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33-404: Liu Wu was initially created prince of Dai ( 代王 ) in 178 BC. In 176, he became prince of Huaiyang ( 淮陽王 ) instead and his brother Liu Can ( 劉粲 ) replaced him as prince of Dai. In 168, this was changed again to Liang . After Emperor Jing ordered the execution of Chao Cuo at the urging of Yuan Ang , Liu Wu was besieged at his capital Suiyang by the armies of Wu and Chu during

66-559: A man surnamed Tian (田), and had two more sons: Tian Fen (田蚡) and Tian Sheng (田勝). When Wang Zhi was young, she was married to a local man named Jin Wangsun (金王孫), and had a daughter named Jin Su (金俗). However, her mother was told by a soothsayer that both of her daughters would become extremely honoured. Zang Er decided to offer her daughters to the crown prince , Liu Qi , and, to do so, forcibly divorced Wang Zhi from her husband. Wang Zhi

99-486: A minister to advise Emperor Jing to make Lady Li empress as Liu Rong was already the crown prince. Emperor Jing, already of the view that Lady Li must not be made empress, was enraged and believed that Lady Li had conspired with government officials. He executed that minister who put forward that proposal, and demoted Liu Rong to the Prince of Linjiang (臨江王) in 150 BC and exiled him out of the capital city Chang'an . Lady Li

132-512: A supplier and, in the end, chose to fast to death in prison. For his support during the rebellion, his brother Emperor Jing gave him many honors and privileges. His private gardens rivaled the emperor's and the prince expanded his number of retainers, bringing in Yang Sheng ( 羊勝 ), Gongsun Gui ( 公孫詭 ), and Zou Yang ( 鄒陽 ). He became a famous patron, particularly of fu poets such as Sima Xiangru . One particularly influential piece

165-795: The Gengshi Emperor , a former pretender to the Han throne during the post- Xin dynasty interregnum. However, Xuan had been killed by the Chimei before he had a chance to move to his fief. The kingdom/principality was reinstated for a final time in 79 AD, when Liu Bing (劉昞), a son of the Emperor Ming , was granted the fief. Bing died without designating an heir, and the kingdom was dissolved. In 2 AD, Huaiyang consisted of 9 counties: Chen (陳), Ku (苦), Yangjia (陽夏), Ningping (寧平), Fugou (扶溝), Gushi (固始), Yu (圉), Xinping (新平) and Zhe (柘). The population

198-569: The Rebellion of the Seven States . His mother the empress dowager Xiaowen urged the emperor to send the imperial army to relieve him. General Zhou Yafu succeeded in counselling against a direct assault: instead, his force took advantage of disorder among the rebels to establish a strong camp at Xiayi ( 下邑 , modern Dangshan in Anhui ) athwart their line of supply and communication along

231-537: The Si River . Ignoring Liu Wu's pleas for help and imperial orders to advance to the city, he occupied his time strengthening his defenses and sending Han Tuidang 's cavalry raiders to disrupt what little overland supply the rebels could manage from Chu. Having wearied their armies assaulting Suiyang, the rebel princes were forced to fall back for supplies and their assaults on Xiayi were defeated with such prepared ease that Zhou initially refused to be woken from bed. This

264-621: The Emperor's other favourite concubine, Lady Li (栗姬), was created crown prince in May 153 BC. Lady Li, feeling certain that her son would become the emperor, grew arrogant and intolerant, and frequently threw tantrums at Emperor Jing out of jealousy over his favouring of other concubines. Her lack of tact would prove to be Consort Wang's chance. When Emperor Jing's older sister, Elder Princess Guantao (館陶長公主) Liu Piao (劉嫖), offered to marry her daughter Chen Jiao (陳嬌) to Liu Rong, Lady Li rudely rejected

297-467: The Prince Xiao of Liang, and the favoured young son of Empress Dowager Dou, when Liu Wu assassinated a number of court officials in 148 BC for opposing the proposal to have him appointed the heir apparent . It was because of this that Empress Dowager Dou wanted to create Wang Xin a marquess, a move initially blocked by his prime minister, Zhou Yafu (周亞夫), although Emperor Jing eventually carried out

330-696: The aftermath of the failed attempt to capture the Xiongnu Chanyu at the Battle of Mayi , Emperor Wu wanted to execute the key strategist, Wang Hui (王恢, unrelated to her), who bribed Tian, who in turn persuaded her to speak on Wang Hui's behalf. Emperor Wu refused to accept her intercession, and forced Wang Hui to commit suicide. However, it was at her behest that Emperor Wu executed his grand uncle Dou Ying (竇嬰) (Empress Dou's cousin) in 132 BC for having insulted Tian. Empress Dowager Wang died in June 126 BC, and

363-459: The commander of the armed forces and exerted power even beyond the military affairs. Initially, her influence was balanced and outweighed by that of her mother-in-law, Grand Empress Dowager Dou . With Grand Empress Dowager Dou's death in June 135 BC, Empress Dowager Wang became the paramount figure at court. Later in 135 BC Tian Fen was made prime minister, although her son gradually justified this position as he matured. For example, in 133 BC, in

