著者

平松 明日香

出版者

東洋史研究会

雑誌

東洋史研究 (ISSN:03869059)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.72, no.2, pp.187-221, 2013-09

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In this paper, the author surveys the organization, changes, and demise of the persistent regencies of empresses dowager throughout the Later Han era. In the first section, the author examines how the environment that allowed authority to be concentrated in the institution of the empress dowager was set up with a focus on the first half of the Later Han era. Once an empress dowager became regent, she maintained political power for most of her life, and had the authority to nominate a new emperor, and on certain occasions, even to dethrone an emperor. In addition, during the Later Han era, the number of clans that produced empresses became limited, an empress no longer needed to produce an heir herself, and the status of empresses stabilized. Furthermore, an empress dowager could assemble a coterie of close advisers, take advantage of the court council, and was thus also able to punish maternal relative of the emperor. Through the first half of the Later Han era, an environment was set up in such a way that once an empress dowager, who had come from the clan of a meritorious retainer, became regent, she could then stay at the center of political power for a lengthy period of time. Then, in the second section, the author investigates the process of change in the actual conditions of the regency of empresses dowager during the middle period of the Later Han era. The rise of the eunuch faction as a political force was caused mainly by the existence of multiple of centers of power at court after the enthronement of Emperor An, such as the Deng, Geng, and Yan clans, rather than by the female regency. In such circumstances, the political power of eunuchs and nurses was sought after. Moreover, Empress Dowager Yan gave the eunuchs more important positions than she did scholar bureaucrats. Later, during the regency of Empress Dowager Liang, who had been the empress of Emperor Shun, the maternal relatives of the emperor, i.e. her male relatives, also awarded eunuchs important positions. By permanently fixing the capital of Da Jiangjun, and with the cooperation of the eunuchs, maternal relatives of the emperor enormously increased their voice in politics, and they no longer needed the power of empresses dowager as was previously the case. At this stage, institution of the empress dowager had lost almost all its function as an organ of policy planning. Lastly, in the third section, the author considers the process of the loss of authority and power of empresses dowager from the reign of Emperor Huan to that of Emperor Ling. The rise of others, especially real mothers of emperors rather than legitimate mothers, accelerated the relative decline in status and political authority of the empresses dowager. Furthermore, the eunuchs were essential in order for the empresses dowager to keep their status at the court, but at this stage, the maternal relatives of emperor had already set about excluding the eunuchs who were their rivals. There was a fracture between eunuchs and the maternal relatives of emperor who both ought to advise empresses dowager, and their regencies thus lost their ability to function. As noted above, the regencies of the empresses dowager had begun to change from about the reign of Emperor An and develop into a new political system that was formed after the end of the Later Han era.