Qin and Han · Consort

Empress Dowager Bo 薄氏

Bo Shi

Died BC 155

Passages: 9
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

The translated histories identify Empress Dowager Bo as a consort and royal family member. This record brings together 9 passages from 5 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Empress Dowager Bo	薄氏	Bo Shi
Personal name	Bo	薄氏
Title	Empress Dowager	太后
Title	Empress Dowager	太后	Taihou
Title	Empress Dowager Bo	皇太后薄氏
Title	Empress Dowager Bo	薄太后	Bo Taihou
Title	Empress Dowager Bo	薄太后
Title	Grand Empress Dowager	太皇太后

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0004, shiji:050:s0013, shiji:102:s0033
Sex: female
Strongly inferred · shiji:057:s0105

Roles

Consort
Royal Family Member

Life and dates

Death

Date Context: Source Date: Text: 二年夏四月壬午 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0049

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 二年夏四月壬午 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0049
Source Date: Text: 後七年 · Western Year: BC 157
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0004
Source Date: Text: 為薄太后服 · Western Year: BC 155
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:050:s0013
Source Date: Text: 薄太后 · Western Interval: Start: BC 180 · End: BC 157
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:102:s0033
Source Date: Text: 薄昭為言薄太后 · Western Year: BC 176
Explicit event contextual date · shiji:057:s0105

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Ancestor of Emperor Xiaojing (孝景皇帝)
Kinship Term: Grand Empress Dowager / 太皇太后 · Generation Distance: 2 · Line: paternal
Parent of Emperor Wen of Han (漢文)
Kinship Term: empress dowager / 太后 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son

Places and affiliations

Polity: Han / 漢 · Relation: of
Explicit · hanshu:006:s0004

Source notes

Historicity: historical
Explicit · shiji:050:s0013

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Han, Chapter 6Volume 5: Annals of Emperor Jing · 2 passages

丁未，太子即皇帝位，尊皇太后薄氏曰太皇太后，皇后曰皇太后。 On the day Dingwei, the crown prince ascended the imperial throne, honoring Empress Dowager Bo as Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress as Empress Dowager.

夏四月壬午，太皇太后崩。 On the day Renwu in the fourth month of summer, the Grand Empress Dowager passed away.

Book of Han, Chapter 44Volume 35: Princes of Jing, Yan and Wu · 1 passage

三年冬，楚王來朝，錯因言楚王戊往年為薄太后服，私姦服舍，請誅之。 In the winter of the third year, the King of Chu came to court. Chao Cuo then reported that in earlier years, while observing mourning for Empress Dowager Bo, the King of Chu, Wu, had had illicit relations in the mourning quarters, and he requested that Wu be executed.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 50House of Prince Yuan of Chu · 1 passage

王戊立二十年，冬，坐為薄太后服私姦，削東海郡。 In the twentieth year of King Wu's reign, during winter, he was found guilty of committing adultery during the mourning period for Empress Dowager Bo, and the commandery of Donghai was stripped from him.

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 57House of Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiang · 2 passages

及系急，薄昭為言薄太后，太后亦以為無反事。 When Bo's imprisonment grew dire, Bo Zhao interceded with Empress Dowager Bo, who likewise believed there was no truth to the charge of rebellion.

文帝朝，太后以冒絮提文帝，曰：「絳侯綰皇帝璽，將兵於北軍，不以此時反，今居一小縣，顧欲反邪！」 At Emperor Wen's morning audience, the Empress Dowager seized the emperor by his headdress cloth and said: "The Marquis of Jiang once held the imperial seal in his hands and commanded the Northern Army. If he did not rebel then, why would he now, living in some small county, suddenly wish to rebel?"

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 102Biographies of Zhang Shizhi and Feng Tang · 3 passages

薄太后聞之，文帝免冠謝曰：「教兒子不謹。」 When Empress Dowager Bo heard of it, Emperor Wen removed his cap and apologized, saying, "I have failed to teach my sons carefully enough."

薄太后乃使使承詔赦太子、梁王，然後得入。 Empress Dowager Bo then dispatched messengers bearing an imperial edict to pardon the Crown Prince and the King of Liang, after which they were permitted to enter.

久之，文帝與太后言之，乃許廷尉當。 After a long while, Emperor Wen discussed the matter with the Empress Dowager and finally accepted the Commandant of Justice's ruling.