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 Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty which lasted from 9 to 23 AD, established by the Han dynasty consort kin Wang Mang, who usurped th ...

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 The Red Eyebrows () was one of the two major peasant rebellion movements against Wang Mang's short-lived Xin dynasty, the other being Lülin. It was so named because the rebels painted their eyebrows red. The rebellion, initially active in t ...

rebellion which played a significant role in the downfall of the Xin dynasty and the restoration of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

Liu Xiu The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as st ...

Background

Mother Lü was born during the

Western Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) and a warring in ...

of China. In 9 AD, the chief minister

Wang Mang Wang Mang (45 BCE6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun, officially known as the Shijianguo Emperor (), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the ...

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, also known as Huanghe, is the second-longest river in China and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system on Earth, with an estimated length of and a Drainage basin, watershed of . Beginning in the Bayan H ...

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. Fr ...

(), in present-day

Rizhao Rizhao (), alternatively romanized as Jihchao, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Shandong province, China. It is situated on the coastline along the Yellow Sea, and features a major seaport, the Port of Rizhao. It borders Qingdao to th ...

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

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 Lat ...

''.

Rebellion

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

county magistrate The county magistrate or local magistrate, known by several Chinese names, was the official in charge of the '' xian'' ("county"), the lowest level of central government in Imperial and early Republican China. The magistrate was the official ...

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 Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling * Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially with ...

, 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 Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization al ...

in 18 AD. The joint army became known as the

, 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

(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 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