name Zhong , was a prominent military leader and political figure in the late Qin Dynasty and early Han Dynasty. He was involved in the Chu–Han contention and served Liu Bang as an ally...
—whose military capabilities both she and her husband had been apprehensive of. In 196 BC, Emperor Gao travelled away from the capital, trying to suppress a rebellion by Chen Xi (陳豨), the Marquess of Yangxia. In this year it was alleged that Han, a friend of Chen's who by then had been demoted to a powerless marquess in Chang'an, had conspired to start a rebellion in the capital. Empress Lü, after consulting with Xiao He, had Xiao He summon Han for a meeting, at which Empress Lü's guards surprised Han, subsequently capturing and executing him and his clan.
Later that year, Peng Yue would suffer the same fate. Emperor Gao had summoned Peng Yue and his forces to join him in the campaign against Chen. Peng Yue, then the Prince of Liang
Liang (state)
The State of Liang was one of the states during the Spring and Autumn Period , bordering the State of Qin and was conquered by Duke Mu of Qin in 641 BCE. The rulers of the State of Liang has the surname Ying , similar to the neighboring State of Qin...
, however, did not do so, claiming illness, and Emperor Gao, angrily sent a messenger to rebuke him. An official of Peng Yue's encouraged him to rebel, but Peng Yue refused to do so. Despite this, Emperor Gao sent troops to arrest Peng Yue and subsequently stripped of his titles. He then exiled Peng Yue to Qingyi (青衣} in modern Ya'an
Ya'an
Ya'an is a prefecture-level city in the western part of Sichuan province of Southwest China, located just below the Tibetan Plateau.-History:...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
). On Peng Yue's journey to the southwest he encountered Empress Lü. He pleaded with her, claiming his innocence. Empress Lü agreed to intercede on his behalf, and they returned to Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, where Emperor Gao was then, together. Peng Yue thought that Empress Lü was in fact going to beg Emperor Gao for his freedom. Instead, she told Emperor Gao that Peng Yue, being as capable as he was, would create a threat if exiled and Emperor Gao agreed; she then found an informant to falsely report that Peng Yue was about to start a new rebellion. Peng Yue was executed, as was his clan.
Empress Lü's own son, Crown Prince Ying, was in a precarious position, as Emperor Gao, unimpressed by his kind but weak character, continued to consider replacing him with Prince Ruyi. Since officials had a strong rapport with Empress Lü, they generally opposed the move, and Emperor Gao had to abandon it. After he died in 195 BC, Prince Ying succeeded him, acquiring the title Emperor Hui, Empress Lü became the empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
.
As empress dowager
Empress Dowager Lü exerted even more influence during the reign of her son than she had as empress. Her first targets were Consort Qi and Prince Ruyi (who by then had gone to his principality of Zhao (state)Zhao, located in modern HebeiHebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) province. She dressed Consort Qi in prisoner clothes and forced her to hard labor—milling rice. She also summoned Prince Ruyi to the capital, intending to kill them together. Prince Ruyi's prime minister Zhou Chang (周昌), whom Empress Dowager Lü respected because of his stern opposition to Emperor Gao's proposal to make Prince Ruyi crown prince, temporarily protected him by refusing to allow him to go to Chang'an. Empress Dowager Lü solved this problem by first inviting Zhou Chang to the capital then, once he left Zhao, summoning Prince Ruyi.
Emperor Hui tried to save Prince Ruyi's life. Before Prince Ruyi could get to the capital, Emperor Hui intercepted his half-brother at Bashang (霸上, in modern Xi'an
Xi'an
Xi'an is the capital of the Shaanxi province, and a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China. One of the oldest cities in China, with more than 3,100 years of history, the city was known as Chang'an before the Ming Dynasty...
) and received Prince Ruyi into his palace, and they dined together. Empress Dowager Lü wanted to kill Prince Ruyi, but was afraid that any attempt to do so might also harm her own son, and therefore she could not carry out her plans for several months.
