Dou Xian

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Dòu Xiàn ( Chinese  窦 宪 , W.-G. Tou Hsien ; * 50s; † 92 ) was the head of the Dou family, which was involved in a power struggle with the eunuchs of the Eastern Han Dynasty at the time of Empress Dou .

In 88, Dou Xian committed a crime that caused the Empress mother Dou to threaten him with execution. Liu Chang, the Marquis of Duxiang, was favored by the Empress Mother because of his intelligence, and Dou Xian feared that her position would diminish his power. So he murdered him and blamed her brother Liu Gang, the Marquis of Li, for it. However, some judges, who were not afraid of Dou Xian, investigated and found the real culprit. Emperor's mother Dou was furious and had Dou Xian locked up. Dou Xian then offered to lead an army against the northern Xiongnu to iron out his offense.

Empress mother Dou agreed, and Dou Xian defeated the Xiongnu 89 on his campaign. After this great victory he became even more arrogant, and Empress Mother Dou allowed him to do so. Dou Xian defeated the Xiongnu again in 91 and destroyed their tribal community. After that, he expanded his power in the government by intimidating all officials and threatening them with demotion or even death.

In 92 the Dou family fell victim to a coup. The details are unclear, but it appears that Emperor He (perhaps encouraged by his brother, former Crown Prince Qing, deposed by the Dous, and the eunuch Zheng Zhong ) suddenly ordered the imperial guards to arrest and execute Dou Xian's crony. Emperor He sent Dou Xian and his brothers back to their brands and then ordered them (with the exception of Dou Guis) to commit suicide.