Empress Guo Shengtong - Family Background and Marriage To Liu Xiu

Family Background and Marriage To Liu Xiu

Guo Shengtong came from a wealthy family. Her father Guo Chang (郭昌) was a major landowner in the Zhending Commandery (真定, roughly modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei). Her mother was a daughter of Liu Pu (劉普), Prince Gong of Zhending—a hereditary prince descended from the Western Han imperial house, as a sixth generation descendant of Emperor Jing, and she carried the courtesy title of Lady. After Guo's maternal grandfather's death in 7 BC, her uncle Liu Yang (劉楊) inherited the principality. When Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, he was demoted to duke, and the following year demoted to a commoner.

Circa 23, as Wang Mang's Xin Dynasty was crumbling, Liu Yang rose in rebellion and, as his family had hereditary authority in Zhending, the people followed him, and he reclaimed the title of Prince of Zhending. He became a regional power in his principality and nearby commanderies. He nominally submitted to Emperor Gengshi. When the pretender Wang Lang, claiming to be a son of Emperor Cheng (with the name Liu Ziyu (劉子輿)) rose against Emperor Gengshi in late 23, Prince Yang supported his claim. In 24, however, as Liu Xiu, still an official under Emperor Gengshi, was trying to pacify the region, he engaged in talks with Liu Yang, and they reached an alliance, under which Liu Xiu took Liu Yang's niece Guo in marriage. (Liu Xiu was already married to Yin Lihua at the time, and it is not clear what Guo's status was vis-à-vis Yin, although Yin was likely in Liu's and her home territory of Nanyang (modern Nanyang, Henan) at the time, thus avoiding a direct difficult situation.)

In 25, after Liu Xiu proclaimed himself emperor of a restored Han Dynasty (as Emperor Guangwu), Guo was created an imperial consort. That year, she bore him his firstborn son, Liu Jiang (劉疆). Her position would not change, even though her uncle Liu Yang was suspected of planning a rebellion and killed in 26. (Despite that incident, Emperor Guangwu permitted Liu Yang's son and Consort Guo's cousin Liu De (劉得) to inherit the Principality of Zhending, although he would be demoted to marquess in 37 as part of a major reorganization of noble titles.)

Also in 26, Emperor Guangwu considered creating an empress. He favored his first love, Consort Yin. However, Consort Yin had not yet had a son by that point, and she declined the empress position and endorsed Consort Guo. Emperor Guangwu therefore created Guo empress and her son Prince Jiang crown prince.