Empress Dowager Bo: Difference between revisions

Posthumous name
	Empress Gao 高皇后

Consort Bo
Consort Bo
	Statue of Consort Bo (front), part of a series of statues depicting The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars
Empress dowager of China
Tenure	180–157 BC
Grand empress dowager of China
Tenure	157 – 9 June 155 BC
Predecessor	Empress Lü Zhi
Successor	Empress Dou
Died	9 June 155 BC
Spouse	Wei Bao, Prince of Western Wei; Emperor Gaozu of Han
Issue	Emperor Wen of Han
Posthumous name
Posthumous name
	Empress Gao 高皇后
Father	Lord Bo, Marquess of Linwen
Mother	Lady Wei, Marchioness of Linwen

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Empress Dowager Bo (薄太后), personal name lost to history, was an imperial concubine of Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang). She was also known as Consort Bo (薄姬) during the life of the Emperor, and more formally as either Empress Dowager Xiaowen (孝文太后) or (rarer) Empress Gao (高皇后). Despite being a concubine of lower standing, her son, Liu Heng, became Emperor Wen of Han, cementing her place in history. The year of her birth is not known. She died on 9 June 155 BC.

Empress Dowager Bo is formally the first grand empress dowager in Chinese history, as Empress Dowager Lü, the only other empress dowager till then who lived to see her grandson become emperor, never claimed the title.

Early years

The future Empress Dowager Bo's father, Gentleman Bo (薄翁), came from Wu County (吳縣, in modern Suzhou, Jiangsu). He had an adulterous affair with a Lady Wei (魏媼), the daughter of a member of the Wei royal family. Empress Dowager Bo was born of this union.

According to Chinese historical works (with the exception the Book of Han, which tells a different version of her life), Lady Bo was, when she was young, the prettiest concubine of Wei Bao, the Prince of Wei. Wei Bao allied himself with Liu Bang to defeat Xiang Yu's force, but later betrayed Liu Bang by defecting to Xiang Yu's camp. Unlike other defectors who switched sides again after Liu Bang's final victory, Wei Bao remained loyal to Xiang Yu to the end. After Han Xin conquered Wei, Wei Bao and his entire family were brought in front of Liu Bang to await execution. Wei Bao begged for mercy, but the emperor was unreceptive until he offered Lady Bo as a gift to Liu Bang. Her beauty had captured the attention of the emperor, and she was taken as an imperial concubine. Her former husband was thus spared execution. Historical records did not provide the information on whether other members of Wei Bao's family were spared as well, but it was likely the case.

Lady Bo was not favored among the concubines, but she gave birth to a son, Liu Heng, who was made the Prince of Dai. The birth of her son elevated Lady Bo's status to Consort Bo. Unlike many other concubines, she was not confined to the palace and was allowed to accompany her son to the remote Principality of Dai (modern northern Shanxi and northwestern Hebei) to be the princess dowager. Dai was not a rich domain, and the region was under constant threats and attacks from the Xiongnu. Although Consort Bo could not live a luxurious lifestyle so far from the imperial palaces, she still managed to have a relatively comfortable life. Nonetheless, she had to work as a seamstress. Such rather difficult living conditions in comparison to other consorts had an unexpected benefit: unlike other consorts who became Empress Lü Zhi's victims due to her jealousy, Lü was very sympathetic to Consort Bo. The empress never saw Bo and her son as a threat to her quest of power, and thus, the two were spared from the politics that killed many other concubines and princes.

The Book of Han tells a different story of how Lady Bo came to become the emperor's concubine. It states that Liu Bang discovered Lady Bo working as a seamstress in Dai and took her as his concubine there. Despite this difference in Lady Bo's origin, the Book of Han and other historical texts converge with Lady Bo and her son, Liu Heng, in the Principality of Dai.

Rise to the top

In August 180 BC, after the death of her mistress, Emperor Gao's wife Empress Lü, and after the officials then slaughtered the Lü clan, they offered the throne to Prince Heng over his nephew Emperor Houshao—whom they accused of not being imperial blood. Prince Heng consulted Princess Dowager Bo, who could not decide either. It was later, after they dispatched Princess Dowager Bo's brother Bo Zhao (薄昭) to the capital Chang'an to observe the situation and to ascertain the officials' good faith that Prince Heng chose to accept the throne.

