Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 116

Empress Dowager Hu – The woman who brought down the Northern Wei Dynasty

Empress Dowager Hu has often been blamed for causing the downfall of the Northern Wei dynasty.[1] Empress Dowager Hu was a consort of Emperor Xuanwu. However, he never appointed her as Empress because he already had one.[2] When her son ascended the throne at the age of five, she became Empress Dowager and ruled as regent for her son.[3] She ruled like an Emperor and most likely viewed herself as one.[4] Her reign has often been seen as disastrous. Her official biographer even named her “The Last Bad Ruler”[5]. She was not even honoured in death because she received an insulting posthumous title.[6] However, recently she has garnered more sympathy among modern historians.[7] Thus, Empress Dowager Hu remains one of China’s most controversial historical figures.

Empress Dowager Hu was born in Anding (modern-day Gansu Province) sometime around 490 C.E.[8] Her first name remains unrecorded. She was of ethnic Han Chinese origin.[9] Her father, Hu Guozhen, was a minister in education.[10] Her mother was a member of the prominent Huangfu clan.[11] Her aunt was a Buddhist nun who often taught Buddhism in the imperial palace.[12] Because of her aunt’s prominence in the palace, Hu became a Consort to Emperor Xuanwu.[13]

It was said that many of Emperor Xuanwu’s concubines dreaded getting pregnant because they feared his second empress, Gao. Empress Gao was suspected of poisoning his first Empress immediately after she bore him a son.[14] The son died shortly afterwards. It is most likely that Empress Gao poisoning the first empress was merely a rumour and that she died in childbirth.[15] Nevertheless, the fear of being killed was very apparent among the concubines, and they went through extreme measures to prevent themselves from getting pregnant.[16]

Despite being afraid of Empress Gao, Consort Hu saw how beneficial it was to provide a son for Emperor Xuanwu.[17] When she became pregnant, she often prayed for a son.[18] In 510 C.E., she gave birth to a son named Yuan Xu. Emperor Xuanwu gave his newborn son a palace of his own and placed him in the care of wet nurses.[19] When he was two years old, he became the Crown Prince.

In 515 C.E., Emperor Xuanwu died, and the five-year-old Yuan Xu ascended the throne as Emperor Xiaoming. Empress Gao was appointed regent and made Empress Dowager, and Consort Hu was made “Imperial Mother.”[20] Empress Dowager Gao viewed Consort Hu as a powerful rival.[21] She tried to murder Consort Hu.[22] However, Consort Hu had the protection of a powerful faction that opposed the Gao clan.[23] The faction eventually deposed Empress Dowager Gao. Empress Dowager Gao was sent to a nunnery, where she died a year later.[24]

After Empress Dowager Gao’s deposition, Consort Hu was made Empress Dowager and regent.[25] The first thing she did was to make her father a Duke.[26] Empress Dowager Hu became the unofficial ruler of China.[27] She issued edicts using the terminology not as an Empress Dowager but as an Emperor.[28] Yet throughout her reign, she encountered a series of economic and social problems.[29] Empress Dowager Hu loved competing in archery contests, travelled to the countryside, and took many pleasure trips to picturesque spots.[30] These activities were reserved solely for the Emperor.[31] Thus, it is most likely that Empress Dowager Hu saw herself not as an Empress Dowager but as an Emperor.[32] It was said that Empress Dowager Hu had many lovers and gave them important government positions.[33] She had also fallen in love with a General named Yang Baihua, who fled south so that his name would not be connected with hers.[34] Heartbroken, Empress Hu composed a poem.[35] It went:

“In the second and third months of spring,

The willows flower all at once.

One night, the spring breeze  came into my boudoir,

But the willow flower flew to the South.

Lovesick, supported by feeble legs I came out and picked a willow flower;

tears wet my blouse.

Autumn is gone and Spring is here,

I wish the pair of swallows would take a willow bloom into their love nest.”[36]

Tuoba Cha, Empress Dowager Hu’s brother-in-law, was unhappy with Empress Dowager Hu. He viewed her as a neglectful ruler who ignored state affairs for more pleasurable and leisurely activities.[37] He conspired with a eunuch to form a coup d’etat to oust her as regent.[38] The coup was successful. In 520 C.E., Empress Dowager Hu was forced to abdicate as regent and was placed under house arrest.[39] She was forbidden to meet her son.[40] In 525 C.E., Empress Dowager Hu teamed up with her son to remove Tuoba Cha as regent. Tuoba Cha was ousted, and Empress Dowager Hu was regent once again.[41]

