Han Empress Lu Zhi (241-180 BCE) unknown artist/date
"Empress (Dowager) Lü Zhi (241–18 August 180 BC), commonly known as Empress Lü (simplified Chinese: 吕后; traditional Chinese: 呂后; pinyin: Lǚ Hòu) and formally Empress Gao of Han (simplified Chinese: 汉高后; traditional Chinese: 漢高后; pinyin: Hàn Gāo Hòu), was the empress consort of Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. They had two known children, Liu Ying (later Emperor Hui of Han) and Princess Yuan of Lu. Lü was the first woman to assume the title Empress of China and paramount power. After Gaozu's death, she was honoured as Empress Dowager and Regent during the short reigns of Emperor Hui and his successors Emperor Qianshao of Han and Liu Hong (Emperor Houshao).
She played a role in the rise and establishment of her husband, Emperor Gaozu, and his established dynasty, and in some of the laws and customs laid down by Gaozu. Empress Lü even in the absence of her husband from the capital killed two prominent generals who played an important role in Gaozu's rise to power, namely Han Xin and Peng Yue, as a lesson for the aristocracy and other generals. In 195, with the death of Gaozu, Empress Lü became as the widow of the late emperor and mother of the new emperor, Empress Dowager (皇太后, Huángtàihòu), and assumed a leadership role in her son's administration. Less than a year after Emperor Hui's accession to the throne in 194 BC, Lü had Concubine Qi (one of the late Emperor Gaozu's consorts), whom she deeply hated, put to death in a cruel manner. She also had Concubine Qi's son Liu Ruyi poisoned to death. Emperor Hui was shocked by his mother's cruelty and fell sick for a year, and thereafter no longer became involved in state affairs, and gave more power to his mother:
"Empress Lu later cut off Lady Qi's hands and feet, plucked out her eyes, burned her ears, gave her a potion to drink which made her dumb, and had her thrown into the privy (toilet), calling her the "human pig". After a few days, she sent Emperor Hui and showed him the "human pig". Staring at her, he asked who the person was, and only then did he realize that it was Lady Qi. Thereupon he wept so bitterly that he grew ill and for over a year could not leave his bed. He sent a messenger to report to his mother, 'no human being could have done such a deed as this! Since I am your son, I will never be fit to rule the empire'. From this time on Emperor Hui gave himself up each day to drink and no longer took part in affairs of state, so that his illness grew worse." (Shiji 9: The Basic Annals of Empress Lu)
As a result, Empress dowager Lü held the court, listened to the government, spoke on behalf of the emperor, and did everything (臨朝聽政制, linchao tingzheng zhe). With the untimely death of her 22-year-old son, Emperor Hui, Empress dowager Lü, his two infant sons, respectively; announced Emperor Qianshao and Emperor Houshao and gained more power than ever before, and these two young emperors had no legitimacy as emperors in history, and the history of this 8-year period is considered and recognized as the reign of Empress dowager Lü. Lü dominated the political scene for 15 years until her death in 180 BC and actually ruled as Empress regnant of Han dynasty. She is often depicted as the first woman to have ruled China; while four women are noted as politically active before her - Fu Hao, Yi Jiang, Lady Nanzi and Queen Dowager Xuan - Lü was the perhaps first woman to have ruled over united China."
-taken from Sima Qian's Shiji and wikipedia
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| Han Empress Lu Zhi (241-180 BCE) unknown artist/date. |
Source:
https://thehistoryofchina.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/episode-23-the-bloody-empress/
Quote:
https://confuciusinstitute.unl.edu/The%20Basic%20Annals%20of%20Empress%20Lu.pdf
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