Later years

The tomb of Empress Dowager Bo in Xi'an, Shaanxi

After Prince Heng took the throne as Emperor Wen, Princess Dowager Bo was honored as empress dowager, even though she had not previously been an empress. She was largely unassuming as empress dowager, and did not exert anywhere close to the influence that Empress Dowager Lü asserted over Emperor Hui or even her daughter-in-law, Empress Dou, would later assert over her grandson Emperor Jing. The one major instance in which she asserted her influence was in 176 BC. At that time, Zhou Bo, who had been instrumental in Emperor Wen's becoming emperor, had retired to his march when he was falsely accused of treason and arrested. Empress Dowager Bo, believing in Zhou's innocence, famously threw her scarf at Emperor Wen, stating:

Before you became emperor, Zhou was in control of the imperial seal, and commanded the powerful northern guards. How ridiculous is it that he did not commit treason then, but now plans to use his small march as the base for a rebellion?

It was at least partly due to her influence that Emperor Wen eventually released Zhou.^[2]

She either did not try to intercede similarly (as appears most likely) or was ineffective in her intercession, when her brother Bo Zhao killed an imperial messenger—a crime far more serious than ordinary murder—in 170 BC. Even though Bo Zhao was the Empress Dowager's only sibling, Emperor Wen eventually pressed him into committing suicide.

One of the final influences Empress Dowager Bo had was when she arranged for the daughter of one of her relatives to marry her grandson, then-Crown Prince Qi, during her son's reign. After Emperor Wen died in 157 BC and Crown Prince Qi succeeded him as Emperor Jing, Empress Dowager Bo became grand empress dowager.^[3] There was no recorded instance of her trying to assert political influence after that. She died just two years later in June 155 BC.^[4] (This would prove disastrous for Emperor Jing's wife, Empress Bo, as she would be soon deposed after losing her main support.)

After she died, she was enshrined in a temple of her own rather than in her husband's temple, because only one empress could be enshrined in an emperor's temple, and Empress Lü was already enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple. Later, during Emperor Guangwu's reign, however, he effectively reversed the position of Empress Dowager Bo and Empress Lü by enshrining Empress Dowager Bo as "Empress Gao" and demoting Empress Dowager Lü to a separate temple.

References

^ renwu day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of Emperor Jing's reign, per vol.15 of Zizhi Tongjian
^ Barbieri-Low, Anthony J.; Yates, Robin D. S. (2015-11-02). Law, State, and Society in Early Imperial China (2 vols): A Study with Critical Edition and Translation of the Legal Texts from Zhangjiashan Tomb no. 247. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-30053-8.
^ Ho, Clara Wing-chung (2012-08-20). Overt and Covert Treasures: Essays on the Sources for Chinese Women's History. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. ISBN 978-962-996-429-0.
^ Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles, "Biographical dictionary of Chinese women: antiquity through Sui, 1600 B.C.E.-618 C.E.", 2007

Records of the Grand Historian, vol. 49.
Book of Han, vol. 97, part 1.
Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 13, 14, 15.

[1] renwu day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of Emperor Jing's reign, per vol.15 of Zizhi Tongjian

[2] Barbieri-Low, Anthony J.; Yates, Robin D. S. (2015-11-02). Law, State, and Society in Early Imperial China (2 vols): A Study with Critical Edition and Translation of the Legal Texts from Zhangjiashan Tomb no. 247. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-30053-8.

[3] Ho, Clara Wing-chung (2012-08-20). Overt and Covert Treasures: Essays on the Sources for Chinese Women's History. The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press. ISBN 978-962-996-429-0.

[4] Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles, "Biographical dictionary of Chinese women: antiquity through Sui, 1600 B.C.E.-618 C.E.", 2007

