Imperial Court and Government of the Early Former Han Period : The Military Meritocracy

Abstract

The ruling system of the Early Former Han Period(前漢) consisted of three powers standing side by side: the imperial court, the government and the kingdoms. In this system, the governmental power was monopolized by a Military Meritocracy. The direction of this system was decided by the Pa-Ma Covenant(白馬之盟), which was concluded between the emperor and his ministers in the 12th year of Gao-di(高帝), and the organization for this system was completed during the reign of Empress Lu(呂后) P. This article, which is based on the connection between the imperial court and the government, further analyzes a movement in the central government during the reigns of Empress Lu period and Emperor Wen(文帝). In reaching his results, the author has studies several matters, including the rebellion of the Lu Family, the relocation of the Marquis States, and the demotion of Jia Yi(賈誼). The author concludes that all these events are connected to the Military Meritocracy of the early Han Period.