Mother Lü (; died 18 AD) was a rebel leader against the

Xin dynasty The Xin dynasty (; ), also known as Xin Mang () in Chinese historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped the throne of the Emperor Ping o ...

of China. She started a peasant uprising after her son was executed by the government for a minor offence, and became the first female rebel leader in Chinese history. After she died of an illness, her followers became a major force of the Red Eyebrows rebellion which played a significant role in the downfall of the Xin dynasty and the

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

by Liu Xiu.

Background

Mother Lü was born during the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

of China. In 9 AD, the chief minister

Wang Mang Wang Mang () (c. 45 – 6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun (), was the founder and the only Emperor of China, emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the Han dynasty and later ...

usurped the imperial throne and proclaimed himself Emperor of the

. Wang implemented a number of policies which were opposed by the wealthy landowning class. Economic stress caused by the flooding of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...

further weakened the legitimacy of his rule. Mother Lü lived in Haiqu County (),

Langya Commandery Langya Commandery ( zh, , ) was a commandery in historical China from Qin dynasty to Tang dynasty, located in present-day southeast Shandong and northeast Jiangsu. The commandery was established in Qin dynasty on the former territories of Qi. Fro ...

(), in present-day Rizhao,

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

province. Her family was very wealthy, worth millions of coins according to the ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Later ...

''.

Rebellion

In 14 AD, her son Lü Yu (), who had served in the government of Haiqu County, was executed by the

county magistrate County magistrate ( or ) sometimes called local magistrate, in imperial China was the official in charge of the ''xian'', or county, the lowest level of central government. The magistrate was the official who had face-to-face relations with the ...

for a minor offence. To avenge his death, Mother Lü plotted a rebellion, using her wealth to recruit poor peasants and purchase weapons and supplies. She soon raised an army of several thousand people from a populace that had already been dissatisfied with the government. Mother Lü assumed the title of general and led her rebel force to storm the capital of Haiqu County. After capturing the county magistrate, she beheaded him and sacrificed his head on her son's tomb.

Death and legacy

Mother Lü's success inspired numerous people all over the country to rebel against Wang Mang's rule, and her own force grew rapidly to tens of thousands of soldiers, but she soon died of an illness in 18 AD. After her death, most of Lü's followers joined forces with Fan Chong, another native of Langya who had rebelled in

Ju County Ju County or Juxian () is a county of Rizhao City, in the south of Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. As of the end of 2021, the total registered population of Ju County was 1.167 million. It covers an area of . The Fulaishan Scenic ...

in 18. The joint army became known as the Red Eyebrows, which was one of the two leading rebel forces that would overthrow Wang Mang's regime. Historians credit Mother Lü with starting the wave of uprisings that led to the downfall of the Xin dynasty and the restoration of the Han dynasty by Liu Xiu (Emperor Guangwu), the first emperor of Eastern Han. She is the first female rebel leader recorded in Chinese history.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lu, Mother 1st-century BC births 18 deaths Year of birth unknown Chinese rebels Women in ancient Chinese warfare Women leaders of China Han dynasty generals Women in 1st-century warfare People from Rizhao Xin dynasty 1st-century BC Chinese women 1st-century BC Chinese people 1st-century Chinese women 1st-century Chinese people Ancient rebels