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+{{family name hatnote|[[Bo (Chinese name)|Bo (薄)]]|lang=Chinese}}
-'''Empress Dowager Bo''' (薄太后), known as '''Consort Bo''' (薄姬) when her husband was alive, and more formally as either '''Empress Dowager Xiaowen''' (孝文太后) or (rarer) '''Empress Gao''' (高皇后) (d. 155 BC) was an imperial [[concubine]] for [[Emperor Gao of Han]] (Liu Bang) who would, unanticipated by her, become the mother of an emperor.
+{{Infobox royalty
+|consort=yes
+|name=Consort Bo
+|death_date=9 June 155 BC<ref>''renwu'' day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of Emperor Jing's reign, per vol.15 of ''Zizhi Tongjian''</ref>
+|image = File:亲尝汤药.JPG
+|caption = Statue of Consort Bo (front), part of a series of statues depicting ''[[The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars]]''
+|posthumous name=Empress Gao 高皇后
+|mother=Lady Wei, Marchioness of Linwen
+|father=Lord Bo, Marquess of Linwen
+|spouse=[[Wei Bao]], Prince of Western Wei<br>[[Emperor Gaozu of Han]]
+|issue=[[Emperor Wen of Han]]
+|succession=Empress dowager of China
+|reign=180–157 BC
+|succession1=Grand empress dowager of China
+|reign1=157 – 9 June 155 BC
+|predecessor1=[[Empress Lü]] Zhi
+|successor1=[[Empress Dou (Wen)|Empress Dou]]
+}}
+'''Empress Dowager Bo''' (薄太后), personal name lost to history, was an imperial [[concubine]] of [[Emperor Gaozu of Han]] (Liu Bang). She was also known as '''Consort Bo''' (薄姬) during the life of the Emperor, and more formally as either '''Empress Dowager Xiaowen''' (孝文太后) or (rarer) '''Empress Gao''' (高皇后). Despite being a concubine of lower standing, her son, Liu Heng, became [[Emperor Wen of Han]], cementing her place in history. The year of her birth is not known. She died on 9 June 155 BC.
+Empress Dowager Bo is formally the first grand empress dowager in Chinese history, as [[Empress Dowager Lü]], the only other empress dowager till then who lived to see her [[Emperor Qianshao of Han|grandson]] become emperor, never claimed the title.
 ==Early years==
-The future Empress Dowager Bo's father, Bo Weng (薄翁), came from Hueiji Wuxian County (會稽郡吳縣).  He had an adulterous affair with a Lady Wei (魏媼), who was the daughter of Zongshi (宗室), the Prince of Wei (魏王).  Empress Dowager Bo was born of this union.
+The future Empress Dowager Bo's father, Gentleman Bo (薄翁), came from Wu County (吳縣, in modern [[Suzhou]], [[Jiangsu]]). He had an adulterous affair with a Lady Wei (魏媼), the daughter of a member of the [[Wei (state)|Wei]] royal family. Empress Dowager Bo was born of this union.
-According to Chinese historical works except the ''[[Book of Han]]'', Lady Bo was, when she was young, the prettiest concubine of Wei Bao (魏豹), the Prince of [[Wei (Western Chu)|Wei]].  Wei Bao was once allied with [[Gaozu of Han]] to defeat [[Xiang Yu]]'s force, but later betrayed [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] by defecting to [[Xiang Yu]]'s camp.  Unlike other defectors who switched side again at the [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]]'s final victory over [[Xiang Yu]] by rejoining [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]], Wei Bao remain loyal to [[Xiang Yu]] to the end.  After [[Han Xin]] conquered Wei, Wei Bao and his entire family were brough in front of [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] waiting to be executed.  It was too late for Wei Bao to regret and his begging was ignored until he noticed that [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] could not take his eyes off Lady Bo.  Utilizing this opportunity, Wei Bao managed successfully to have his life spared by [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] by giving Lady Bo to [[Gaozu of Han]] as his concubines.  Historical records did not provide the information on whether other members of Wei Bao's family were spared as well, but it was likely the case.
+According to Chinese historical works (with the exception the ''[[Book of Han]]'', which tells a different version of her life), Lady Bo was, when she was young, the prettiest concubine of [[Wei Bao]], the Prince of [[Wei (Western Chu)|Wei]].  Wei Bao allied himself with Liu Bang to defeat [[Xiang Yu]]'s force, but later betrayed Liu Bang by defecting to Xiang Yu's camp. Unlike other defectors who switched sides again after Liu Bang's final victory, Wei Bao remained loyal to Xiang Yu to the end. After [[Han Xin]] conquered Wei, Wei Bao and his entire family were brought in front of Liu Bang to await execution. Wei Bao begged for mercy, but the emperor was unreceptive until he offered Lady Bo as a gift to Liu Bang. Her beauty had captured the attention of the emperor, and she was taken as an imperial concubine. Her former husband was thus spared execution. Historical records did not provide the information on whether other members of Wei Bao's family were spared as well, but it was likely the case.
