Dou Wu

Dou Wu

Dou Wu (竇武) (died 168), courtesy name Youping (游平), was a Han Dynasty politician who was known as a Confucian scholar and served as a low-level official during the reign of Emperor Huan until his daughter Dou Miao was elevated from imperial consort to empress, which caused him to be promoted, eventually to become one of the most important imperial officials when his daughter became empress dowager and regent for Emperor Ling. He, along with Chen Fan (陳蕃), attempted to curb eunuchs' powers and install Confucian scholars in imperial government, but after a plot by him and Chen to exterminate the most powerful eunuchs was discovered, he was defeated in battle and committed suicide.

Career under Emperor Huan

Dou Wu's father Dou Feng (竇奉) was a great-grandson of Dou Rong (竇融), who contributed much to Emperor Guangwu's campaign to reestablish Han Dynasty. Dou Feng was a commandery governor. When Dou Wu was young, he became known for his scholarship in Confucian classics and was famous for it in all of western empire, but was not involved in politics.

That changed in 165 when his daughter Dou Miao was selected to be an imperial consort, as an eligible woman from an honored clan. Because of this, Emperor Huan made Dou Wu a low level official. Later that year, after Empress Deng Mengnü was deposed, the imperial officials all favored Consort Dou to be the new empress due to Dou Wu's reputation, and Emperor Huan gave in to their wishes although he personally did not favor Consort Dou. She was created empress later that year. Dou Wu was promoted to be the commander of the capital (Luoyang) defense forces and created a marquess.

In 167, during the height of the first Disaster of Partisan Prohibition (in which Confucian officials and their university student supporters were accused to be "partisans" schemeing against the emperor), Dou Wu interceded on the partisans' behalf, requesting leniency and at the same time tendering his resignation (which Emperor Huan did not accept). It was with his intercession and that of Huo Xu (霍謣) that Emperor Huan did not execute any of the partisans, although he did strip their civil liberties. Dou Wu, in the meantime, also recommended several scholars who were not accused to be partisans for important posts.

Career during his daughter's regency and death

Early in 168, Emperor Huan died without an heir. Empress Dou became empress dowager and regent. She consulted her father and Chen Fan with regard to who to be the new emperor. They eventually decided on the 12-year-old Liu Hong (劉宏), the Marquess of Jieduting. Later that year, he became emperor (as Emperor Ling). Empress Dowager Dou continued to serve as regent.

With Empress Dowager Dou as regent, Dou Wu and Chen became the most important officials in the imperial government. Dou Wu was given a larger march, while his son and two nephews were also created marquesses. Dou and Chen recalled the partisans and made many of them important officials. Meanwhile, though, they became concerned that the emperor and the empress dowager were being surrounded by eunuchs, the ladies in waiting, and Emperor Ling's wet nurse Zhao Rao (趙嬈), who flattered them and were trusted by them. Chen and Dou therefore started a plot to exterminate all of the powerful eunuchs. When Dou Wu presented the plan to his daughter, however, she refused—reasoning that not all of the powerful eunuchs deserved death. Dou Wu therefore sought to execute four—Guan Ba (管霸), Su Kang (蘇康), Cao Jie (曹節), and Wang Fu (王甫). As Empress Dowager Dou was still pondering this proposal, another eunuch, Zhu Yu (朱瑀), while Dou Wu was on vacation, opened up Dou Wu's proposal and found out that Dou Wu proposed a mass extermination plan and became enraged. He gathered 17 other eunuchs and took Emperor Ling into custody (managing to persuade him that they did it for his own protection) and kidnapping Empress Dowager Dou. They then sent forces to arrest Dou Wu and Chen. Chen was quickly captured and killed, but Dou gathered his forces and resisted. The eunuchs tricked the general Zhang Huan (張奐), who was battle tested as the former commander of the northern border defense forces, into believing that Dou was committing treason, and Zhang led his forces to defeat Dou Wu. After defeat, Dou Wu committed suicide, and his entire clan was slaughtered.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dou Wu — (chin.:窦武; † 168), Hofname Youping, war ein Politiker der Han Dynastie, der als konfuzianistischer Scholar bekannt war und unter dem Kaiser Huan als niederer Beamter diente, bis seine Tochter Dou Miao als kaiserliche Konkubine zur Kaiserin… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • DOU (G.) — DOU GÉRARD (1613 1675) Fils d’un peintre verrier, Gérard (Gerrit en néerlandais) Dou fit ses premières armes dans cette spécialité, et ce n’est qu’en 1628 qu’il passe à la peinture proprement dite, en entrant dans l’atelier de Rembrandt. Il en… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Dou — steht für: Gerard Dou (1613–1675), niederländischer Maler des Barock ein altes chinesisches Volumensmaß, siehe Alte Maße und Gewichte (China) die Kaiserin Dou, Gemahlin des Han Kaisers Wen die Kaiserin Dou, Gemahlin des Han Kaisers Zhang die… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dou — est un astérisme de l astronomie chinoise. Il est décrit dans le traité astronomique du Shi Shi qui recense les astérismes construits à partir des étoiles les plus brillantes du ciel. Hou se compose de cinq étoiles de luminosité contrastée,… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dou — or Dou may refer to: Degree of unsaturation in chemistry Dhammakaya Open University Gerard Dou (1613 1675), also known as Gerrit and Douw or Dow , a Dutch Golden Age painter Empress Dou (disambiguation), several empresses in ancient China This… …   Wikipedia

  • Dou Gu — (Chinese: 窦固; Wade–Giles: Tou Ku, d. 88), born in Xianyang, Shaanxi, was a general fought in the Battle of Yiwulu in 73. Shortly after the battle, Dou Gu sent of two of his generals Ban Chao and Guo Xun to the Western Regions for a diplomatic… …   Wikipedia

  • Dou —   [dɔu], Gerard (Gerrit), niederländischer Maler, * Leiden 7. 4. 1613, begraben ebenda 9. 2. 1675. Dou war Rembrandts erster Schüler (1628 31) und erlernte aus dessen Frühwerk die miniaturhafte Arbeitsweise, die ihn zum Begründer der »Leidener… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • dòu — m. deuil ; regret. Èstre en dòu, pausar lo dòu : être en deuil, quitter le deuil …   Diccionari Personau e Evolutiu

  • Dou B&B — (Хенгчун,Тайвань) Категория отеля: Адрес: No.265, Shengbei Rd., Hengchun Township, 946 Хенг …   Каталог отелей

  • Dou — [dou] Gerard [gā′rärt] 1613 75; Du. painter …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”