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Empress Feng[1] (fl.490s), also known as Empress Xiaowenfei (孝文废皇后, literally "(Emperor) Xiaowen's Deposed Empress), was an empress of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty. She was Emperor Xiaowen's first empress.
Lady Feng was a daughter of Feng Xi (馮熙)[2] the Prince of Changli,[3] who was a brother of the powerful Grand Empress Dowager Feng,[4] the wife of Emperor Wencheng and regent over his son Emperor Xianwen and grandson Emperor Xiaowen. (Through her father, she was therefore also a great-granddaughter of the Northern Yan emperor Feng Hong.) Her mother was probably Feng Xi's wife Princess Boling. She had two older half-sisters (by Feng Xi's concubine Lady Chang) who were concubines of Emperor Xiaowen — Feng Zhaoyi and an unnamed sister, but the unnamed sister died early, and after Feng Zhaoyi had a major illness, she left the palace and became a Buddhist nun.
On 19 May 493,[5] Emperor Xiaowen took Empress Xiaowenfei as his empress. She initially was much favored. However, after Emperor Xiaowen found out that Feng Zhaoyi had recovered, he took her back as a concubine. (There is some evidence, but not conclusive, that Empress Xiaowenfei might have been involved in her sister's being returned to the palace.) Feng Zhaoyi, because she was Emperor Xiaowen's concubine earlier and an older sister, refused to submit to Empress Xiaowenfei, and tried to undermine Empress Xiaowenfei's position as an empress, including accusing her of being against Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization program. On Empress Xiaowenfei's part, although she was not prone to jealousy, she often expressed shame and hatred at her elder half-sister's insolence.[6] In c.August 496,[7] Emperor Xiaowen deposed Empress Xiaowenfei.
Because Empress Xiaowenfei was virtuous and much interested in Buddhism, she became a Buddhist nun and remained one for the rest of her life. She died at Yaoguang Temple at an unknown date.[8] It is likely, but not conclusive, that she outlived her older half-sister (known posthumously as Empress You), who was killed in February 499.
References
edit- ^ The name "Feng Qing" (馮清) is not recorded in history.
- ^ (孝文废皇后冯氏，太师熙之女也。) Book of Wei, vol.13
- ^ (...进爵昌黎王。) Wei Shu, vol.83 (part 1)
- ^ (冯熙字晋昌，长乐信都人，文明太后之兄也。) Wei Shu, vol.83 (part 1)
- ^ wuxu day of the 4th month of the 17th year of the Taihe era, per volume 7 (part 2) of Book of Wei
- ^ (高祖后重引后姊昭仪至洛，稍有宠，后礼爱渐衰。昭仪自以年长，且前入宫掖，素见待念，轻后而不率妾礼。后虽性不妒忌，时有愧恨之色。昭仪规为内主，谮构百端.) Wei Shu, vol.13
- ^ 7th month of the 20th year of the Taihe era, per volume 7 (part 2) of Book of Wei. The month corresponds to 26 July to 24 August 493 in the Julian calendar.
- ^ (后贞谨有德操，遂为练行尼。后终于瑶光佛寺。) Wei Shu, vol.13