-However, Lady Bo was not much favored, and after only one occasion of sexual relationship, [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] never saw her again.  However, that rare occasion of [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] had sexual relations with her was enough to make her pregnant and bore him Prince [[Emperor Wen of Han|Liu Heng]], and when [[Gaozu of Han|Liu Bang]] heard the news, he made Prince [[Emperor Wen of Han|Liu Heng]] the Prince of Dai, after he declared himself emperor.  The birth of her son elevated her status from Lady Bo to Consort Bo, and unlike many other concubines, was not confined to the palace, but accompanied her son to the remote Principality of Dai (modern northern [[Shanxi]] and northwestern [[Hebei]]) to be the princess dowager.  Dai was not a rich domain to begin with, and on top of that, the region was under constant threats and attacks from [[Hun|Xiongnu]].  Although Consort Bo could not live a luxurious lifestyle as the princess dowagers (for her son would not either later when he became an emperor), she still managed to have a relatively comfortable life.  Nonetheless, Consort Bo had to work in the occupation she previously had, as a seamstress to help out.  (According to the ''Book of Han'', Lady Bo returned to her previous occupation as a seamstress when on one occasion when Liu Bang, then the Prince of [[Han Dynasty#The Emergence|Han]], saw her among the group of seamstresses, he made her one of his concubines.  But all of the rest of the story depicted in the ''[[Book of Han]]'' is same as other Chinese historical works).  Such rather difficult living conditions in comparison to other consorts had an unexpected benefit: unlike other consorts who became [[Empress Lü Zhi]]'s victims due to her jealousy, [[Empress Lü Zhi]] was very sympathetic to Consort Bo and frequently sent financial helps, partially because Lady Bo and her son posed no threat to [[Empress Lü Zhi]]'s quest of power.
+Lady Bo was not favored among the concubines, but she gave birth to a son, [[Emperor Wen of Han|Liu Heng]], who was made the Prince of Dai. The birth of her son elevated Lady Bo's status to Consort Bo. Unlike many other concubines, she was not confined to the palace and was allowed to accompany her son to the remote Principality of Dai (modern northern [[Shanxi]] and northwestern [[Hebei]]) to be the princess dowager. Dai was not a rich domain, and the region was under constant threats and attacks from the [[Xiongnu]]. Although Consort Bo could not live a luxurious lifestyle so far from the imperial palaces, she still managed to have a relatively comfortable life.  Nonetheless, she had to work as a seamstress. Such rather difficult living conditions in comparison to other consorts had an unexpected benefit: unlike other consorts who became [[Empress Lü]] Zhi's victims due to her jealousy, Lü was very sympathetic to Consort Bo. The empress never saw Bo and her son as a threat to her quest of power, and thus, the two were spared from the politics that killed many other concubines and princes.
+The ''[[Book of Han]]'' tells a different story of how Lady Bo came to become the emperor's concubine. It states that Liu Bang discovered Lady Bo working as a seamstress in Dai and took her as his concubine there. Despite this difference in Lady Bo's origin, the ''Book of Han'' and other historical texts converge with Lady Bo and her son, Liu Heng, in the Principality of Dai.
 ==Rise to the top==
-In 180 BC, after the death of her mistress, Emperor Gao's wife [[Empress Dowager Lü|Grand Empress Dowager Lü]], and after the officials then [[Lü Clan Disturbance|slaughtered the Lü clan]], they offered the throne to Prince Heng over his nephew [[Emperor Houshao of Han|Emperor Houshao]] -- whom they accused of not being imperial blood.  Prince Heng consulted Princess Dowager Bo, who could not decide either.  It was later, after they dispatched Princess Dowager Bo's brother [[Bo Zhao]] (薄昭) to the capital [[Chang'an]] to observe the situation and to ascertain the officials' good faith that Prince Heng chose to accept the throne.
+In August 180 BC, after the death of her mistress, Emperor Gao's wife [[Empress Lü]], and after the officials then [[Lü Clan Disturbance|slaughtered the Lü clan]], they offered the throne to Prince Heng over his nephew [[Emperor Houshao of Han|Emperor Houshao]]—whom they accused of not being imperial blood.  Prince Heng consulted Princess Dowager Bo, who could not decide either.  It was later, after they dispatched Princess Dowager Bo's brother [[Bo Zhao]] (薄昭) to the capital [[Chang'an]] to observe the situation and to ascertain the officials' good faith that Prince Heng chose to accept the throne.
 ==Later years==
+[[File:薄太后南陵.png|thumb|The tomb of Empress Dowager Bo in [[Xi'an]], Shaanxi]]
-After Prince Heng took the throne as Emperor Wen, Princess Dowager Bo was honored as [[empress dowager]], even though she had not previously been an empress.  She was largely unassuming as empress dowager, and did not exert anywhere close to the influence that Empress Dowager Lü asserted over [[Emperor Hui of Han|Emperor Hui]] or even her daughter-in-law, [[Empress Dou (Wen)|Empress Dou]], would later assert over her grandson [[Emperor Jing of Han|Emperor Jing]].  The one major instance in which she asserted her influence was in 176 BC.  At that time, [[Zhou Bo]] (周勃), who had been instrumental in Emperor Wen's becoming emperor and who had by that time retired to his [[marches|march]], was falsely accused of treason and arrested.  Empress Dowager Bo, believing in Zhou's innocence, famously threw her scarf at Emperor Wen, stating:
+After Prince Heng took the throne as Emperor Wen, Princess Dowager Bo was honored as [[empress dowager]], even though she had not previously been an empress.  She was largely unassuming as empress dowager, and did not exert anywhere close to the influence that Empress Dowager Lü asserted over [[Emperor Hui of Han|Emperor Hui]] or even her daughter-in-law, [[Empress Dou (Wen)|Empress Dou]], would later assert over her grandson [[Emperor Jing of Han|Emperor Jing]].  The one major instance in which she asserted her influence was in 176 BC.  At that time, [[Zhou Bo]], who had been instrumental in Emperor Wen's becoming emperor, had retired to his [[marches|march]] when he was falsely accused of treason and arrested.  Empress Dowager Bo, believing in Zhou's innocence, famously threw her scarf at Emperor Wen, stating:
