Empress Fu Shou
Encyclopedia
Fu Shou was an empress of the Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. She was the first wife of Emperor Xian
, the last emperor of the dynasty.
).
In 190, as Emperor Xian was being forced by Dong Zhuo
to move the capital west to Chang'an
, Lady Fu became an imperial consort. In 195, while Emperor Xian was largely under the control of Dong's subordinates Li Jue (李傕) and Guo Si (郭汜), he created her empress.
, Empress Fu was personally carrying silk, which were seized by soldiers ostensibly protecting her—such that even her own personal bodyguards were killed, and their blood splashed on her. When they returned to Luoyang, the court was ill-supplied, and while there is no record indicating that Empress Fu personally was under threat of starvation, a number of imperial officials died of hunger or were killed by robbers. Materially, the court became much better supplied once Cao Cao
arrived in 196 and took Emperor Xian and his court under control. Cao relocated the court to his headquarters of Xu (in modern Xuchang
, Henan
).
Empress Fu was apparently not happy about Cao's domination of the political scene. In 200, when Emperor Xian's concubine Consort Dong, whose father Dong Cheng
had been killed in a failed conspiracy against Cao, was forcibly executed by Cao against Emperor Xian's wishes, Empress Fu became angry and fearful, and she wrote her father Fu Wan a letter accusing Cao of cruelty and implicitly asking him to start a new conspiracy. Fu Wan was fearful and did not act on the letter, but Empress Fu's letter was discovered in 214. Cao was extremely angry and forced Emperor Xian to have Empress Fu deposed. Emperor Xian was hesitant, and Cao sent his forces into the palace to force the issue. Empress Fu hid inside the walls, but was finally discovered and dragged out. As she was led away, she cried out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response was that he could not even know what would happen to him. She was killed, along with her two sons and family. Emperor Xian was not, but his status as a puppet was by then fully exposed. Cao claimed Empress Fu died of a sudden death and buried her with the ceremony of an empress.
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...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
. She was the first wife of Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han
Emperor Xian of Han , personal name Liu Xie, style name Bohe, was the last emperor of the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
, the last emperor of the dynasty.
Family background and marriage to Emperor Xian
Fu Shou's father was Fu Wan (伏完), a seventh generation descendant of the early Eastern Han official Fu Dan (伏湛) and the hereditary Marquess of Buqi. His wife (although it is not clear whether she was Fu Shou's mother) was the Princess Yang'an (陽安公主), a daughter of Emperor HuanEmperor Huan of Han
Emperor Huan of Han, ch. 漢桓帝, py. hàn húan dì, wg. Han Huan-ti, was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was a great-grandson of Emperor Zhang....
).
In 190, as Emperor Xian was being forced by Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
to move the capital west to Chang'an
Chang'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...
, Lady Fu became an imperial consort. In 195, while Emperor Xian was largely under the control of Dong's subordinates Li Jue (李傕) and Guo Si (郭汜), he created her empress.
As empress
As Emperor Xian continued his reign of being constantly under the control of one warlord or another, he and Empress Fu were apparently in a loving relationship, but both saw their power increasingly becoming minimal. Later in 195, during Emperor Xian's flight back to the old capital LuoyangLuoyang
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...
, Empress Fu was personally carrying silk, which were seized by soldiers ostensibly protecting her—such that even her own personal bodyguards were killed, and their blood splashed on her. When they returned to Luoyang, the court was ill-supplied, and while there is no record indicating that Empress Fu personally was under threat of starvation, a number of imperial officials died of hunger or were killed by robbers. Materially, the court became much better supplied once Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
arrived in 196 and took Emperor Xian and his court under control. Cao relocated the court to his headquarters of Xu (in modern Xuchang
Xuchang
Xuchang is a prefecture-level city in central Henan province in Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the northwest, Kaifeng to the northeast, Zhoukou to the east, Luohe to the southeast, and Pingdingshan to the southwest....
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
).
Empress Fu was apparently not happy about Cao's domination of the political scene. In 200, when Emperor Xian's concubine Consort Dong, whose father Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng
Dong Cheng was originally a subordinate general of Niu Fu during the late Han Dynasty, and later joined forces with the White Wave Bandits to protect the emperor from the hands of Li Jue and Guo Si. He was also Emperor Xian's father-in-law...
had been killed in a failed conspiracy against Cao, was forcibly executed by Cao against Emperor Xian's wishes, Empress Fu became angry and fearful, and she wrote her father Fu Wan a letter accusing Cao of cruelty and implicitly asking him to start a new conspiracy. Fu Wan was fearful and did not act on the letter, but Empress Fu's letter was discovered in 214. Cao was extremely angry and forced Emperor Xian to have Empress Fu deposed. Emperor Xian was hesitant, and Cao sent his forces into the palace to force the issue. Empress Fu hid inside the walls, but was finally discovered and dragged out. As she was led away, she cried out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response was that he could not even know what would happen to him. She was killed, along with her two sons and family. Emperor Xian was not, but his status as a puppet was by then fully exposed. Cao claimed Empress Fu died of a sudden death and buried her with the ceremony of an empress.
See also
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms