Zhaojun Lou

Background

Lou Zhaojun was born in 501 in Shanxi province. She was a daughter of Lou Gan and had a brother Lou Zhao.

Career

Lou Zhaojun became the wife of Gao Huan by her own free will, despite Gao Huan’s lack of means and low social status. It was only after their marriage that Gao Huan could even afford a horse and was able to become an imperial messenger, delivering the governmental reports between Pingcheng and the new capital Luoyang.

In 525, when large portions of Northern Wei territory was overrun by agrarian rebels, Gao Huan, taking his family, joined the rebellion of one of the major rebels, Du Luozhou, but subsequently became unimpressed with Du's behavior, and they fled from Du's camp and joined another rebel leader, Ge Rong, but he eventually left Ge as well and joined the army of the Northern Wei general and Xiongnu tribal leader Erzhu Rong. It was around this time that the family's wealth was so drained that Lady Lou herself made boots personally out of horse skin. Eventually, though, Gao's talent impressed Erzhu, and he became one of Erzhu's key commanders in his campaigns, first to seize power at Luoyang in 528, then on his campaign to destroy the rebels and reunify the empire.

Erzhu Rong’s puppet emperor, Yuan Ziyou, murdered him in 530. However, Gao Huan had Yuan Ziyou murdered before he installed his own puppet emperor. Finally, when the last emperor of Northern Wei fled to Chang’an in the west and the territory that had once belonged to Northern Wei split in two, Gao Huan installed Yuan Shanbei as titular emperor of Eastern Wei (Emperor Xiaojing, r. 534-550) and assumed de facto rule of the new dynasty. As Gao Huan’s power grew, he took more wives. Lou Zhaojun encouraged him in this, understanding the importance of consolidating his already considerable influence through marriage alliances with powerful families.

When Gao Huan died in 547, Lou Zhaojun’s eldest son, Gao Cheng, assumed the regency of Eastern Wei. However, within three years he had been assassinated and it seems likely that his assassination was arranged by his brother Gao Yang, Lou Zhaojun’s second son. Rather than assume the role of regent, Gao Yang forced the Eastern Wei emperor to abdicate in 550 and formally declared himself emperor of the new Northern Qi dynasty. He honored Lou Zhaojun as empress dowager.

During the reign of Emperor Wenxuan - whom she had previously considered be unintelligent but whose reign initially was one characterized by diligence - Empress Dowager Lou did not directly assert authority but was fairly influential on her son, who was devoted to her. However, later in his reign, he began to act cruelly and bizarrely, apparently fueled by his alcoholism. Lou Zhaojun, therefore, helped engineer a coup. Together with two of her four remaining sons, she had Gao Yin’s advisers seized and executed before deposing the boy; Gao Yin is thus known in history as the Deposed Emperor.

Gao Yan (Emperor Xiaozhao, r. 560-561) was the next of Lou Zhaojun’s sons to become emperor. He had been party to the overthrow of his nephew, whom he arranged to have strangled to ensure he did not attempt to regain the throne. Gao Yan’s brief reign came to an abrupt end. Gao Zhan (Emperor Wucheng, 537-568; r. 561-565), Lou Zhaojun’s fifth son and the last to become emperor, had also been involved in her plot to overthrow the young Gao Yin. After a short reign, he retired in favor of his nine-year-old son Gao Wei (known in history as The Last Ruler).

Achievements

• Lou Zhaojun was known in Chinese history as an Empress Ming and the mother of four Emperors of Northern Qi dynasty.

Personality

Lou Zhaojun was described to be intelligent and resolute.

Connections

Lou Zhaojun was the wife of Gao Huan. She bore him six sons and two daughters.

Father:

Lou Gan

Lou Gan was a rich merchant.

husband:

Gao Huan

Gao Huan was the Han Chinese paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei and Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei.

Son:

Gao Cheng

Gao Cheng was the paramount official of the Chinese/Xianbei state Eastern Wei, a branch successor state of Northern Wei.

Son:

Gao Yang

Gao Yang was the first emperor of the Northern Qi. He was the second son of Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan, and after the death of his brother and Gao Huan's designated successor Gao Cheng in 549 became the regent of Eastern Wei.

Son:

Gao Yan

Gao Yan was an emperor of Northern Qi. He was generally considered a capable ruler, but ruled for less than two years before dying from injuries suffered from falling off a horse.

Son:

Gao Yu

Gao Yu was also known as Prince Xiangchengjing.

Son:

Gao Zhan

Gao Zhan was an emperor of Northern Qi.

Son:

Gao Ji

Gao Ji was also known as Prince Boling Wenjian.

Daughter:

Empress Gao

Empress Gao (her personal name is unknown) was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei.

Daughter:

Princess Taiyuan

Princess Taiyuan, also known as Empress Gao, was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Eastern Wei.

Brother:

Lou Zhao

Lou Zhao was a key commander under Gao Huan.

References

• Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. - 618 C.E This new volume of the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women" spans more than 2,000 years from antiquity to the early seventh century. It recovers the stories of more than 200 women, nearly all of them unknown in the West.
  1998
• Marriage, Kinship and Power in Northern China This volume focuses on changing marriage practices and kinship structures in a setting of interaction between the ruling elites and their Chinese subjects. The collection covers three major themes: the unique adaptability of steppe society in the face of threats to its politcal dominance; the way shifts in inheritance procedure (including rights of office) induce a radical shift in attitudes to marriage as well as change in the parameters of kinship solidarity; and the enduring importance of affinal ties (connections through the mother, wife and sister) in Chinese society.
  1995