It was said that this Second Regency of Empress Dowager Hu was what led to the fall of the Northern Wei dynasty.[42] She appointed incapable ministers, and many of her policies proved to be failures.[43] Despite having a bad reign, she did set up regional offices in which it became more accessible for the subjects to submit petitions.[44] She also built Buddhist temples.[45]

Emperor Xiaoming was very unhappy that his mother was still regent, and he wanted to rule for himself.[46] He asked the nomadic chieftain of the Jie tribe named Erzhu Rong for help.[47] When Empress Dowager Hu’s advisors found out about Emperor Xiaoming asking for outside help, they were so angry that they murdered the Emperor.[48] Erzhu Rong was so outraged over Emperor Xiaoming’s murder that he arrived at the capital’s gates with his army.[49] Empress Dowager Hu tried to prevent him from storming the capitals gates by making Emperor Xiaoming’s infant daughter the new Emperor on 1 April 528 C.E.[50] This was unprecedented.[51] Never before was there a female ruler.[52] The fifty day-old infant would reign for a day when Erzhu Rong expressed his discontent with the new ruler.[53] On 2 April 528 C.E., Empress Dowager Hu deposed her granddaughter and placed Emperor Xiaoming’s two-year-old cousin named Yuan Zhao on the throne instead.[54]

Erzhu Rong was still displeased with Empress Dowager Hu’s choice of Emperor.[55] He selected Emperor Xiaowen’s grandson and made him marry his daughter so that she could become the next Empress.[56] Then, his army stormed inside the capital gates. Empress Dowager Hu quickly fled the palace, and she sought sanctuary in a Buddhist temple.[57] She disguised herself as a nun and shaved off her hair.[58] Erzhu Rong’s army tracked her down and captured her.[59] On 17 May 528 C.E., Empress Dowager Hu was drowned by his army in the Yellow River.[60] Her remains were given to her sister, and her sister placed them in the Shuangling Buddhist Temple.[61] She was given the posthumous title Empress Dowager Ling. This title was not very flattering and was an insult for it means “The Unattentive Empress”[62].

Many modern historians have been more sympathetic to Empress Dowager Hu’s reign than the ancient chroniclers.[63] They believe she was Empress Dowager Hu was not as bad as the chroniclers have often depicted her.[64] Empress Dowager Hu tried to be a good ruler, but she let more pleasurable pursuits get in the way of governing.[65] Thus, her greatest fault was that she gave in to the temptations to pursue her personal pleasures.[66] Still, historians have often credited her as the woman who brought down the Northern Wei dynasty.[67] Less than thirty years later, Northern Wei was split into two dynasties: the Northern Qi and the Northern Zhou dynasty.[68] China would not be reunified until the Sui dynasty in 581 C.E.[69] 

Sources:

Lau, L. M. & Ching-Chung, P. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Waldherr, K. (2008). Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di. NY: Bloomsbury Books.

[1] McMahon, p. 143

[2] McMahon, p. 143

[3] McMahon, p. 143

[4] McMahon, p. 143

[5] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[6] Waldherr, p. 60

[7] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[8] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[9] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[10] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[11] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[12] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[13] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[14] Waldherr, p. 60

[15] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[16] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[17] Waldherr, p. 60

[18] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[19] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[20]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[21]Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[22] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[23] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[24] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[25] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[26] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[27] McMahon, p. 143

[28] McMahon, p. 143

[29] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 297

[30] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[31] McMahon, p. 143

[32] McMahon, p. 143

[33] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[34] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[35] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[36]  Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[37] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[38] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[39] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[40] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[41] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[42] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298; McMahon, p. 143

[43] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[44] Waldherr, p. 60

[45] Waldherr, p. 60

[46] Waldherr, p. 60

[47] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[48] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[49] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 298

[50] Lau & Ching-Chung, pp. 298-299

[51] Lau & Ching-Chung, pp. 298-299

[52] Lau & Ching-Chung, pp. 298-299

[53] Lau & Ching-Chung, pp. 298-299

[54] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[55] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[56] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[57] Waldherr, p. 60

[58] Waldherr, p. 60

[59] Waldherr, p. 60

[60] McMahon, p. 145; Waldherr, p. 60

[61] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[62] Waldherr, p. 60

[63] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299  

[64] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[65] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299

