Empress Fu – The wife of China’s homosexual Emperor

Empress Fu was one of China’s most miserable Empresses. She was the wife of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty. She was Empress of China for six years. However, Emperor Ai did not favour her because he preferred men.^[1] This led Empress Fu to a miserable and tragic end.

Empress Fu was the daughter of Fu Yan, the Marquis of Kongxiang. She was from the powerful Fu clan.^[2] Her cousin was Empress Dowager Fu.^[3] She married Liu Xin, the Prince of Dingtao.^[4] Liu Xin was the grandson of Emperor Yuan.^[5] His grandmother was Empress Dowager Fu.^[6] The marriage between Princess Fu and Liu Xin was never consummated because he preferred men and not women.^[7] The current Emperor, Cheng, had no sons.^[8] Therefore, Liu Xin was made the Crown Prince in 9 B.C.E.^[9] Princess Fu became the Crown Princess.

On 17 April 7 B.C.E., Emperor Cheng died. On 7 May 7 B.C.E., Liu Xin ascended the throne as Emperor Ai. On 16 June 7 B.C.E., Princess Fu was invested as Empress of China.^[10] Yet, Empress Fu was neglected and ignored.^[11] Emperor Ai had a concubine who was directly below Empress Fu in rank named Consort Dong.^[12] He did not favour her either. Instead, his favourite was Dong Xian, who was Consort Dong’s brother and a government official.^[13]

Emperor Ai doted on Dong Xian.^[14] He left Dong Xian in charge of all state affairs.^[15] He gave him the largest mansion in the capital.^[16] He let Dong Xian ride with him in his carriage.^[17] Emperor Ai even considered leaving his kingdom to Dong Xian after he passed away.^[18] Thus, Emperor Ai wanted Dong Xian to be his successor as the next Emperor of China.^[19] The thought of a non-royal ascending to the throne of China horrified Empress Wang Zhengjun, and she began to view Dong Xian as a threat.^[20] Thus, Dong Xian was the most powerful man in China during Emperor Ai’s reign.^[21]

In August of 1 B.C.E., Emperor Ai died of illness. Emperor Ai’s death left Empress Fu in a very vulnerable position.^[22] She was an Empress who had no children.^[23] Her only political supporter, Empress Dowager Fu, died in 2 B.C.E.^[24] Thus, she was at the mercy of the Wang clan.^[25] Empress Wang Zhengjun installed a nine-year-old on the throne as Emperor Ping. Wang Mang impeached Dong Xian. Dong Xian and his wife were forced to commit suicide.^[26] Empress Fu was stripped of all her imperial titles and was demoted to commoner status. She was ordered to guard Emperor Ai’s tomb.^[27] Empress Fu committed suicide on the day of her demotion.^[28]

Empress Fu’s life was very pitiful. Because Emperor Ai did not favour her, she did not have any sons.^[29] This left her very vulnerable.^[30] She had no power and was often at the mercy of her enemies.^[31] Empress Fu’s story is very tragic because she could not control her own fate. Thus, Empress Fu was an innocent victim caught in the midst of a power struggle.

Sources:

Theobald, U. (2011, 26 December). “Emperor Han Aidi 漢哀帝 Liu Xin 劉欣”. ChinaKnowledge.de – An Encyclopedia on Chinese History, Literature, and Art. Retrieved on 17 October 2023 from http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Han/personshanaidi.html.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Thomsen, R. (1988). Ambition and Confucianism: A biography of Wang Mang. Denmark: Aarhus University Press.