Empress Bo – The first deposed Empress in Chinese history

Empress Bo was the first Empress to be deposed in Chinese history. She was the first wife of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty. She was from a powerful family. Her great-aunt was Grand Empress Dowager Bo of China. Yet, she failed to give the Emperor a son. Because of her infertility, Empress Bo would suffer drastic consequences that left her miserable.

The birth date of Empress Bo is unknown. She was from the powerful Bo clan. Her first name also remains unrecorded.^[1] Her parents’ names are also unknown.^[2] What is known is that she was the grandniece of Grand Empress Dowager Bo.^[3] She was brought up well.^[4] She was known to be “virtuous and decent” ^[5] and “dignified and generous.” ^[6]

In 179 B.C.E., Bo married the Crown Prince, Liu Qi (the future Emperor Jing). The marriage was arranged by Grand Empress Dowager Bo, who hoped that the marriage would increase the status of the Bo family.^[7] However, Princess Bo failed to produce any children with Liu Qi.^[8] Princess Bo’s barrenness caused her husband to turn his affections on other women.^[9] His notable favourites were Concubine Li (who was the mother of his eldest son named Liu Rong) and Consort Wang Zhi (who would later be Emperor Jing’s second Empress).^[10] Consort Wang Zhi bore him three daughters and a son named Liu Che (the future Emperor Wu of Han). Therefore, the fact that Princess Bo failed to have any children while his other concubines did often left her humiliated.^[11]

In 157 B.C.E., Liu Qi ascended the throne as Emperor Jing. He made Bo his Empress.^[12] Yet, the Empress status only left her more insecure.^[13] An Empress’s primary role was to bear a son.^[14] Each of Emperor Jing’s six concubines had given him a total of fourteen children.^[15] Yet, Empress Bo remained childless throughout their marriage.^[16] This proved that Empress Bo was infertile and incapable of bearing any children.^[17] On 9 June 155 B.C.E., Grand Empress Dowager Bo died. Empress Bo no longer had anyone powerful enough to help her with her situation.^[18] It would not be long until she would be deemed unfit as an Empress and would be replaced.^[19]

In 153 B.C.E., Emperor Jing made Liu Rong (his son whom he had with Concubine Li) the Crown Prince. It became evident that he would soon replace Bo as Empress in favour of one of his concubines.^[20] In 151 B.C.E., Empress Bo was officially deposed because she did not have any children.^[21] In 150 B.C.E., Emperor Jing removed Liu Rong from the Crown Prince position. He demoted him to Prince of Linjiang and exiled him from the palace. On 6 June 150 B.C.E., Emperor Jing made Consort Wang Zhi his Empress. He also made her son, Liu Che, the Crown Prince. This forced the deposed Empress Bo to move to another palace and live in misery.^[22] The deposed Empress Bo spent the rest of her days alone and was often in despair.^[23] In 147 B.C.E., the deposed Empress Bo died of melancholy.^[24] She was buried south of Pingyang Pavilion, which was located in the eastern section of Chang’an.^[25]

Empress Bo is truly a pitiful woman in Chinese history. Her story proves that even if a woman had a strong family background, she could still lose her position, status, respect, and favour if she failed to produce a son.^[26] Empress Bo’s barrenness left her in a precarious position.^[27] She was often humiliated, miserable, and replaceable.^[28] If Empress Bo had been capable of giving Emperor Jing a son, her ending would have been very different.^[29]

Sources:

Bao S. (2015). “Bo, Empress of Emperor Jing”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. p. 99.

iMedia. (n.d.). “The first deposed queen in Chinese history, Empress Xiaojingbo, the original wife of Emperor Jing of the Han Dynasty”. Retrieved on 7 October 2023 from  https://min.news/en/history/a048425ea16567f09e0346647d9bfa71.html.