The first emperor and empress of the Han dynasty were both commoners by birth, and the imperial family maintained certain matriarchal customs during the early years of the dynasty. Indeed, these customs eventually for when relatives of the throne wormed their way deep into the inner circles of power, it was their connection to the empress that they relied on.
漢代開國帝王劉邦與呂后都來自社會下層，漢初帝室就保有若干母系社會的遺俗，甚至成為漢代政治上的大困難。外戚囂張擴權，依恃的就是母后的威權。