Empress Dowager Guo – The Empress Dowager who fought hard to keep the struggling Wei Dynasty intact

Empress Dowager Guo was the second Empress of Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty. Empress Dowager Guo oversaw the reigns of the last emperors of the Wei Dynasty. She was known to be a talented stateswoman who tried to keep the struggling Wei Dynasty together.^[1] Shortly after her death, the dynasty that she had fought so hard to protect fell apart.^[2] A new dynasty was then established.^[3]

In circa 210 C.E., Empress Dowager Guo was born in Xiping Commandery (modern-day Xining District in Gansu Province).^[4] She was from the prosperous Guo clan.^[5] However, her home Commandery rebelled before 223 C.E.^[6] She was brought to the palace of the Kingdom of Wei.^[7] After Cao Rui ascended the throne as Emperor Ming of the Wei Dynasty in 226 C.E., Lady Guo became an imperial concubine.^[8] Emperor Ming was very fond of Lady Guo and promoted her family.^[9] In early 239 C.E., Emperor Ming fell ill, and he decided to make Lady Guo his empress.^[10] On 16 January 239 C.E., Lady Guo was invested as Empress of China.

On 22 January 239 C.E., Emperor Ming died. Emperor Ming had no sons.^[11] His successor was his adopted eight-year-old son named Cao Fang.^[12] Empress Guo was made Empress Dowager.^[13] The regents for Emperor Cao Fang were Sima Yi (the Defender-in-Chief) and Cao Shuang (the General-in-Chief).^[14] The two fought over who would be the sole regent for the emperor.^[15] Sima Yi won.^[16] He executed Cao Shuang and his supporters.^[17] After Sima Yi died in 251 C.E., he left the regency in the care of his two sons.^[18] They were Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.^[19]

On 17 October 254 C.E., Sima Shi deposed Emperor Cao Fang. He used Empress Dowager Guo’s name to depose him by accusing him of “conducting himself with unbounded license and with indecent intimacy toward singing girls.”^[20] Empress Dowager Guo did not want Emperor Cao Fang to be deposed.^[21] Yet, she realised that she had no choice.^[22] She did insist on handing the imperial seal to the next Emperor. He was Emperor Cao Mao (a grandson of Emperor Wen of the Wei Dynasty).^[23] Emperor Cao Mao was thirteen years old and was a puppet emperor under Sima Shi and Sima Zhao.^[24]

Sima Shi died in 255 C.E. He left Sima Zhao as the sole regent of Emperor Cao Mao.^[25] Emperor Cao Mao tried to get his power back from Sima Zhao, but his attempts failed.^[26] On 2 June 264 C.E., Emperor Cao Mao was killed after launching a failed coup against Sima Zhao.^[27] Sima Zhao installed Cao Huan (King Cao Cao’s grandson) as emperor.^[28] On 8 February 264 C.E., Empress Dowager Guo died. She was buried in Gaopingling.^[29] Two years later, on 8 February 266 C.E., Sima Zhao’s son, Sima Yan, forced Emperor Cao Huan to abdicate.^[30] Sima Yan became emperor and founded the Jin Dynasty. He became known as Emperor Wu.

Empress Dowager Guo witnessed the reign of three emperors.^[31] She tried to protect her dynasty.^[32] However, she was not strong enough to sustain it.^[33] Instead, the Wei Dynasty fell apart shortly after her death.^[34] Historians have portrayed Empress Dowager Guo in a more positive and sympathetic light.^[35] They believe she was a very remarkable empress.^[36] Therefore, Empress Dowager Guo has continued to be praised and admired by many historians for thousands of years.^[37]

Sources:

Chen, S. & Pei, S. (1999). Empresses and Consorts: Selections from Chen Shou’s Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi’s Commentary. (R. J. Cutter, Ed.; S. Pei. Ed.; W. G. Crowell, Ed.). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

Ching-Chung, P. (2015). “Guo, Empress of Emperor Ming of Wei”. Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E.. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge. pp. 287-289.