Empress Dowager Xiaohe

Empress Dowager Xiaohe (孝和皇太后; 1582 – 1619), of the Wang clan, was a Ming dynasty consort of the Taichang Emperor and the biological mother of Tianqi Emperor.[1]

Empress Dowager Xiaohe
孝和皇太后
Born1582 (1582)
Shuntian Prefecture
Died1619 (1620) (age 37–48)
Forbidden City, Beijing
Burial
SpouseTaichang Emperor
Issue
Posthumous name
Empress Dowager Xiaohe Gongxian Wenmu Huici Xietian Sheng (孝和恭獻溫穆徽慈諧天鞠聖皇太后)
ClanWang (王)

Biography

edit

Lady Wang became a concubine of Taichang Emperor when he was the crown prince. She was chosen to be a concubine of Taichang Emperor with the rank of Lady of Selected Service (Chinese: 選侍; Pinyin: xuǎn shì), a third rank Consort of the Crown Prince.[2]

In December 1605, Lady Wang gave birth to Zhu Chanluo's first son who would become the Tianqi Emperor.[3] Lady Wang was promoted to the rank of Talented Lady. In 1607, she gave birth to another son who lived only until 1610.[4]

When Zhu Youjian became emperor, he posthumously awarded his mother with title of Empress Dowager Xiaohe Gongxian Wenmu Huici Xietian Sheng and moved her tomb to Qingling to be buried alongside her husband.[5][6]

Titles

edit
  • During the reign of the Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620):
    • Lady Wang (王氏; from 1582)
    • Lady of Selected Service (選侍)
    • Talented Lady (才人; from 1604)
  • During the reign of the Tianqi Emperor (r.1620–1627):
    • Empress Dowager Xiaohe Gongxian Wenmu Huici Xietian Jusheng' (孝和恭獻溫穆徽慈諧天鞠聖皇太后; from 1621)

Issue

edit
  • As Lady of Selected Service:
    • Zhu Youjiao, the Tianqi Emperor (熹宗 朱由校; 23 December 1605 – 30 September 1627), the Taichang Emperor's first son
  • As Talented Lady:
    • Zhu Youxue, Prince Jianhuai (簡懷王 朱由㰒; 1607–1610), the Taichang Emperor's second son

References

edit
  1. ^ 五禮通考: 卷首4卷, 262卷 (in Chinese). 1761.
  2. ^ 俞鹿年 (2020-05-29). 中國官制大辭典(上下冊) (in Chinese). 中華書局(香港)有限公司. ISBN 978-988-8675-66-1.
  3. ^ 颜廷瑞著 (2017-03-01). 孝庄皇太后2:风云山海关 (in Chinese). Beijing Book Co. Inc. ISBN 978-7-999220-44-2.
  4. ^ 續文獻通考 (in Chinese). 浙江書局. 1887.
  5. ^ 周莎 (2010). Tombs of Ming and Qing (明清墓). University of Michigan. pp. Pag 42–44.
  6. ^ 达良; 刘佑平 (1993). 中华姓氏通书: 王姓 (in Chinese). 海南出版社. ISBN 978-7-80590-386-6.