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396-423: The elderly minister stabbed to death outside the walls of the imperial suburb of Anling . They were responsible for nine related murders as well. Upon the emperor's discovering their involvement, Liu Wu ordered them to commit suicide and presented their bodies to the emperor, but he never regained his brother's favor and was only seldom received at court. Instead, following custom, Liu Che , the prince of Jiaodong ,

429-434: The empress dowager and upset the emperor even more". He counseled the emperor to drop the issue. In discussion with the empresses, he blamed the murders solely upon the two courtiers and explained they had already been lawfully punished. Liu Wu died at home in 144 BC after a trip to Chang'an . His memorial to his brother asking to extend his stay at the capital was rejected and he took ill soon after returning home. He

462-439: The empress dowager took the occasion of an imperial feast to demand that Emperor Jing name Liu Wu as his crown prince in preference to his other sons. He immediately agreed, only to be talked out of it by his advisors. Yuan Ang in particular counseled strongly against breaking the laws of succession, as the act would set a highly destabilizing precedent. Acting in support of their patron, Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng conspired to have

495-567: The empress dowager was at first inconsolable, but Emperor Jing placated her by dividing the realm of Liang into five pieces and bestowing them upon Liu Wu's sons. The tomb of the Prince of Liang and his wife is located within Mount Mangdang in present-day Yongcheng in Henan . It is the site of the oldest known surviving Chinese murals, depicting the four symbols : the blue dragon , white tiger , red bird , and black turtle . The paint

528-680: The lesson of Empress Bo's and Lady Li's fate, despite her highest rank and honoured position as empress, Empress Wang did not try to assert as much influence on her husband as her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Dou , had asserted over her father-in-law, Emperor Wen . Although Empress Wang was her husband's favorite and Liu Che was Emperor Jing's heir and favorite son, she was very tolerant and submissive of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law because of her and her son's position. She had good relations with her mother-in-law, and both she and her brother Wang Xin played important parts in calming Emperor Jing over his anger against his younger brother Liu Wu (劉武),

561-545: The prince was eventually relocated to another principality, and Huaiyang became administered by the central government as the Huaiyang Commandery. In 63 BC, Emperor Xuan granted the title Prince of Huaiyang to his son Liu Qin (劉欽), whose descendants held the title until the Xin dynasty was founded. During Emperor Guangwu 's reign, the title "Prince of Huaiyang" was briefly bestowed to Liu Xuan, commonly known as

594-481: The promotion of Wang Xin. She was probably pleased when Zhou Yafu committed suicide in 143 BC after being falsely accused of treason and arrested. When Emperor Jing died in March 141 BC, Crown Prince Che succeeded to the throne as Emperor Wu, and Empress Wang became empress dowager. After Empress Wang became empress dowager, her son carried out several immediate acts to honour her family members. Her mother Lady Zang Er

627-668: The proposal, complaining that Princess Guantao often offered new concubines as prostitutes to Emperor Jing. Angered by this snub, Elder Princess Guantao encouraged Emperor Jing not to favour Lady Li. Consort Wang, who had been observing quietly and waiting for her chance, took the opportunity and secured a marriage alliance by offering to marry her 5-year-old son Liu Che with Chen Jiao. Now siding with Consort Wang, Princess Guantao constantly criticised Lady Li in front of Emperor Jing. Gradually accepting his sister's concerns, Emperor Jing decided to test out Lady Li. One day he asked Lady Li that whether she would happily look after and properly raise

660-406: The rest of his children if he was to pass away, only to have Lady Li rudely (and foolishly) refuse to comply. This made Emperor Jing angry and he became worried that if Liu Rong was to inherit the throne and Lady Li became Empress Dowager, many of his concubines might suffer the fate of Consort Qi . Seizing the opportunity, Consort Wang put in place the final straw against Lady Li. She persuaded

693-569: Was 981,423, in 135,544 households. Empress Wang Zhi Empress Xiaojing (孝景皇后, 180s? BC – 25 June 126 BC ), of the Wang clan, also known by her birth name Wang Zhi (王娡) and by the title Madame Wang ( 王夫人 ), was an empress during the Han dynasty . She was the second wife of Emperor Jing and the mother of Emperor Wu . She was also the first known empress of China who was previously married to another man before becoming empress. Wang Zhi

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726-463: Was a kingdom/principality that existed intermittently during the Han dynasty . Its territories was located in modern eastern Henan and northwestern Anhui . Huaiyang initially covered the later Chen, Yingchuan and Runan commanderies and a total of more than 60 counties. In 196 BC Liu You (劉友), a son of the Emperor Gaozu and the first Prince of Huaiyang, was granted the territory, but