 :''Before you became emperor, Zhou was in control of the imperial seal, and commanded the powerful northern guards.  How ridiculous is it that he did not commit treason then, but now plans to use his small march as the base for a rebellion?''
+It was at least partly due to her influence that Emperor Wen eventually released Zhou.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Barbieri-Low |first1=Anthony J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1W3sCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Empress+Dowager+Bo%22&pg=PR1 |title=Law, State, and Society in Early Imperial China (2 vols): A Study with Critical Edition and Translation of the Legal Texts from Zhangjiashan Tomb no. 247 |last2=Yates |first2=Robin D. S. |author2-link=Robin D. S. Yates |date=2015-11-02 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-30053-8 |language=en}}</ref>
-It was at least partly due to her influence that Emperor Wen eventually released Zhou.
-She either did not try to intercede similarly (as appears more likely) or was ineffective in her intercession, when her brother Bo Zhao killed an imperial messenger -- a crime far more serious than ordinary murder -- in 170 BC.  Even though Bo Zhao was her only sibling, Emperor Wen, although not having the heart to execute him publicly, eventually pressed him into committing suicide.
+She either did not try to intercede similarly (as appears most likely) or was ineffective in her intercession, when her brother Bo Zhao killed an imperial messenger—a crime far more serious than ordinary murder—in 170 BC.  Even though Bo Zhao was the Empress Dowager's only sibling, Emperor Wen eventually pressed him into committing [[suicide]].
-Empress Dowager Bo married one of her relatives' daughter to her grandson, then-Crown Prince Qi, during her son's reign.  After Emperor Wen died in 157 BC and Crown Prince Qi succeeded him as Emperor Jing, Empress Dowager Bo became grand empress dowager.  There was no recorded instance of her trying to assert political influence after that.  She died in 155 BC.  (This would prove disastrous for [[Empress Bo]], Emperor Jing's wife, as she, now without support, was soon deposed.)
+One of the final influences Empress Dowager Bo had was when she arranged for the daughter of one of her relatives to marry her grandson, then-Crown Prince Qi, during her son's reign. After Emperor Wen died in 157 BC and Crown Prince Qi succeeded him as Emperor Jing, Empress Dowager Bo became grand empress dowager.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ho |first=Clara Wing-chung |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Us89EAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Empress+Dowager+Bo%22&pg=PA61 |title=Overt and Covert Treasures: Essays on the Sources for Chinese Women's History |date=2012-08-20 |publisher=The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press |isbn=978-962-996-429-0 |language=en}}</ref>  There was no recorded instance of her trying to assert political influence after that.  She died just two years later in June 155 BC.<ref>Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles, [https://books.google.com/books?id=u7mLql4TAxoC&q=empress+dowanger+bo "Biographical dictionary of Chinese women: antiquity through Sui, 1600 B.C.E.-618 C.E."], 2007</ref>  (This would prove disastrous for Emperor Jing's wife, [[Empress Bo]], as she would be soon deposed after losing her main support.)
-After she died, she was enshrined in a temple of her own, not in her husband's temple, because only one empress could be enshrined in an emperor's temple, and Empress Lü was already enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple.  However, later, during [[Emperor Guangwu of Han|Emperor Guangwu]]'s reign, he effectively reversed their positions by enshrining Empress Dowager Bo as "Empress Gao" and demoting Empress Dowager Lü to a separate temple.
+After she died, she was enshrined in a temple of her own rather than in her husband's temple, because only one empress could be enshrined in an emperor's temple, and Empress Lü was already enshrined in Emperor Gao's temple.  Later, during [[Emperor Guangwu of Han|Emperor Guangwu]]'s reign, however, he effectively reversed the position of Empress Dowager Bo and Empress Lü by enshrining Empress Dowager Bo as "Empress Gao" and demoting Empress Dowager Lü to a separate temple.
 == References ==
+{{reflist}}
 * ''[[Records of the Grand Historian]]'', [[:zh:s:史記/卷049|vol. 49]].
 * ''[[Book of Han]]'', [[:zh:s:漢書/卷097上|vol. 97, part 1]].
 * ''[[Zizhi Tongjian]]'', vols. [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷013|13]], [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷014|14]], [[:zh:s:資治通鑑/卷015|15]].
+{{Han empresses|state=collapsed}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bo, Empress Dowager}}
 [[Category:155 BC deaths]]
-[[Category:Han empresses dowager]]
+[[Category:Han dynasty empresses dowager]]
-[[Category:Concubines]]
+[[Category:Han dynasty imperial consorts]]
-[[Category:3rd-century BC women]]
+[[Category:3rd-century BC Chinese women]]
-[[Category:2nd-century BC women]]
+[[Category:3rd-century BC Chinese people]]
+[[Category:2nd-century BC Chinese women]]
+[[Category:2nd-century BC Chinese people]]
-[[ja:薄姫]]
+[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
-[[sh:Carica majka Bo]]
+[[Category:Chinese grand empresses dowager]]
-[[zh:薄姬]]
+[[Category:Emperor Gaozu of Han]]
+[[Category:Chinese concubines]]
+[[Category:Remarried royal consorts]]
+[[Category:Mothers of Chinese emperors]]