[66] Lau & Ching-Chung, p. 299  

[67] McMahon, p. 143

[68] McMahon, p. 145

[69] McMahon, p. 145

The post Empress Dowager Hu – The woman who brought down the Northern Wei Dynasty appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Imperial Honoured Consort Wan – How an Emperor fell in love with his nursemaid

Imperial Honoured Consort Wan’s love story with Emperor Xianzong is a strange one because she was originally his nursemaid and seventeen years older than him. Because of Emperor Xianzong’s love for her, Honoured Consort Wan would reign as his Empress in all but name. For centuries chroniclers have been puzzled over this relationship and believed that it was sorcery that made the Emperor fall for his nursemaid.[1] Chinese television has even portrayed her as an evil seductress who uses potions to bewitch the Emperor. Some examples include Virtues of Harmony, where she is portrayed by Stephanie Che and The Emperor’s Harem, in which Tavia Yeung played the infamous consort. Imperial Honoured Consort Wan is even portrayed negatively in The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, where she is played by Alyssia Chia. Yet, it seems that it was not sorcery that made Emperor Xianzong love Imperial Honoured Consort Wan. The truth is more likely psychological. What is clear is that Imperial Honoured Consort Wan was Emperor Xianzong’s true love.[2] All he ever wanted was to spend the rest of his life with her.[3]

Imperial Honoured Consort Wan was born in 1430 C.E. in Zhucheng (modern-day Shandong Province).[4] Her birth name was Wan Zhen’er. Her father, Wan Gui, was a minor official. He had committed a crime and was exiled to Bazhou (south of modern-day Beijing).[5] When she was three years old, she became a palace maid to Empress Dowager Sun.[6] Empress Dowager Sun was fond of Wan Zhen’er and took care of her.[7] Empress Dowager Sun even acted as Wan Zhen’er’s mentor, and Wan Zhen’er would remember her teachings for the rest of her life.[8] 

When Wan Zhen’er was twenty years old, Empress Dowager Sun appointed her as nursemaid to the heir apparent, the three-year-old Zhu Jianshen (the future Emperor Xianzong).[9] Zhu Jianshen was the grandson of Emperor Xuanzong and Empress Dowager Sun. His father was Emperor Yingzong, who was captured by the Mongols and was their prisoner.[10] Since his father was a captive, his uncle became Emperor Daizong. When Emperor Yingzhong was finally released from prison, Emperor Daizong immediately placed Emperor Yingzhong and his son, Zhu Jianshen, under house arrest.[11] Zhu Jianshen would remain under house arrest for seven years.[12] It was during this period that he became very attached to Wan Zhen’er.[13] He viewed her as his companion and protector.[14] Before Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne at the age of seventeen, he already had intimate relations with Wan Zhen’er.[15] 

In 1464 C.E., Zhu Jianshen ascended the throne as Emperor Xianzong. Emperor Xianzong made Wan Zhen’er enter his harem by making her a consort.[16] Consort Wan Zhen’er was thirty-four years old. Because she was his nurse, he could not make her his official Empress as he so desperately desired.[17] Instead, he made a member of the aristocratic Wu family his Empress.[18] Despite making another woman his Empress, Emperor Xianzong was still heavily influenced by Consort Wan Zhen’er.[19] Historians have described Consort Wan Zhen’er as clever and submissive to the Emperor’s wishes.[20] Whenever the Emperor visited her, she would greet him wearing a military uniform.[21] 

Empress Wu was reportedly so disgusted with the relationship between Emperor Xianzong and Consort Wan Zhen’er that she flogged Consort Wan Zhen’er.[22] Emperor Xianzong was so mad at his Empress that he immediately deposed her and installed a new empress in her place.[23] Empress Wu was Empress for only one month.[24] The new Empress was a female from the Wang family.[25] Empress Wang was smarter than the previous Empress and did not openly resent the relationship between Emperor Xianzong and Consort Wan Zhen’er.[26] Empress Wang would remain childless. The relationship between Emperor Xianzong and Consort Wan Zhen’er also puzzled his mother, Empress Dowager Zhou. Empress Dowager Zhou asked her son what feature of Consort Wan Zhen’er made her so beautiful to her son that he could not resist her.[27] Emperor Xianzong replied, “When she caresses me, I feel peaceful. It has nothing to do with beauty.” [28]

In 1466 C.E., Consort Wan Zhen’er gave birth to Emperor Xianzong’s first son.[29] The pleased Emperor was so ecstatic that he made Wan Zhen’er Honoured Consort.[30] This was the highest rank below the Empress.[31] However, the baby died within a year, and Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er never gave him another child.[32] Nevertheless, the Emperor did not want to have another child with any woman besides Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er.[33] 

