Lü Clan Disturbance

The Lü Clan Disturbance (Chinese: 呂氏之亂, 180 BCE) refers to a political upheaval after the death of Empress Lü Zhi of the Han dynasty, the aftermath of which saw her clan, the Lü, who were consort kin, being deposed from their seats of power and massacred; the deposition of the puppet Emperor Houshao; and the accession to the throne of Emperor Wen.

Sometimes the term also encompasses the total domination of the political scene by Empress Lü Zhi and her kin after the death of her son Emperor Hui (188 BCE) to an extent even greater than during his reign. The term "the Lü Clan Disturbance" itself is not neutral; it was used by the officials who overthrew them and historians who supported their political theories, but is used here not to cast any judgment on the Lü, but because it is commonly used.

When Emperor Hui died in autumn 188 BC, his son (but this parentage is disputed) Liu Gong ascended to the throne as Emperor Qianshao. However, there was not even pretension that he was actually in charge; Emperor Hui's mother Empress Lü Zhi, titled "Grand Empress Dowager Lü", was the one who publicly and actually controlled the political power.

In winter 188 BC, Grand Empress Dowager Lü wanted to make her brothers princes against her husband Emperor Gaozu's rule that only members of the imperial Liu clan may be made princes – a rule that she herself had a hand in creating. She was opposed by Right Minister Wang Ling (王陵) but was supported by Left Minister Chen Ping and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Zhou Bo (周勃). When Wang rebuked Chen and Zhou in private for going against Gaozu's rule, they rationalized that their compliance with the grand empress dowager was necessary to protect the empire and the Liu family.

Grand Empress Dowager Lü then promoted Wang to the honorary position of the emperor's teacher (太傅, taifu); Wang declined, claiming illness. Lü removed him from his position as Right Minister and had him (as Marquess of Anguo) returned to his march (in modern Baoding, Hebei) and promoted Chen to Right Minister ("right" being the more honored direction) and her lover Shen Yiji (審食其), Marquess of Piyang, to Left Minister.

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