Dugu Qieluo

Dugu Qieluo or Dugu Jialuo (Chinese: 獨孤伽羅; 544 – 10 September 602), formally Empress Wenxian (文獻皇后), was an empress of the Sui dynasty of China. She was the wife of Emperor Wen, who, on account of his love and respect for her, as well as an oath they made while they were young, did not have any concubines for at least most of their marriage, an extreme rarity among Chinese emperors. She also bore him all his children. However, she was domineering, ruthless, exceedingly powerful, and influential during her husband's reign, and assisted him in running the empire.

Empress Dugu held such dignity and rank that, through repeated examinations and trials, her name rose by virtue and competence; in external court she took part in the governance, and within the inner palace she ruled over the harem: Her position, coupled with her close relationship with the emperor, led them to be called the Two Saints or Two Ruler ("二圣"). Because she was jealous and filled with suspicion, she diminished the position of the concubines and attendants and did not establish the rank of the three noble consorts, lest anyone rise above her station or surpass her in authority. Also, her performances initially played an important role in the advancement of the empire, but in the succession system she was also a significant factor in its downfall. She was heavily involved in emperor's decision to divert the order of succession from their eldest son Yang Yong to the second son Yang Guang. Yang Guang ascended after his father's death as Emperor Yang, the last Sui emperor. Later, her nephew Li Yuan (later known as Emperor Gaozu) founded the Tang dynasty.