For some time, Emperor Xianzong remained faithful to Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er, but the ministers became worried about the state of China because it had no heir.[34] They begged the Emperor to provide an heir.[35] Reluctantly, Emperor Xianzong agreed and did his duty.[36] Chroniclers have said that Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er was against the Emperor having any children and would kill any woman who was pregnant.[37] Yet, modern historians find this unlikely.[38] 

It has often been a constant theme for Chinese chroniclers to paint powerful women in the imperial harem as ruthless women who frequently murdered their rivals.[39] Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er was secure in the Emperor’s love.[40] She had no need to get rid of the other concubines.[41] She knew the importance of the Emperor to have an heir. The fact that Emperor Xianzong would have eleven sons and six daughters proves that Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er did not eliminate her pregnant rivals.[42] The heir apparent was Emperor Xiazong’s third son was Zhu Youcheng (the future Emperor Xiaozong). His mother was Ji, a female scribe.[43] It was said that Ji was poisoned soon after she presented her son to the court.[44] Again, modern historians view this as slander from the chroniclers.[45] Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er had no need to kill the Crown Prince’s mother.[46] Thus, Lady Ji most likely died of natural causes.

Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er was Empress in all but name.[47] Chroniclers have said that she remained in his favour because she provided him with obscene literature and love potions.[48] One chronicler even stated that she hired a sorcerer named Li Zixing to keep the Emperor in favour.[49] Yet, modern historians believe this to be false.[50] The real reason why she has remained in the Emperor’s favour was because he had been attached to her since childhood.[51] Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er had always been his companion and protector.[52] His deepest desire is to live his entire life with her.[53] Thus, the reason why she remained in favour was because she was Emperor Xianzong’s “one true love” [54].

Honoured Consort Wan Zhen’er lived an extravagant lifestyle.[55] Yet, her greatest fault was that she let corrupted eunuchs have a lot of power during her unofficial reign.[56] One eunuch was Wang Zhi, who was in charge of the Secret Service.[57] During his four year appointment from 1476-1480 C.E., he was brutal to both court officials and nobles.[58] He would be known as one of the four “eunuch dictators.” [59] The eunuchs also took lands from poor soldiers and would sell court positions to the highest bidder.[60]

Honoured Consort Wan died of illness in 1487 C.E. It was said that she died in the midst of a seizure.[61] She was fifty-seven. Emperor Xianzong was very heartbroken by her death.[62] He never could cope with her loss.[63] Realizing that he could not live without her, Emperor Xianzong followed her in death seven months later.[64] He was thirty-nine years old. Honoured Consort Wan was buried on Mount Tianshou. She was given the posthumous title of “Respectful Solemn Imperial Honoured Consort” [65].

Sources:

Inf.News. (n.d.). “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”. Retrieved December 28, 2021 from https://inf.news/en/history/b10a18fcc....

Lin Y. (2014). “Wan, Honored Consort of Ming.” Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 – 1644. Edited by Xiao Hong Lee, L. & Wiles, S. Routledge. pp. 407-408

.McMahon, K. (2016). Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing. NY: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Weatherford, J. (2010). The Secret History of the Mongol Queens: How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire. NY: Broadway Books.

[1] McMahon, p. 100

[2] Weatherford, p. 256

[3] Weatherford, p. 170

[4] Lin, p. 407

[5] Lin, p. 407

[6] Lin, p. 407

[7] Lin, p. 407

[8] Lin, p. 407

[9] Lin, p. 407

[10] McMahon, p. 99

[11] McMahon, p. 95

[12] McMahon, p. 95

[13] Weatherford, p. 170

[14] Weatherford, p. 170

[15] Weatherford, p. 170; Lin, p. 407

[16] Lin, p. 407

[17] Weatherford, p. 170

[18] Weatherford, p. 170

[19] Lin, p. 407

[20] McMahon, p. 99; Lin, p. 407

[21] McMahon, p. 99

[22] Lin, p. 407

[23] Lin, p. 407

[24] Lin, p. 407

[25] Lin, p. 407

[26] Lin, p. 407

[27] Lin, p. 407

[28] Lin, p. 407

[29] McMahon, p. 99

[30] McMahon, p. 99

[31] McMahon, p. 99

[32] Lin, p. 407

[33] McMahon, p. 99

[34] McMahon, p. 99

[35] McMahon, p. 99

[36] McMahon, p. 99

[37] McMahon, p. 99

[38] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, paras. 5-7

[39] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, paras. 5-7

[40] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, para. 5

[41] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, para. 5

[42] Lin, p. 408

[43] Lin, p. 408

[44] Lin, p. 408

[45] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, paras. 5-7

[46] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, para. 5

[47] Lin, p. 407

[48] McMahon, p. 100

[49] McMahon, p. 100

[50] Inf.News, “Wan Zhener: What magic power does the elder maid have, so that the emperor who is 17 years younger than himself is obsessed for a lifetime?”, paras. 7-9

