Zhou Bo | |
|---|---|
| 周勃 | |
| RightImperial Chancellor 右丞相 | |
| In office 16 December 180[a] – 2 October 179 BC[b] | |
| Monarch | Emperor Wen of Han |
| Preceded by | Chen Ping |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown Pei County,Jiangsu |
| Died | 169 BC |
| Children |
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| Occupation | Politician |
| Posthumous name | Marquis Wu武侯 |
| Peerage | Marquis of Jiang絳侯 |
Zhou Bo (周勃; died 169 BC),posthumously known asMarquis Wu of Jiang (绛武侯), was a Chinese official who served as a chancellor of the earlyHan dynasty. A friend of the Han dynasty's founding emperorLiu Bang (Emperor Gaozu), he joined Liu in the rebellion against theQin dynasty between 209 and 206 BC, and later fought on Liu's side against Liu's rivalXiang Yu during theChu–Han Contention from 206 BC to 202 BC. After the Han dynasty was established, he held key appointments in the government, includingGrand Commandant andRight Imperial Chancellor, until his death.
Zhou Bo'sancestral home was in Juan County (卷縣; present-dayYuanyang County, Henan) but he was born inPei County in present-dayJiangsu. A friend ofLiu Bang, he joined the latter in the rebellion against theQin dynasty between 209 and 206 BC. After the fall of the Qin dynasty in 206 BC, Zhou Bo fought on Liu Bang's side against his rivalXiang Yu in a power struggle for supremacy over China historically known as theChu–Han Contention (206–202 BC).
After Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu, became emperor and established theHan dynasty in 202 BC, he enfeoffed Zhou Bo as the Marquis of Jiang (絳侯) to honour him for his contributions. When Liu Bang died in 195 BC, his empressLü Zhi and her clanseized power; her sonLiu Ying was under the Lüs' control as a puppet ruler. During this time, Zhou Bo served asGrand Commandant (太尉).
After the Lüs were ousted from power and another of Liu Bang's sons,Liu Heng (Emperor Wen), became emperor, Zhou Bo started serving asRight Imperial Chancellor on 16 December 180 BC. However, he resigned within a year as he realised that he was not competent enough for the role.Chen Ping, the Left Imperial Chancellor, then took over Zhou Bo's office and held both, but died shortly after in November 179 BC. On 5 December 179 BC,[c] Zhou Bo took office as Imperial Chancellor again to replace Chen Ping, and was relieved of his duties in the week of 22 January 177 BC,[d] after which he retired and returned to his marquisate.Guan Ying took over his role on 29 January 177 BC.
When Zhou Bo died in 169 BC, Emperor Wen awarded him theposthumous title "Marquis Wu" (武侯; 'military marquis') to honour him for his contributions to the Han dynasty.
One of Zhou Bo's sons,Zhou Yafu, served underLiu Qi (Emperor Jing), Emperor Wen's successor, and played a key role in suppressing theRebellion of the Seven States in 154 BC.
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