759-401: Was around forty years old. His estate at his death was estimated to include 400,000 catties of gold and an equivalent amount of wealth in land — if true, and assuming the gold was pure, this fortune would be equivalent to more than US$ 30 billion today. His third son was the serial killer Liu Pengli . The other four were (in order) Liu Mai , Liu Ming , Liu Ding , and Liu Bushi . His mother

792-640: Was born to Wang Zhong (王仲) and Zang Er (臧兒), who was a granddaughter of Zang Tu , the one-time King of Yan appointed by Xiang Yu until the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu (202 BC). Zang Tu rebelled against the Emperor and was defeated. He and his entire family was massacred, but Zang Er managed to escape. Wang Zhi's parents had, in addition to her, an older son, Wang Xin (王信) and a younger daughter, Wang Erxu (王兒姁). They lived in Huaili (槐里, in modern Xianyang , Shaanxi ). After her father died, her mother remarried

825-557: Was composed of vermillion , mica , and malachite . Because of the tomb's high humidity, the mural was cut into five pieces and transferred to a wooden frame in 1992. It was relocated to the Henan Provincial Museum and displayed in 1998. Within a year, the conditions at the museum had warped and cracked the frame and painting. It was somewhat repaired in 2003. The tombs also included ornate jade burial suits and bi . Kingdom of Huaiyang Huaiyang (淮陽國),

858-526: Was created the Lady of Pingyuan, and her half-brothers were created marquesses. Her daughter Jin Su, from her previous marriage, was tracked down and personally visited by Emperor Wu, and he created her the Lady of Xiucheng (修成君). She was awarded 300 servants, 100 acres of land, and a grand mansion. Jin Su's daughter was married to a prince. Empress Dowager Wang exerted significant influence on her son. For example, with her approval, her half-brother Tian Fen became

891-513: Was effectively the end of the rebellion: the Prince of Chu took his own life and Liu Pi was killed by Yue natives as he fled. Luan Bu followed this by defeating the other rebel princes, who chose either death or execution. The successful strategy earned Zhou Yafu the wrath of the Prince of Liang and his mother, however. They eventually succeeded in poisoning the emperor against him: he was imprisoned on minor issues involving his son's dispute with

924-593: Was moved to Zhao two years later. Liu Qiang (劉彊), a son of the Emperor Hui , took over Huaiyang. After Qiang's death, the fief passed to his brother Wu (武), who was killed in the Lü Clan Disturbance in 180 BC. At this time, Huaiyang was already reduced to the equivalent of one commandery. Both the Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing appointed one of their sons to Huaiyang, however, in both cases,

957-427: Was pregnant with Liu Che, she claimed that she dreamed that the sun had fallen into her womb. Emperor Jing was ecstatic over the divine implication, and made Liu Che (his 10th son) the Prince of Jiaodong (膠東王) in May 153 BC. Wang Zhi was also promoted to a consort for giving birth to a royal prince. Emperor Jing's formal wife, Empress Bo , was childless. As a result, Emperor Jing's oldest son Liu Rong (劉榮), born of

990-407: Was promoted to crown prince and his mother Lady Wang to empress. Afraid for her younger son's life, the empress dowager refused to eat until he was cleared of any charges. The official charged with the investigation reported back to Emperor Jing that, in his view, Liu Wu had been involved and that "sparing the Prince of Liang would break the law of Han"; nonetheless, "killing him would deeply distress

1023-475: Was stripped of her titles and placed under house arrest, and died of frustration and depression not long after. Since Empress Bo's deposition one year earlier, the position of empress was open. Emperor Jing, who had always considered Liu Che to be his favourite son, soon made Consort Wang empress on 6 June. Liu Che, now legally the oldest son of the Empress, was later made crown prince on 18 June. Remembering

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1056-413: Was the "Memorial from Prison to the Prince of Liang", whereby Zou Yang successfully pleaded his case against the slander of other courtiers and freed himself from a death sentence not by addressing the charges against him but by multiplying historical examples of the disaster of gossip and libel. When the emperor demoted his eldest son Liu Rong from heir apparent to prince of Linjiang in 150 BC,

1089-818: Was then sent along with her sister, Wang Erxu, to the Crown Prince's palace to join his concubinage. After being offered to the Crown Prince, both Wang Zhi and Wang Erxu became favoured. She then bore him three daughters: Grand Princess Yangxin (陽信長公主), Princess Nangong (南宮公主) and Princess Longlü (隆慮公主), and later a son named Liu Che (劉徹) who was still in the womb when Liu Qi ascended to the throne as Emperor Jing of Han after Emperor Wen's death in July 157 BC. Her sister bore Liu Qi four sons: Liu Yue, Prince Hui of Guangchuan (廣川惠王 劉越), Liu Ji, Prince Kang of Jiaodong (膠東康王 劉寄), Liu Cheng, Prince Ai of Qinghe (清河哀王 劉乘), and Liu Shun, Prince Xian of Changshan (常山憲王 劉舜). When Wang Zhi

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