[51] Weatherford, p. 170

[52] Weatherford, p. 170

[53] Weatherford, p. 170

[54] Weatherford, p. 256

[55] Lin, p. 408

[56] Lin, p. 408

[57] Lin, p. 408

[58] Lin, p. 408

[59] Lin, p. 408

[60] Lin, p. 408

[61] Lin, p. 408

[62] Weatherford, p. 256

[63] Weatherford, p. 256

[64] Weatherford, p. 256

[65] Lin, p. 408

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Royal Wedding Recollections – Prince Juan Carlos of Spain & Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark

On 14 May 1962, Princess Sofia of Greece and Denmark married the future King Juan Carlos I of Spain in three different ceremonies. The match was a bit controversial from the start as Sofia came from a reigning dynasty, while Juan Carlos’s future as King was still rather uncertain. He was not known as the Prince of Asturias as Franco had refused to allow him to use the title.1

The first ceremony was the Roman Catholic ceremony, as this was the faith of the groom. It began at 10 a.m. and was held in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Athens, Venediktos Printesis. Sofia wore a tulle-covered lamé gown with antique lace. Her train was lined with the same lace and was six metres long. She wore a long veil, held in place by the Prussian Diamond Tiara. Her dress was the work of Jean Dessès, and the shoes were by Vivier. Juan Carlos wore a Spanish army uniform. The Cathedral was decorated with red and yellow carnations – the colours of the Spanish. Despite the mass being said in three languages, the ceremony lasted just 30 minutes. They received the blessing of the archbishop as Mozart’s coronation mass played.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

The couple then got into a carriage that would take them to the Royal Palace for a civil ceremony. This ceremony was performed by the Mayor of Athens. However, Sofia was Greek Orthodox, and a second ceremony had been allowed by Pope John XXIII. Once more, the couple got into their carriage and were driven to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens. At noon, a 21 gun salute announced the commencement of the Orthodox ceremony.

After the ceremony, Sofia threw her wedding bouquet, which was caught by Princess Anne-Marie of Denmark, who would later become her sister-in-law. The couple then returned to the royal palace as they waved to the crowds that lined the route.

During their honeymoon on Corfu, Sofia was officially received into the Catholic Church.

The couple went on to have three children, including the current King of Spain – King Felipe VI. They became King and Queen of Spain in 1975 until Juan Carlos’s abdication in 2014. However, they mostly live separate lives now.

 

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The Queen’s jewellery to feature in Platinum Jubilee displays

Glittering jewels from The Queen’s collection will go on display this summer as part of the Platinum Jubilee displays at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Each display focusses on a different part of Her Majesty’s reign.

At Buckingham Palace, official portraits of The Queen taken just weeks after her accession by Dorothy Wildling will go display alongside the jewellery she is wearing for the sittings, including the Diamond Diadem.

The Diamond Diadem was created for the coronation of King George IV in 1821. It is set with 1,333 brilliant-cut diamonds and also has a band with two rows of pearls either side of a row with diamonds. The diamonds are set in the form of a rose, a thistle and two shamrocks.

Also on display at Buckingham Palace will be the magnificent Delhi Durbar necklace. This incorporates nine emeralds, which were orginally owned by Queen Mary’s grandmother, the Duchess of Cambridge. It also contains the 8,8 carat diamond cut from the Cullinan diamond.

At Windsor Castle, the Coronation Dress and Robe of Estate worn by The Queen will be displayed. Emblems representing the states of which she is monarch were incorporated in the design of the dress in gold and silver thread. The Queen often wears brooches that also consist of these emblems. The Canadian Maple-leaf Brooch, the Flame-Lily Brooch, the New Zealand Silver Fern Brooch and the Sri Lanka Booch will also go on display.

At the Palace of Holyroodhouse, visitors will be treated to several previous Jubilee outfits. The Diamond Jubilee outfit will be on display for the first time. Alongside the outfits will be a selection of gifts presented to The Queen during official engagements in Scotland.