Empress Dowager Lü got her chance in the winter of 195 BC. One morning, Emperor Hui was out hunting and wanted to take Prince Ruyi with him. The young prince was then only 12 years old and refused to get up from bed, and Emperor Hui left for the hunt on his own. Empress Dowager Lü heard this and immediately sent an assassin into the palace to force poisoned wine down the prince's throat. By the time that Emperor Hui returned, the young prince was dead. She then tortured Consort Qi most inhumanely— cutting her limbs off, blinding her, and deafening her. Consort Qi would eventually die from the continued torture. When Emperor Hui saw Consort Qi in a pig's bin blind and without limbs, he cried out loudly and became ill for about a year, complaining to his mother that he felt that he could no longer govern the empire, given that he, as the emperor, could not even protect the concubine and son so loved by his father. From that point on, Emperor Hui indulged himself with wine and women and no longer made key governing decisions, leaving them to his mother.
Emperor Hui would have to protect another sibling of his from Empress Dowager Lü. In winter of 194 BC, when Liu Fei
Liu Fei
Liu Fei , also known as Prince Daohui of Qi was the oldest son of Emperor Gaozu of Han and Consort Cao—initially Emperor Gao's mistress...
, Prince of Qi—his older brother by Emperor Gao's mistress Consort Cao—made an official visit to the capital, they both attended a feast put on by Empress Dowager Lü. Emperor Hui, honoring the prince as an older brother, invited him to a seat at the table even more honored than his own. The Empress Dowager was greatly offended and instructed her servants to pour a cup of poisoned wine for Prince Fei and then toasted him. As Prince Fei was about to drink the poisoned wine, however, Emperor Hui, realising what was happening, grabbed the cup as if he would drink it himself. Empress Dowager Lü immediately jumped up and slapped at the cup, spilling it. Prince Fei was able to get out of the situation by offering an entire commandery from his principality to Lü's daughter, Princess Luyuan, to serve as her realm. Empress Dowager Lü accepted this peace offering and allowed Prince Fei to return to his principality.
She also starved to death another son of her husband's—Liu You, the Prince of Zhao—whom she felt had slighted his wife, the Princess of Zhao, who was a niece of hers.
In 192 BC, Empress Dowager Lü (who at that point was involved in an affair with Shen) received a most unusual marriage proposal. The Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
chanyu
Chanyu
Chanyu , was the title used by the nomadic supreme rulers of Middle and Central Asia for 8 centuries, starting...
Modu
Modu Shanyu
Modu Chanyu was born c. 234 BCE was the fourth known emperor and founder of the Xiongnu Empire after he killed his father in 209 BCE. The years of his rule were 209 BCE to 174 BCE...
sent her a letter stating the following, intending to intimidate and mock her:
- I am a lonesome ruler who was born in the northern wilderness and have grown on plains full of livestock. I often got to your borders and wanted to tour the main territories of Han. You had just lost your husband, and I imagine you cannot endure the loneliness. Since neither of us can gratify ourselves in our loneliness, marry me, and we will exchange what we do not have for what we do have. What do you think?
Empress Dowager Lü was greatly offended, but could do nothing due to the Xiongnu's military strength. Instead, she sent a letter back describing herself humbly as old and ugly and offered a daughter of an imperial prince to Modu in marriage (as part of the heqin
Heqin
Heqin was a term used in ancient China for an alliance by marriage. It usually referred to the Chinese Emperor marrying off a "princess" to an aggressive "barbarian" chieftain or ruler. The theory was that in exchange for the marriage, the chieftain would cease all aggressive actions toward China...
system) to promote peace.
In 191 BC, at Empress Dowager Lü's insistence, Emperor Hui married Princess Luyuan's daughter Zhang Yan
Empress Zhang Yan
Zhang Yan , known formally as Empress Xiaohui was an empress during the Han Dynasty. She was the daughter of Princess Luyuan and her husband Zhang Ao , the Prince of Zhao and later Marquess of Xuanping.In 192 BC, at the insistence of then-Empress Dowager Lü, Lady Yan...
—his niece—as empress. The marriage would be a childless one. It was alleged that Empress Dowager Lü told Empress Zhang to take eight boys from others and execute their mothers, and then adopt the children as her own. There is a dispute about whether these children were Emperor Hui's; traditional historians believed that they were not, while modern historians generally believe that they were his sons by his concubines.
In 188 BC, Emperor Hui died. One of the children that Empress Zhang had adopted, Liu Gong
Liu Gong
Emperor Qianshao of Han , personal name Liu Gong , was the third emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was a son, likely the oldest son, of Emperor Hui, likely by a concubine -- although there is some controversy on the subject—and adopted by Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Zhang Yan...
, became emperor (as Emperor Qianshao). However, now-Grand Empress Dowager Lü would be the one who actually and formally ruled over the empire, and traditional historians did not even consider Liu Gong a true emperor, often omitting him from the list of Han Dynasty emperors.
As grand empress dowager
Emperor Gao had decreed that no non-imperial clan members could be made princes—a rule that Grand Empress Dowager Lü herself had a hand in creating. In spite of this, Grand Empress Dowager Lü tried to make her kin princes. This was opposed by the right prime minister Wang Ling (王陵) but accepted by the left prime minister Chen Ping and the commander in chief of the armed forces Zhou Bo (周勃). When Wang rebuked Chen and Zhou in private for going against Emperor Gao's rule, they rationalized that their compliance with the grand empress dowager was necessary to protect the empire and the Lius. Grand Empress Dowager Lü then promoted Wang to the honorary position of the emperor's teacher (太傅, taifu); Wang declined and claimed illness. Lü then removed him from the position and had him (as the Marquess of Anguo) returned to his march (in modern BaodingBaoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) and promoted Chen to right prime minister ("right" being the more honored direction) and her lover Shen Yiji to left prime minister.
She then proceeded to establish her family as princes. Her first step in this was establishing her grandson, and Princess Luyuan's daughter, Zhang Yan (張偃—different intonation than his sister the empress), as the Prince of Lu. In the following years she established these family members as princes:
- Lü Tai (呂台), the son of her brother Lü Ze (呂澤), the Prince of Lü (established in 186 BC, died that year)
- Lü Chan (呂產), the son of Lü Tai, first as the Prince of Lü (established in 182 BC to replace his brother Lü Jia (呂嘉), the son of Lü Tai, who was regarded as arrogant and wasteful), then as the Prince of Liang (established in 181 BC)
- Lü Lu (呂祿), the son of her brother Lü Shizhi (呂釋之), the Prince of Zhao (established in 181 BC)
- Lü Tong (呂通), the son of Lü Tai, the Prince of Yan (created 181 BC)
She also, in an unprecedented action, created her sister Lü Xu (呂須) the Marchioness of Lingguang, with a separate march
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
from that of her husband Fan Kuai, in 184 BC.
Around 184 BC, Emperor Qianshao discovered that he was not in fact now-Empress Dowager Zhang's son and that his mother had been put to death. He made the mistake of remarking that when he grew up, Empress Dowager Zhang would pay for this. Grand Empress Dowager Lü, once she heard of this, had him secretly imprisoned within the palace and publicly announced that he was severely ill and unable to receive anyone. After some time, she told the officials that he continued to be ill and incapable of governing, and that he had also suffered a psychosis. She proposed that he be deposed and replaced. The officials complied with her wishes, and he was deposed and put to death. He was succeeded by his brother Liu Yi (劉義), whose name was then changed to Liu Hong (as Emperor Houshao).
Death
In 180 BC, Grand Empress Dowager Lü was making sacrifices to the gods at Bashang. As she was returning to the capital after the sacrifices, she saw something that appeared to be a blue-haired dog attacking her armpit and then suddenly disappearing. A warlockWarlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
informed her that the object was Prince Ruyi's spirit. She became apprehensive and began to suffer pain in her armpit, which eventually became a major illness. She died later that year.
She was first buried with her husband, but Emperor Guangwu reversed that and Empress Dowager Bo was enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple as "Empress Gao". Therefore, she was demoted into a separate temple.
In the aftermath of her death, the officials would plot against the Lü clan and have Grand Empress Dowager Lü's family members overthrown and executed.
During her regency, members of the Lü clan
Consort clan
The consort clan is the family, clan of or group related to an empress dowager or a spouse of a Chinese dynastic ruler or a warlord. The leading figure of the clan was either a sibling, cousin, or parent of the empress or consort.- Han Dynasty :...
gradually took over important posts in the government; however, upon her death, officials that previously served under Emperor Gao, including Chen Ping
Chen Ping (Han Dynasty)
Chen Ping was an adviser to Liu Bang during the Chu–Han Contention period of Chinese history. After Liu Bang founded the Han Dynasty and became known as Emperor Gaozu, Chen Ping served as a chancellor and received titles of a marquis.-Biography:Chen Ping was a native of Huyou Town , Yangwu...
