Dou Wu
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2022) |
Dou Wu | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 竇武 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 窦武 | ||||||
|
Dou Wu (Chinese: 竇武; died 25 October 168[1]), courtesy name Youping (
Career under Emperor Huan
[edit]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 re-establish the Han dynasty. Dou Feng was the Administrator (
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" scheming 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[4]). 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
[edit]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 would be the new emperor. They eventually decided on the 12-year-old Liu Hong (
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. As a reaction to this, Lu Zhi, then still a civilian with no official post, wrote to Dou Wu, advising him to reject the rewards; Dou ignored him.[5]
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 (
References
[edit]- ^ According to Liu Hong's biography in Book of the Later Han, Chen Fan and Dou Wu, among others, were killed on the xinhai day of the 9th month of the 1st year of the Jianning era of his reign. This corresponds to 25 Oct 168 in the Julian calendar. [(
建 宁元年 )九 月 辛 亥 ,中 常 侍曹 节矫诏诛太 傅 陈蕃、大将 军窦武 ...] Houhanshu, vol.08 - ^ (窦武
字 游 平 ,扶风平 陵 人 ,安 丰戴侯 融 之 玄 孙也。父 奉 ,定 襄 太守 。) Houhanshu, vol.69 - ^ (
武 少 以经行 着 称 ,常 教授 于大泽中,不 交时事 ,名 显关西 。) Houhanshu, vol.69 - ^ (书奏,
因 以病上 还城门校尉 、槐 里 侯 印 绶。帝 不 许...) Houhanshu, vol.69 - ^ ([
建 宁元年 ]六 月 ....。癸巳 ,录定策 功 ,封 窦武为闻喜 侯 ,武子 机 为渭阳侯,兄子 绍为鄠侯,靖 为西乡侯,中 常 侍曹 节为长安乡侯,侯 者 凡十 一 人 。涿郡卢植上 书说武 曰:“足下 之 于汉朝 ,犹旦、奭之在 周 室 ,建立 圣主,四海 有 系 ,论者以为吾子 之 功 ,于斯为重。今 同 宗 相 后 ,披图案 牒,以次建 之 ,何 勋之有 !岂可横 叨天功 ,以为己 力 乎!宜 辞 大 赏,以全身 名 。”武 不能 用 。) Zizhi Tongjian, vol.56