v t e Empresses of the Han dynasty
Han dynasty
Empresses consort
Western Han	Empress Lü Zhang Yan Empress Lü Empress Dou Empress Bo Wang Zhi Chen Jiao Wei Zifu Empress Shangguan Xu Pingjun Huo Chengjun Empress Wang Wang Zhengjun Empress Xu Zhao Feiyan Empress Fu Empress Wang
(Xin dynasty)	(Empress Wang) (Empress Shi)
Eastern Han	Guo Shengtong Yin Lihua Empress Ma Empress Zhangde Empress Yin Deng Sui Yan Ji Liang Na Liang Nüying Deng Mengnü Dou Miao Empress Song Empress He Fu Shou Empress Cao
Empresses dowager
Western Han	Empress Dowager Lü Empress Dowager Bo Empress Dowager Dou Wang Zhi Empress Dowager Shangguan Empress Dowager Qiongcheng Wang Zhengjun Empress Dowager Fu Zhao Feiyan Empress Dowager Wang
Eastern Han	Yin Lihua Empress Dowager Ma Empress Dowager Dou Deng Sui Yan Ji Liang Na Dou Miao Empress Dowager He
Grand empresses dowager
Western Han	Grand Empress Dowager Lü Grand Empress Dowager Bo Grand Empress Dowager Dou Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan Grand Empress Dowager Qiongcheng Wang Zhengjun Grand Empress Dowager Fu
Posthumous empresses
Western Han	Lady Li Lady Gouyi
Eastern Han	Consort Liang Consort Song
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