Background
Gaozu Bo was a daughter of Lord Bo and Lady Wei. There is no exact information about the date and the place of her birth.
Gaozu Bo was a daughter of Lord Bo and Lady Wei. There is no exact information about the date and the place of her birth.
Gaozu Bo was taken as a concubine by King Wei Bao. Wei Bao allied himself with Liu Bang to defeat Xiang Yu's force, but Wei Bao changed sides several times before being taken prisoner by Liu Bang, then King of Han. Considered a traitor to his own land, he was eventually killed by one of his ministers.
Taken as a slave, Lady Bo was set to work in the weaving room in the rear palace but was later promoted as a palace woman. Lady Bo was not favored among the concubines, but she gave birth to a son, Liu Heng, who was made the Prince of Dai. The birth of her son elevated Lady Bo's status to Consort Bo.
Upon the death of the emperor, Empress Lu (Lu Zhi, Empress of Emperor Gaozu) confined to the palace all the concubines the emperor had ever favored, except for Lady Bo, who had been so rarely favored. Lady Bo was among those who received titles at this time. She was made Dowager Princess of Dai when her son became the Prince of Dai, and she went to the state of Dai to live with her son.
Empress Lu reigned as de facto ruler until her death in 180 B.C.E., at which time her natal Lu clan fell from power. It was then decided that Liu Heng should be enthroned as emperor, an important consideration being the kind and virtuous nature of his mother, Lady Bo. The ministers of state responsible for this decision clearly believed her to be incapable of the political machinations that had kept Empress Lu in power for many years. When her son became emperor, Lady Bo was granted the title Empress Dowager Bo.
Empress Dowager Bo was made Grand Empress Dowager when her grandson Liu Qi (the future Emperor Jing) succeeded to the throne in 157 B.C.E. She died two years later and was buried in the South Tomb.
Gaozu Bo was a cautious woman, careful not to interfere in dangerous situations. She was also considered to be a kind, obedient, and virtuous woman, and it has been said that it was because of this consideration that her son became emperor. Good she may have been, but her virtue clearly lay in abiding by court ritual and tradition, and both the imperial family and ministers of state would undoubtedly have found this a most attractive and useful quality in an emperor’s mother.
Gaozu Bo was a concubine of Emperor Wen of Han and had a son who became Emperor Wen of Han.