Lü Chan

Biography

Family Background and Early Life

Lü Chan came from the Lü clan of Shanfu, which rose to prominence through Lü Zhi's marriage to Liu Bang. During the upheavals at the end of the Qin, Liu Bang rebelled against Qin, and several members of the Lü family rendered service in his cause. Lü Chan's father, Lü Ze, was an important commander under Liu Bang, repeatedly distinguished himself during the Chu–Han Contention, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhoulü. In 199 BCE, the eighth year of Emperor Gaozu, Lü Ze died in battle, and Lü Chan inherited the title Marquis of Xiao through his father's merit. Little is recorded about Lü Chan's early life. His adult political career depended heavily on the power of his aunt Empress Lü. After Liu Bang became emperor, the Lü clan rose rapidly, and Lü Ze, Lü Shizhi, and other family members received marquisates. As Lü Ze's son, Lü Chan belonged to the younger generation of the clan and did not initially participate directly in central politics, but his rank as a marquis already placed him among the titled nobility.

Rise During Empress Lü's Rule

In 188 BCE, the seventh year of Emperor Hui, Liu Ying died and Empress Lü ruled directly. To consolidate the position of her clan, she promoted members of the Lü family on a large scale. Lü Chan, his elder brother Lü Tai, and their kinsman Lü Lu were appointed military commanders and given authority over the Southern and Northern Armies. The Southern Army guarded the imperial palace, while the Northern Army defended the capital; control over these forces meant control of Chang'an's core military power.

In 187 BCE, the first year of Empress Gao, Empress Lü sought to enfeoff members of the Lü clan as kings. Right Chancellor Wang Ling strongly opposed the plan, while Left Chancellor Chen Ping and Grand Commandant Zhou Bo supported the empress's wishes. Wang Ling was dismissed, and Empress Lü began creating Lü clan kings, with Lü Tai becoming King of Lü. After Lü Tai died in 186 BCE, his son Lü Jia succeeded him. In 182 BCE, Lü Jia was deposed for arrogant conduct, and Lü Chan was made King of Lü. In 181 BCE, Empress Lü reassigned him as King of Liang and appointed him Grand Tutor to the young emperor, allowing him to remain in Chang'an rather than going to his kingdom.

By the end of Empress Lü's life, Lü Chan had become one of the central figures in the clan's power. In the seventh month of 180 BCE, when the empress was gravely ill, she repeatedly warned Lü Chan and Lü Lu that the ministers resented the Lü kings, that the emperor was young, and that after her death the ministers might launch a coup. She instructed them to hold the troops and guard the palace and not to leave the armies in order to attend the funeral. She appointed Lü Lu commander of the Northern Army and Lü Chan commander of the Southern Army. After her death, her testamentary order named Lü Chan Xiangguo and made Lü Lu's daughter empress to the young emperor. At this point Lü Chan combined the office of Xiangguo with control of the Southern Army and was one of the most powerful officials at court.

The Lü Clan Crisis and Destruction

After Empress Lü's death, conflict between the Lü clan and the Liu imperial clan and founding-merit faction intensified quickly. Lü Chan, Lü Lu, and their supporters dominated Chang'an and were said to contemplate rebellion, yet they hesitated because they feared established figures such as Zhou Bo, Marquis of Jiang, Guan Ying, Marquis of Yingyin, and members of the Liu clan such as Liu Zhang, Marquis of Zhuxu.

When Liu Xiang, King of Qi, learned of the alleged plans of the Lü clan, he acted first, raising troops and advancing west while seeking support from other Liu princes. Lü Chan sent Guan Ying to oppose him, but Guan Ying did not wish to fight on behalf of the Lü clan. After reaching Xingyang, he halted his army and secretly communicated with the king of Qi, agreeing to unite against the Lü faction if it openly rebelled.

In Chang'an, Grand Commandant Zhou Bo lacked direct control over the troops and therefore devised a plan to seize military authority. He detained Li Shang, father of Lü Lu's friend Li Ji, and forced Li Ji to persuade Lü Lu to surrender his command. Lü Lu trusted him and handed over control, allowing Zhou Bo to enter the Northern Army and take command of this crucial force.

Lü Chan was unaware of what had occurred and entered Weiyang Palace as planned, intending to make his move. Unable to pass the palace gate, he lingered outside. Cao Ku, Marquis of Pingyang, learned of this and immediately rode to report to Zhou Bo. Zhou Bo ordered Liu Zhang, Marquis of Zhuxu, to enter the palace with more than a thousand troops to protect the young emperor. Liu Zhang encountered Lü Chan within the Weiyang Palace grounds. It was already late and a strong wind was blowing; Lü Chan's followers panicked and would not fight. Lü Chan fled, but Liu Zhang pursued him and killed him in a latrine at the Gentlemen-at-the-Palace compound. After Lü Chan's death, Liu Zhang used an imperial tally to kill Lü Gengshi, Commandant of the Changle Guards, and then rode to the Northern Army to report victory. Zhou Bo rose to congratulate him. Liu Zhang declared that Lü Chan had been the principal danger and that with him dead the realm was secure. Zhou Bo then ordered the arrest of members of the Lü clan, male and female, old and young; Lü Lu, Lü Tong, and others were killed, and the political power of the Lü clan was completely dismantled.

