Yelü Pusuwan (; died 1177) was regent of the Western Liao dynasty (Qara Lhitai) during the minority of her nephew

Yelü Zhilugu Yelü Zhilugu () was the third emperor of the Western Liao dynasty, ruling from 1177 to 1211. As the final ruler from the House of Yelü, he is considered by traditional Chinese sources to be the last monarch of the Western Liao dynasty. Reign ...

from 1163 to 1177. She was the younger sister of the Western Liao emperor

Yelü Yilie Yelü Yilie (, d. 1163), otherwise known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Western Liao (), was the second emperor of the Western Liao dynasty (Qara Khitai), ruling from 1150 to 1163. Reign He was too young to succeed as emperor when Yelü ...

(Emperor Renzong).

Reign

She stepped up as regent when her older brother

died, since his son

was still a minor. In 1165 Masud II pillaged Balkh and Andkhoy with Pusuwan's support. After punitive expeditions in 1169 and 1172, Qara Khitai army crushed

Il-Arslan Il-Arslan ("The Lion") (full name: ''Taj ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Abul-Fath Il-Arslan ibn Atsiz'', Persian: تاج الدین ابوالفتح ایل ارسلان بن اتسز) (died March 1172) was the Shah of Khwarezm from 1156 until 1172. He was t ...

, who soon died. His death caused civil war in Khwarazmid realm — his wife Terken Khatun enthroned Sultan Shah, while another son Tekish fled to Qara Khitai and asked for help. Around this time Mu'ayyid al-Din Ai-Aba sent a tribute to empress. Yelü Pusuwan sent her husband Xiao Duolubu (蕭朵魯不) with a huge army who defeated Sultan Shah, and put Tekish to throne on 11 December 1172. In eastern border, she tried subdue

Naimans The Naiman ( Mongolian: Найман, Naiman, "eight"; ; Kazakh: Найман, Naiman; Uzbek: Nayman) were a medieval tribe originating in the territory of modern Western Mongolia (possibly during the time of the Uyghur Khaganate), and are one o ...

and Qanglis unsuccessfully by sending her general Erbuz (額兒布思).''

History of Jin The ''History of Jin'' (''Jin Shi'') is a Chinese historical text, one of the ''Twenty Four Histories'', which details the history of the Jin dynasty founded by the Jurchens in northern China. It was compiled by the Yuan dynasty historian and mi ...

''
vol.121
/ref> After a while Tekish fed up with growing Qara Khitai demands of tribute and killed an emissary sent by Pusuwan, who was her relative. This caused Pusuwan to favor Sultan Shah. Xiao Duolubu was sent again, this time to dethrone the very man he had crowned. While Duolubu was away, she was infatuated with his brother Xiao Puguzhi (蕭樸古只). She created Duolubu as "Pacifier of East" (東平王) but spent more time lately with her new lover. When her father-in-law Xiao Wolila (蕭斡里剌) found about the relationship, he surrounded the palace and killed both lovers. Her nephew

was installed as new emperor.

References

, - {{Authority control 1177 deaths Emperors of Qara Khitai Yelü clan 12th-century viceregal rulers 12th-century women rulers Chinese princesses 12th-century Khitan women