Princess Yuan of Lu

Princess Yuan of Lu
Born	c. 217 BCE
Died	May 187 BCE (aged 29-30)
Burial	Anling
Spouse	Zhang Ao, Prince of Zhao
Issue	Empress Xiaohui Zhang Yan, Marquis of Nangong
House	House of Liu (by birth) House of Zhang (by marriage)
Father	Emperor Gaozu of Han
Mother	Empress Lü Zhi

Princess Yuan of Lu
Traditional Chinese	魯元公主
Simplified Chinese	鲁元公主
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Lǔ Yuán Gōngzhǔ

Princess Yuan of Lu (魯元公主), personal name unknown, also called Princess Lu Yuan (late 3rd-century BC – c. May 187 BC^[1]), was the eldest daughter of the Han dynasty's founder Emperor Gaozu and Empress Lü Zhi. She had one daughter who was married to her younger brother, Emperor Hui.

Biography

Lu Yuan's exact birth date is unknown, but her appearance in official records suggests that she was born before 211 BC.^[2] She was born before her father Liu Bang became a serious political contender, after which most of her early life was spent avoiding capture by enemy forces.^[3]

In 204 BC, during the Chu–Han Contention, the carriage of Lu Yuan and her brother Liu Ying was pursued by forces of the Chu State. Duke Teng, a member of the Xiahou family, ordered the two to leave the carriage and replaced them with two decoy travellers to allow them to escape.^[4]

Liu Bang was proclaimed Emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty in 202 BC. Lu Yuan's mother Empress Lü Zhi had little power after her husband became emperor and was powerless to prevent Emperor Gaozu from planning to marry Lu Yuan, as the daughter of the legitimate wife, to a Xiongnu leader to prevent the nomads from causing trouble on the northern border.^[5] However, Lu Yuan was married in 202 BC to Zhang Ao, the King of Zhao.^[6] Their daughter Zhang Yan was married to Lu Yuan's younger brother Liu Ying in c. November 192 BC, as part of their mother's attempts to control the imperial household.^[7]

In c. December 194 BC, King Daohui of Qi presented Chengyang Commandery to Lu Yuan and honoured her as Queen dowager.^[8]

Burial

Lu Yuan is buried in the Anling mausoleum group near Xianyang, alongside her brother, daughter and husband. Her tomb is larger than that of her husband.^[9]

Media

• Lu Yuan is one of the characters of the 2010 Chinese TV series Beauty's Rival in Palace. She is portrayed by Lü Jiarong [zh].

References

Notes

1. 4th month of the 1st year of Empress Lü's regency (after Emperor Hui's death), per vol.13 of Zizhi Tongjian. The month corresponds to 10 May to 7 Jun 187 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar.
2. Book of Han: Annals of Emperor Gaozu, Volume 1, Upper, 相魯元公主，亦皆貴. Empress Lü's biography in Book of Han indicated that Lu Yuan was older than her brother Emperor Hui, who was born in 210 BCE.
3. guanhuimin
4. Book of Han: Annals of Emperor Gaozu, Volume 1, Upper, 漢王道逢孝惠、魯元，載行。楚騎追漢王，漢王急，推墮二子。滕公下收載，遂得脫。
5. guanhuimin
6. Loewe 2000, p. 419.
7. guanhuimin
8. Book of Han, Volume 2: Annals of Emperor Hui, Volume 2, 二年冬十月，齐悼惠王来朝，献城阳郡以益鲁元公主邑，尊公主为太后。
9. guanhuimin

Cited works

• guanhuimin (13 May 2016). "鲁元公主是怎么死的 鲁元公主墓地在哪里" [How did Princess Yuan of Lu die? Where is the tomb of Princess Yuan of Lu?]. Lishi Quwen (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
• "漢書卷一上 高帝紀第一上" [Book of Han, Volume 1, Upper: Annals of Emperor Gaozu, Volume 1, Upper]. guoxue123 (in Chinese). Retrieved 13 February 2017.
• "汉书卷二 惠帝纪 第二" [Book of Han, Volume 2: Annals of Emperor Hui, Volume 2]. readers365 (in Chinese). Retrieved 13 February 2017.
• Loewe, Michael (2000). A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (221 BC – AD 24). Brill. ISBN 90-04-10364-3. Full access available to users of The Wikipedia Library.