, Zhou Bo and Guan Ying, eliminated the Lü clan
Lü Clan Disturbance
The Lü Clan Disturbance refers to a political disturbance after the death of Grand Empress Dowager Lü of Han Dynasty, the aftermaths of which saw the clan of the deceased empress' family, the Lü consort clan being overthrown from their seats of power and massacred, the deposing of the puppet...
and placed Emperor Wen on the throne. In this way, Empress Dowager Lü's devotion to her husband's wishes oddly enough led to her own clan's downfall, as Chen and Zhou were named by her to their posts long after Emperor Gaozu's death pursuant to his instructions on ministerial succession.
Legacy
Empress Lü has been criticized by some past historians for being a power-hungry woman. Despite her reputation for ruthlessness and cruelty (which is probably well-deserved), she appeared to be genuinely devoted to her husband and the safety of the empire—so much so that long after Emperor Gaozu's death, she, then firmly in control, continued to carry out his instructions on the succession of ministers. Despite her cruelty, she was also known as an able administrator, and she, other than the instances of nepotismNepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
, generally promoted capable officials. During her regency, therefore, the people of the empire enjoyed a measure of rest from the turmoils of the destruction of Qin Dynasty and the wars of the Chu Han Contention. However, due to her trade embargo against Nanyue
Nanyue
Nanyue was an ancient kingdom that consisted of parts of the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan and northern Vietnam. Nanyue was established in 204 BC at the final collapse of the Qin Dynasty by Zhao Tuo, who was the military commander of Nanhai Commandery at the time, and...
, Nanyue made repeated attacks against the Principality of Changsha (modern Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
) and the Commandery of Nan (modern Hubei
Hubei
' Hupeh) is a province in Central China. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Lake Dongting...
).
Emperor Hui's infant sons, Liu Gong
Liu Gong
Emperor Qianshao of Han , personal name Liu Gong , was the third emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was a son, likely the oldest son, of Emperor Hui, likely by a concubine -- although there is some controversy on the subject—and adopted by Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Zhang Yan...
and Liu Hong
Liu Hong
Emperor Houshao of Han , personal name Liu Hong, was the fourth emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was a son of Emperor Hui, likely by a concubine -- although there is some controversy on the subject—and adopted by Emperor Hui's wife, Empress Zhang Yan...
, were installed as her puppets on the throne after Emperor Hui's death in 188 BC. Thus, real power rested in her hands for sixteen years.
Personal information
- Father
- Lü Wen (呂文), courtesy name Shuping (叔平), the Magistrate of Shanfu (單夫)
- Husband
- Emperor Gaozu of Han
- Children
- Princess Luyuan
- Emperor Hui of HanEmperor Hui of HanEmperor Hui of Han was the second emperor of the Han Dynasty in China. He was the second son of the first Han emperor, Han Gaozu and Empress Dowager Lü. He is generally remembered as a weak character dominated by his mother, Empress Dowager Lü, personally kind and generous but unable to escape...
See also
- Chinese history
- Lü Clan DisturbanceLü Clan DisturbanceThe Lü Clan Disturbance refers to a political disturbance after the death of Grand Empress Dowager Lü of Han Dynasty, the aftermaths of which saw the clan of the deceased empress' family, the Lü consort clan being overthrown from their seats of power and massacred, the deposing of the puppet...
- Emperor Hui of Han's consorts and issue
Sources
- Records of the Grand HistorianRecords of the Grand HistorianThe Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
, vols. 8, 9, 49. - Book of HanBook of HanThe Book of Han, Hanshu or History of the Former Han Dynasty |Fan Ye]] . Various scholars have estimated that the earliest material covered in the book dates back to between 206 and 202 BCE...
, vols. 1, 2, 3, 97, Part 1. - Zizhi TongjianZizhi TongjianThe Zizhi Tongjian was a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, under the form of a chronicles. In 1065 CE, Emperor Yingzong of Song ordered the great historian Sima Guang to lead with other scholars such as his chief assistants Liu Shu, Liu Ban and Fan Zuyu, the...
, vols. 7, 9, 10, 12, 13. - Yap, Joseph P. War With The Xiongnu - A Translation From Zizhi tongjian. Chapter 2. AuthorHouseAuthorHouseAuthorHouse, formerly known as 1stBooks, is a self-publishing company based in the United States. AuthorHouse uses print on demand business model and technology.-History:...
. 2009. ISBN 978-1-4490-0605-1.
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