Empress Dou (Wen) facts for kids

Empress Dou Yifang (Chinese: 竇皇后猗房; died in 135 BC) was a powerful empress of the Chinese Han dynasty. She was also known as Empress Xiaowen.

Empress Dou had a huge impact on the rules of her husband, Emperor Wen of Han, and her son, Emperor Jing of Han. She strongly believed in Taoist ideas. Her beliefs helped create a peaceful and prosperous time known as the Rule of Wen and Jing. This period is often seen as a golden age in Chinese history.

Even when her grandson, Emperor Wu of Han, became emperor, Empress Dou still had a lot of influence. She made sure that Taoist laws were followed across the empire until she passed away.

Early Life and Family

Empress Dou was born in a place called Qinghe Commandery. She had two brothers, Dou Zhangjun and Dou Guangguo. When she was young, she was chosen to be a lady in waiting in the palace of Emperor Hui of Han. She didn't see her brothers for a very long time after that.

One day, Emperor Hui's mother, Empress Dowager Lü, decided to give some ladies in waiting to the imperial princes. Lady Dou was one of them. She asked to be sent to the Principality of Zhao, which was near her home. However, the official in charge made a mistake and sent her to the Principality of Dai instead. This region was considered a very remote place. Lady Dou was very upset, but she had no choice but to go.

This mistake turned out to be very lucky for Lady Dou. She became a favorite of Liu Heng, who was the Prince of Dai at the time. They had a daughter, Liu Piao, and two sons, Liu Qi and Liu Wu.

Becoming Empress

These ceramic figures of female attendants were found in Empress Dou's tomb. They are from the Western Han dynasty and are now in the Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an.

After Prince Heng became Emperor Wen, Lady Dou was made empress in 179 BC. This was because she was the mother of his oldest son, Prince Qi. Prince Qi was then named the crown prince, meaning he would be the next emperor. Emperor Wen loved and supported Empress Dou very much throughout his rule. This meant she had a lot of influence over his government.

One of the first things Empress Dou did was search for her brothers. Finding Zhangjun was easy. But finding Guangguo was much harder. Guangguo had to find her himself, in a very touching way. When Empress Dou first went to the palace, Guangguo was only four or five years old. He was kidnapped and sold into slavery. He was sold to many different families. Eventually, he was sold to a family in the capital city, Chang'an.

There, he heard that the new empress was from Qinghe and named Dou. He wrote a letter to the palace, saying who he was. He also shared a memory from their childhood: they climbed a mulberry tree to pick leaves, and he fell out of it. Empress Dou called him to her and asked him more questions to make sure it was really him. He then told her more details about when they were separated:

When my sister was about to go west to Chang'an, we said goodbye at the imperial messenger station. She bathed me and fed me one last time before she left.

Empress Dou immediately hugged him and cried. All her ladies in waiting and officials also cried, seeing the emotional reunion. She gave her brothers a lot of money and built them large homes in Chang'an. Officials suggested that the Dou brothers should have good, humble people around them. This helped the brothers become humble and good people themselves.

Empress Dou became a strong follower of Taoist philosophy. This philosophy is about being calm, not interfering too much, and living simply. She made sure her children, grandchildren, and other family members studied these ideas. Emperor Wen was greatly influenced by these Taoist ideas during his time as emperor.

As Empress Dowager

When Emperor Wen died in 157 BC, his son Prince Qi became Emperor Jing of Han. Empress Dou then became the empress dowager. She had a lot of power and influence in his government. Emperor Jing greatly respected his mother and tried his best to make her happy. He largely continued the policies of his father, which his mother liked. He also made her brother Guangguo and her nephew Dou Pengzu (Zhangjun's son) important officials.

Empress Dowager Dou was very concerned about her younger son, Liu Wu, who was the Prince of Liang. She wanted Emperor Jing to make Prince Wu the next crown prince, even over his own sons. Emperor Jing thought about it seriously but decided not to. Still, the Principality of Liang became very rich because of imperial favors and its good location.

During the Rebellion of the Seven States in 154 BC, Empress Dowager Dou was very worried when the Principality of Liang was attacked. She wanted the imperial commander, Zhou Yafu, to help Liang right away. But Zhou Yafu knew it was better to cut off the rebels' supplies first. Zhou's plan led to victory, but it made Prince Wu and Empress Dowager Dou dislike him. She was probably happy when Zhou Yafu faced serious accusations and died in 143 BC.

Empress Dowager Dou's care for Prince Wu was tested again in 148 BC. Prince Wu wanted to be crown prince. Empress Dowager Dou also wanted this, but officials disagreed. They thought it would cause problems for who would rule next. Prince Wu had some of these officials killed. Emperor Jing was very angry and sent people to investigate. Prince Wu eventually gave up the people involved.

To show he was sorry, Prince Wu came up with a plan. On his next visit to the capital, he secretly left his official group. He went to his sister Liu Piao's house in Chang'an. When the imperial group couldn't find Prince Wu, both Emperor Jing and Empress Dowager Dou were very worried. She even accused Emperor Jing of harming Prince Wu. Then, Prince Wu appeared at the palace, carrying a cutting board on his back. This was a sign that he was ready to be punished. Both Emperor Jing and Empress Dowager Dou were deeply moved, and Emperor Jing forgave him. However, he no longer considered Prince Wu as a possible heir. When Prince Wu died in 144 BC, Empress Dowager Dou was very sad. She was only comforted when Emperor Jing made all five of Prince Wu's sons princes.

When Empress Dowager Dou's grandson Liu Rong (who used to be the crown prince) was put in prison in 148 BC, it's not known if she tried to help him. However, after his life ended tragically while imprisoned, she was very sad.

As Grand Empress Dowager

When Emperor Jing died in 141 BC, his son, Emperor Wu of Han, became emperor. Empress Dowager Dou then became the grand empress dowager. Because Emperor Wu was young, Grand Empress Dowager Dou was very involved in politics. She made sure the young emperor asked her questions before making any big decisions. Emperor Wu always had to ask her for advice and get her approval.

She also held the tiger tally, which was needed to approve any use of the army. She also had the fish tally, which was a pass to enter or leave the palace or city gates. Her son had given these to her before he died to comfort her. This meant she controlled the palace and the army to keep the laws and customs from the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing.

Early in Emperor Wu's rule, in 140 BC, he wanted to make Confucianism the official state belief instead of Taoism. Grand Empress Dowager Dou did not like Confucians and tried to stop this change. In 139 BC, two Confucian officials, Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, told the emperor not to ask the grand empress dowager for advice anymore. They said, "There is no need to wait for the order of the Grand Empress Dowager." Because of this, she had them investigated for corruption. So, even though Emperor Wu wanted to change the official beliefs, the government policies stayed much the same as during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing. This only changed after Grand Empress Dowager Dou died in 135 BC. She was buried with her husband, Emperor Wen. In her will, she left her belongings to her daughter, Princess Liu Piao.

Impact on Chinese History

Empress Dou was one of the first very powerful women in Chinese history. Unlike her stepmother-in-law, Empress Dowager Lü, Empress Dou is mostly seen in a good light. Even though she sometimes favored her own family too much, her influence on her husband and son helped the people greatly. She was a strong supporter of the Taoist religion. She also made sure her grandson, Emperor Wu, followed the old laws because he was young and wanted to change things.

Media

• She is played by Ruby Lin in the 2010 Chinese TV show Beauty's Rival in Palace.
• She is played by Sally Chen in the 2014 Chinese TV show The Virtuous Queen of Han.