Empress Dowager Gou [SEP] noble family
Empress Dowager Gou
Empress Dowager Gou (苟太后, personal name unknown) was an empress dowager of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. Her husband was Fu Xiong (苻雄), the Prince of Donghai and brother of the founding emperor Fu Jiàn. She became empress dowager in 357 after her son Fu Jiān (note different tone) seized power in a coup from his tyrannical cousin Fu Sheng (Fu Jiàn's son) and claimed the title "Heavenly Prince" ("Tian Wang"). In addition to
Fu Jiān, she had at least one other son with Fu Xiong, Fu Shuang (苻雙) the Duke of Zhao.
Empress Dowager Gou had been widowed in 354 when Fu Xiong died. It is commonly believed that after her husband's death, she carried on an affair with her cousin Li Wei (李威), whom Fu Jiān treated effectively like a second father.
Around the new year 358, Empress Dowager Gou saw that Fu Jiān's older brother Fu Fa (苻法) the Duke of Donghai (