Major Activities

Control of the Southern Army

Lü Chan's most important source of power late in Empress Lü's rule was the Southern Army. Responsible for defending the imperial palace, it was the core force protecting the court. Empress Lü placed the army under Lü Chan on her deathbed and explicitly instructed him to hold troops and guard the palace. The importance of this force to the survival of the Lü faction is shown by events after Lü Chan's death: Liu Zhang killed Lü Chan and then Lü Gengshi before the palace complex was securely controlled.

Royal Enfeoffments

Lü Chan was successively enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiao, King of Lü, and King of Liang, making him a major beneficiary of Empress Lü's policy of creating Lü clan kings. In 182 BCE, after Lü Jia, King of Lü, was deposed, Lü Chan succeeded him. In 181 BCE he was reassigned as King of Liang. Liang occupied a strategically important position in the Central Plains. Lü Chan did not leave the capital to administer his kingdom but instead remained at court as Grand Tutor to the young emperor, showing that Empress Lü intended him to retain influence at the center rather than develop an independent territorial base.

Service as Xiangguo

After Empress Lü died in 180 BCE, her testamentary instructions appointed Lü Chan Xiangguo. Xiangguo was the highest civil office in the early Western Han and ranked above the chancellor. Lü Chan simultaneously held a royal title and the court's highest administrative office, making the appointment a central part of the Lü clan's attempt to preserve power after the empress's death. He held the post for only a short period before being killed in the coup, leaving little opportunity for independent policy-making.

Struggle with the Founding-Merit Faction

The principal political challenge confronting Lü Chan after Empress Lü's death came from the founding-merit faction. Zhou Bo, Chen Ping, and other senior ministers outwardly complied while secretly planning the destruction of the Lü clan. Although Lü Chan controlled the Southern Army, he remained wary of these established figures and hesitated to act decisively. His decision to send Guan Ying against Liu Xiang failed when Guan Ying halted at Xingyang and effectively defected. In the crucial contest over whether to seize power, Lü Chan's hesitation allowed Zhou Bo, Liu Zhang, and their allies to move first, resulting in his death and the destruction of his clan's political position.

Personal Relations

• Grandfather: Lü Gong, a notable of Shanfu and Liu Bang's father-in-law.
• Father: Lü Ze, Marquis of Zhoulü and a founding contributor of Han, who died in battle.
• Uncle: Lü Shizhi, Marquis of Jiancheng.
• Aunt: Lü Zhi, empress of Emperor Gaozu and later Empress Lü.
• Aunt: Lü Xu, wife of Fan Kuai, Marquis of Wuyang.
• Elder brother: Lü Tai, first King of Lü, who died young.
• Nephew: Lü Jia, second King of Lü, later deposed.
• Kinsman: Lü Lu, King of Zhao and commander of the Northern Army, later killed.
• Daughter: A Lady Lü who became queen of Liu Hui, Prince Gong of Zhao, and drove Liu Hui to suicide.
• Liu Bang: Emperor Gaozu and Lü Chan's uncle by marriage.
• Liu Ying: Emperor Hui and Lü Chan's cousin.
• Liu Gong: Former young emperor whom Lü Chan served.
• Liu Hong: Later young emperor whom Lü Chan served.
• Zhou Bo: Grand Commandant and principal organizer of the coup.
• Chen Ping: Chancellor and principal organizer of the coup.
• Liu Zhang: Marquis of Zhuxu, who personally killed Lü Chan.
• Liu Xiang: King of Qi, who raised troops against the Lü clan.
• Guan Ying: Marquis of Yingyin, who refused to fight for the Lü faction at Xingyang.
• Li Ji: Friend of Lü Lu, used in the plot that induced Lü Lu to surrender military command.

Historical Assessment

Han Period / Contemporary

• Liu Xiang criticized Lü Chan and Lü Lu for relying on Empress Lü's favor, holding the offices of general and chief minister, commanding the Southern and Northern Armies, and enjoying royal rank while becoming arrogant and seeking to endanger the Liu house.
• Chen Lin later portrayed Lü Lu and Lü Chan as monopolizing government and arbitrarily deciding affairs within the palace, with disorder spreading through the hierarchy and the empire losing confidence.
• Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, in the "Basic Annals of Empress Lü," recounts the fall of the Lü clan in detail. Although it does not offer an extended direct judgment of Lü Chan, the narrative of his death conveys a critical historical framing of his seizure of power and defeat.

Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties

• Fang Yanqian argued that even people with great martial prowess, political power, learning, or military skill could not attain the imperial throne if they lacked the mandate of the times, and included Lü Chan and Lü Lu as examples of men who inherited a powerful family position yet failed to become rulers.
• Sima Zhen, in his Suoyin commentary to the Records of the Grand Historian, criticized the period when the Lü clan controlled government as one in which public affairs were governed by private interest.

Tang and Song Periods

• Su Zhe dismissed figures such as Lü Chan and Lü Lu as mediocre men whose defeat need not have been feared.
• Sima Guang's Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance records Lü Chan's actions in detail and, through its account of his hesitation and missed opportunities, presents an implicit criticism of his political ability.

Modern Period

• Lü Simian, in History of the Qin and Han, analyzes the fall of the Lü clan and argues that Lü Chan and Lü Lu, despite controlling military forces, lacked political foresight and decisiveness and reacted too slowly to the plans of the founding ministers.
• Modern scholarship often examines Lü Chan through the history of imperial in-law politics, treating him as a representative case of such intervention and viewing his defeat as reflecting structural conflict among imperial in-laws, the founding-merit faction, and the imperial clan.