Empress Dowager Luo

Lady Luo (Chinese: 羅氏), also known as Empress Dowager Luo (Chinese: 羅太皇后), was an empress dowager of Cheng-Han during the Sixteen Kingdoms period. She was the wife of the Ba-Di leader Li Te and the mother of the dynastic founder of Cheng-Han, Li Xiong (Emperor Wu). She is noted as one of the few recorded women to have fought in battle during her time, participating in the defense of Chizu (赤祖, in present day Mianzhu, Sichuan) in 303.

Life

Nothing much is known about Lady Luo's early life. She was the wife of a Ba-Di man named Li Te, whose ancestors originated from Baxi Commandery (巴西郡; around present-day Langzhong, Sichuan) in Yizhou but later relocated to Qinzhou (秦州, modern eastern Gansu) where they assimilated themselves with the Di people. They had two sons, Li Dang and Li Xiong, but not Li Shi (李始) the eldest son of Li Te. According to legend, it was said that before she gave birth to Li Dang, she had a dream of a pair of rainbows that came out from a gate growing through the sky when suddenly, one of them stopped halfway through. In another dream, she saw a serpent which proceeded to coil around her. Shortly after this, she was impregnated with Li Xiong. Lady Luo always believed that if either Li Dang or Li Xiong were to die young, then the other one would be destined for greatness.[1]

In 296, the Di chieftain Qi Wannian rebelled in Li Te's area, so he moved back to his ancestral home in Ba together with Lady Luo. However, he soon found himself involved in a rebellion led by Zhao Xin in 301. He later killed Zhao and submitted back to Jin, but a shaky relationship between him and Jin's Inspector of Yizhou, Luo Shang led to a war between the two, with Li Te being killed in 303.[2]

Li Te's army was thrown into a state of panic with news of their leader's sudden death. He was succeeded by his brother Li Liu who regrouped his forces at Chizu. A combined force of He Chong (何沖), Chang Shen (常深) and Yao Shen (藥紳) were sent by Luo Shang to surround their camp. To make matters worse, the Di leaders Fu Cheng (苻成) and Kui Bo (隗伯) betrayed Li Liu and attacked him as well. In desperation, Lady Luo armed herself and fought with the enemy head on. She was injured while fighting Kui Bo’s men when a blade struck one of her eyes, but this only made her fight harder. Despite the odds, Li Liu's forces survived and drove out the attackers from their camp. Li Liu quickly pushed onto Luo Shang's base in Chengdu.[3]

Unfortunately for Lady Luo, Li Dang was killed by a spear during the attack on Chengdu. She and Li Xiong decided to keep his death a secret to prevent morale from dropping.[4]

Li Liu would die later in 303 and was succeeded by Li Xiong. Li Xiong drove out Luo Shang out from the Ba and Shu regions and declared his state of Cheng. Xiong honoured Lady Luo as queen dowager (later empress dowager as Li Xiong declared himself emperor in 306) and his father King Jing of Chengdu.[5]

Empress Dowager Luo died in an unknown year. At the advice of a magician, Li Xiong originally decided not to bury his mother. However, at the persuasion of his Minister of Works, Zhao Su (趙肅), Li Xiong finally had her buried. Li Xiong held what was supposed to be a three years mourning session for his mother, but once again, at the behest of his ministers, decided to cut it short and returned to the government.[6]

References
  1. (李雄，字仲俊，特第三子也。母羅氏，夢雙虹自門升天，一虹中斷，既而生蕩。後羅氏因汲水，忽然如寐，又夢大蛇繞其身，遂有孕，十四月而生雄。常言吾二子若有先亡，在者必大貴。蕩竟前死。) Book of Jin, Volume 121
  2. (戰敗，為尚所殺，流代統兵事。流字玄通，自稱大都督、大將軍。) Book of Northern Wei, Volume 96
  3. (三月，羅尚遣督護何沖、常深攻李流，涪陵民藥紳亦起兵攻流。流與李驤拒紳，何沖乘虛攻北營，氐苻成、隗伯在營中，叛應之。蕩母羅氏擐甲拒戰，伯手刃傷其目，羅氏氣益壯；會流等破深、紳，引兵還，與沖戰，大破之。成、伯率其黨突出詣尚。流等乘勝進抵成都，尚復閉城自守。蕩馳馬逐北，中矛而死。) Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 85
  4. (蕩策馬追退軍，為叟長矛所樁，死。羅、雄秘不發喪，以安眾心) Huayang Guo Zhi, Volume 8.7
  5. (追尊父特曰景帝，廟號始祖，母羅氏為太后。) Book of Jin, Volume 121
  6. (雄母羅氏死，雄信巫覡者之言，多有忌諱，至欲不葬。其司空趙肅諫，雄乃從之。雄欲申三年之禮，群臣固諫，雄弗許。李驤謂司空上官惇曰：「今方難未弭，吾欲固諫，不聽主上終諒闇，君以為何如？」惇曰：「三年之喪，自天子達于庶人，故孔子曰：'何必高宗，古之人皆然。'但漢、魏以來，天下多難，宗廟至重，不可久曠，故釋衰絰，至哀而已。」驤曰：「任回方至，此人決於行事，且上常難達違言，待其至，當與俱請。」及回至，驤與回俱見雄。驤免冠流涕，固請公除。雄號泣不許。回跪而進曰：「今王業初建，凡百草創，一日無主，天下惶惶。昔武王素甲觀兵，晉襄墨絰從戎，豈所願哉？為天下屈己故也。願陛下割情從權，永隆天保。」遂強扶雄起，釋服親政。) Book of Jin, Volume 121
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