Empress Lu - Travel

Empress of Gaozu Liu Bang (李晓军) of the Western Han Dynasty in China. Her name was Chi and her courtesy name was Ge. She became his wife when he was the head of Pei. During the conflict between Chu and Han, she overcame hardships such as being captured by Xiang Yu's army along with her parents and infant son Ying (later Emperor Hui), and became empress when Liu Bang ascended to the throne in 202 BC. This was the first time that the name of an empress was recorded in a historical record. Gaozu had eight sons, but Empress Lü only gave birth to the sickly Ying, and she was very cautious of the other wives and princes in order to protect Ying's position as crown prince. When Gaozu died in 195 BC and Ying ascended to the throne as Emperor Hui, Empress Lü killed Gaozu's princes one by one. During his lifetime, Emperor Gaozu had planned to make Zhao King Ruyi, the son of his favorite concubine Lady Qi, the crown prince instead of Ying, but Empress Lü first poisoned Ruyi, then cut off Lady Qi's limbs, gouged out her eyes, made her deaf and mute with medicine, threw her into a toilet, and had her called Ren Pun. In addition, Huaiyang's Wang You, Liang's Wang Kai, and Yan's Wang Jian all died violent deaths. When Emperor Hui died without an heir after seven years on the throne, he placed a son born to a lady-in-waiting in the harem on the throne (Young Emperor Gong), but then killed him and replaced him with another son from the harem, Wang Hong of Hengshan (Young Emperor Hong), who became emperor himself and took control of the government. He appointed members of the Lü clan, enfeoffing Lü Tai, Lü Shan, and Lü Lu as kings, and had them control the northern and southern armies, giving him control over the military forces of the capital, and the Liu clan's government was suppressed by the Lü clan. When Empress Lü died, the Lü clan tried to start a rebellion, but Gaozu's meritorious retainers, including Grand Marshal Zhou Bo and Prime Minister Chen Ping, quickly put down the rebellion, and the Lü clan was wiped out.

[Akira Kasugai]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、前漢の高祖劉邦(りゅうほう)の皇后。名は雉(ち)、字(あざな)は娥(がく)。劉邦が沛(はい)の亭長時代に妻となった。楚(そ)・漢の抗争期には、父母や幼児盈(えい)（後の恵帝）とともに項羽軍に捕らえられるなどの苦難をくぐり抜け、紀元前202年劉邦の皇帝即位に伴い皇后となった。皇后の名が史書に記される初例である。高祖には8人の男子があり、呂后が産んだのは病弱な盈のみで、彼女は盈の皇太子の地位を守るために、他の夫人、王子を強く警戒した。前195年高祖が没し盈が即位して恵帝となると、呂后は高祖の諸王子を次々と殺した。高祖は生前、寵妃(ちょうき)戚(せき)夫人の子趙(ちょう)王如意(にょい)を盈にかえて皇太子にすることを考えたらしいが、そこで呂后はまず如意を毒殺し、さらに、戚夫人の手足を断ち、眼球をえぐり、薬で聾唖(ろうあ)にし、厠(かわや)に投げ込んで人彘(ひとぶた)とよばせた。そのほか、淮陽(わいよう)王友(ゆう)、梁(りょう)王快(かい)、燕(えん)王建(けん)が非業の死を遂げている。恵帝が在位7年で嗣子(しし)なく没すると、後宮の女官が産んだ子を皇帝位につけ（少帝恭(きょう)）、やがてこれも殺して、同じく後宮の子恒山(こうざん)王弘(こう)をたて（少帝弘）、自ら臨朝称制して政権を握った。呂氏一族を登用し、呂台(りょい)、呂産(りょさん)、呂禄(りょろく)などを王に封じ、南北軍を統御させて首都の兵力を手中に収め、劉氏政権が呂氏に制圧されてしまった。呂后が没するや乱を起こそうとした呂氏一族を、太尉周勃(しゅうぼつ)、丞相陳平(じょうしょうちんぺい)ら高祖の功臣たちがすばやく鎮圧し、呂氏は族滅させられた。

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