Qin and Han · grandmother of Emperor Ai and rival of Empress Dowager Feng

Empress Dowager Fu 傅太后

Fù tàihòu

First attested BC 9; died BC 2

Passages: 20
Chapters: 4
Histories: 1

Overview

Empress Dowager Fu was a grandmother of Emperor Ai and rival of Empress Dowager Feng.

Life and dates

Death

BC 2 元壽元年丁巳
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 121

Attested activity

BC 2 元壽元年丁巳
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passage 121
BC 9 元延四年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passages 4, 16
BC 7 哀帝即位
Directly stated · Book of Han 90, passage 189
BC 5 建平二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passage 76
BC 3 建平四年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passages 114, 118

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Liu Kang (康)
king's grandmother 王祖母
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 12, passage 16
Kin of Emperor Ai (孝哀皇帝)
paternal grandmother 王祖母 · paternal line · 2 generations · Through Liu Kang (康)
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 16
Child of Marquis of Chongzu (崇祖侯)
Fu's father 傅父
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 34
Sibling of Uterine younger brother of Empress Dowager Fu (傅太后同母弟)
uterine younger brother 同母弟 · Maternal half siblings
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 114
Kin of Fu Shang (傅商)
younger cousin 從弟
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 114

Key source chapters

Book of Han, Chapter 88 Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He 9 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 12 Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai 7 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 96 Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye 3 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 90 Volume 79: Feng Fengshi 1 passage

Events and relationships

Bribed Consort Zhao and Wang Gen
BC 9 元延四年 · Political · Agent · With Zhao Hede (趙合德), Wang Gen (王根)
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 16
帝祖母
Type grandmother · Person Emperor Ai of Han (漢哀帝)
Directly stated · Book of Han 96, passage 327
同母弟子鄭業
Type kinswoman · Person Zheng Ye (鄭業)
Directly stated · Book of Han 96, passage 329

References in the histories

Search passages

History

20 passages

Book of Han, Chapter 12Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai · 7 passages

時王祖母傅太后隨王來朝，私賂遺上所幸趙昭儀及帝舅票騎將軍曲陽侯王根。 Meanwhile, the king's grandmother, Empress Dowager Fu, had accompanied him to court and secretly bribed both the emperor's favorite, Consort Zhao, and the emperor's uncle, General Wang Gen, Marquis of Quyang.

詔曰：「春秋『母以子貴』，尊定陶太后曰恭皇太后，丁姬曰恭皇后，各置左右詹事，食邑如長信宮、中宮。」 An imperial edict declared: 'As the Spring and Autumn Annals teach, "The mother gains honor through her son." The Empress Dowager of Dingtao shall be honored as Empress Dowager Gong, and Lady Ding as Empress Gong. Each shall have their own attendants, with estates equal to the Changxin Palace and the imperial residence.'

尊恭皇太后曰帝太太后，稱永信宮； Empress Dowager Gong shall be honored as Imperial Grand Empress Dowager, residing in the Yongxin Palace;

癸卯，帝太太后所居桂宮正殿火。 On the day guimao, a fire broke out in the main hall of the Gui Palace, residence of the Imperial Grand Empress Dowager.

二月，封帝太太后從弟侍中傅商為汝昌侯，太后同母弟子侍中鄭業為陽信侯。 In the second month, the emperor enfeoffed the Imperial Grand Empress Dowager's younger cousin, Chamberlain Fu Shang, as Marquis of Ruchang, and the son of the Empress Dowager's younger uterine brother, Chamberlain Zheng Ye, as Marquis of Yangxin.

六月，尊帝太太后為皇太太后。 In the sixth month, the Imperial Grand Empress Dowager was elevated to the title of Grand Empress Dowager.

丁巳，皇太太后傅氏崩。 On the day dingsi, Grand Empress Dowager Fu died.

Book of Han, Chapter 88Volume 77: Gai, Zhuge, Liu, Zheng, Sun, Wujiang and He · 9 passages

久之，上欲封祖母傅太后從弟商，崇諫曰：「孝成皇帝封親舅五侯，天為赤黃晝昏，日中有黑氣。 After some time, the emperor wished to enfeoff Shang, the cousin of his grandmother Empress Dowager Fu. Chong remonstrated, saying: "When Emperor Cheng enfeoffed his five maternal uncles as marquises, Heaven turned red-yellow and the daylight darkened; at noon, black vapor appeared in the sun.

今無故欲復封商，壞亂制度，逆天人之心，非傅氏之福也。 A third Fu marquis with no excuse would break precedent and anger heaven, he said.

傅太后大怒曰：「何有為天子乃反為一臣所顓制邪！」 Empress Dowager Fu raged and said, "How can there be a Son of Heaven yet be wholly controlled by one minister!"

上遂下詔曰：「朕幼而孤，皇太太后躬自養育，免於襁褓，教道以禮，至於成人，惠澤茂焉。 The emperor thereupon issued an edict saying, "We were orphaned while young, and the great imperial grandmother personally reared Us, brought Us safely out of swaddling clothes, and instructed and guided Us with ritual until We reached adulthood. Her favor and grace have been abundant.

前追號皇太太后父為崇祖侯，惟念德報未殊，朕甚恧焉。 He said earlier honors to the Fu line still felt inadequate.

侍中光祿大夫商，皇太太后父同產子，小自保大，恩義最親。 Fu Shang, Palace Attendant and Grandee of Splendid Light, was the Imperial Great Empress Dowager's paternal cousin. She had raised him from childhood, and no bond was closer.

初，傅太后與中山孝王母馮太后俱事元帝，有隙，傅太后使有司考馮太后，令自殺，眾庶冤之。 Fu's faction had forced Lady Feng of Zhongshan to suicide; opinion called it a frame.

寶奏請覆治，傅太后大怒，曰：「帝置司隸，主使察我。 Bao memorialized requesting reinvestigation; Empress Dowager Fu raged and said, "The emperor set up the metropolitan governor to spy on me!

頃之，傅太后使謁者買諸官婢，賤取之，復取執金吾官婢八人。 Before long, Empress Dowager Fu had attendants buy slave women from various government offices at cut-rate prices; she also took eight slave women from the office of the Bearer of the Mace.

Book of Han, Chapter 90Volume 79: Feng Fengshi · 1 passage

頃之，哀帝即位，帝祖母傅太后用事，追怨參姊中山太后，陷以祝詛大逆之罪，語在《外戚傳》。 Soon Ai ruled; Grand Empress Dowager Fu hated Shen's sister, the Zhongshan dowager, and framed her for witchcraft—see the outer-kin annals.

Book of Han, Chapter 96Volume 85: Gu Yong and Du Ye · 3 passages

是時，帝祖母定陶傅太后稱皇太太后，帝母丁姬稱帝太后，而皇后即傅太后從弟子也。 At the time, the emperor's grandmother, Empress Dowager Fu of Dingtao, bore the title Grand Empress Dowager, while his mother, Lady Ding, was titled Empress Dowager. The empress herself was the daughter of a younger male cousin of Empress Dowager Fu.

又封傅太后同母弟子鄭業為陽信侯。 Fu Empress Dowager's younger cousin by the same mother Zheng Ye was also enfeoffed as Marquis of Yangxin.

傅太后尤與政專權。 Fu Empress Dowager especially joined in government and monopolized power.