Click to view slideshow.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Accession will be at the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace from Friday, 22 July to Sunday, 2 October 2022.

Platinum Jubilee: The Queen’s Coronation will be at Windsor Castle from Thursday, 7 July to Monday, 26 September 2022.

The Platinum Jubilee display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse will be from 3 July to 25 September 2022.

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Royal Jewels – The Spencer Tiara

Perhaps one of the most famous tiaras in British royal history is the Spencer tiara, which isn’t even owned by the British royal family. It was worn by Lady Diana Spencer on her wedding day on 29 July 1981 to the heir to the British throne, the Prince of Wales. The Spencer tiara is, as the name might suggest, owned by the Spencer family. It has a design of swirled arcs of leaves and flowers.

Before it became Diana’s bridal tiara, it had been in the family for almost a century. The central part of the tiara was given to Lady Cynthia Hamilton as a wedding present from Lady Sarah Spencer, who was a daughter of the 4th Earl Spencer. She married the then Viscount Althorp in 1919. He succeeded as the 7th Earl Spencer in 1922, and they were Diana’s grandparents. Supposedly the rest of the tiara also came from Lady Sarah, and in the 1930s, the jeweller Garrard had made the tiara into the piece we know so well today.

Embed from Getty Images

The Spencer Tiara was also worn by both of Diana’s sisters on their wedding days, but their mother wore a tiara from her own family at her wedding. Victoria Lockwood, who was the first wife of Diana’s brother, also wore the tiara on her wedding day, but his subsequent two wives did not wear it.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

Even after her wedding, Diana wore the Spencer Tiara from time to time. Since her death, it was part of an exhibition on Diana’s life, but it has since returned home to her brother, who owns it.1

Embed from Getty Images

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Queen Wang Zhaojun – The precious jewel that the Emperor deeply regretted losing

Queen Wang Zhaojun was known as one of the four most beautiful women in ancient China. She was originally the concubine of Emperor Yuan. However, she remained unfavored and was never summoned to the Emperor. She was chosen to marry the Khan of Xiongnu as part of a marital alliance. When Emperor Yuan finally saw her, he immediately became smitten with her. He would always regret giving her away to the Xiongnu khan. Queen Wang Zhaojun has become one of China’s patriotic heroes because she made a tremendous sacrifice for her country.[1]

Queen Wang Zhaojun was born around 50 B.C.E. Her actual name was Wang Qiang.[2] Historians debate her place of birth.[3] One chronicler claims that she was born in Shandong, but another chronicler claims she was born in Zigui (modern-day Hubei Province).[4] Wang Zhaojun was from “a good family.” [5] She had two brothers, Wang Xi and Wang Sa.[6]

Sometime before 33 B.C.E., Wang Zhaojun entered the palace as a concubine to Emperor Yuan.[7] However, she was not favoured and was never summoned into his presence.[8] It seemed that Wang Zhaojun’s destiny was to live out her days forgotten both in the palace and history. Yet, Emperor Yuan would soon need her in 33 B.C. E. Emperor Yuan did not need her for physical intimacy but as a bride for an important political marital alliance.[9]

For almost a thousand years, the Xiongnu (also known as the Huns in Western sources) had raided China’s northern regions.[10] To stop the Xiongnu from the northern invasions, Emperor Yuan decided to have a marriage between a Princess of the Chinese royal family and the Xiongnu khan.[11] The marriage would establish peace between the two nations. The problem was finding a Chinese Princess. Emperor Yuan did not want to give a direct member of the imperial family to the Xiongnu khan.[12] Instead, he looked among his concubines who were not in favour. He chose Wang Zhaojun because she had a good family background.[13] Thus, it was decided that Wang Zhaojun would marry Huhanye, the Khan of the Xiongnu. One chronicler stated that Wang Zhaojun was unhappy with being the prospective bride of the Khan of the Xiongnu but saw it as a sacrifice that she was willing to make for the good of her homeland.[14] Another chronicler claimed that it was Wang Zhaojun who volunteered herself to marry the Xiongnu Khan because she would rather live out her days in another land than remain in obscurity inside the palace.[15] Emperor Yuan raised her status from Concubine to Consort.[16] This was to ensure that Consort Wang Zhaojun’s parents would have a more favourable treatment whenever they entered the Han court.[17]

Before Consort Wang Zhaojun embarked on her journey to marry the Khan of Xiongnu, Emperor Yuan gave her a farewell banquet. It was the first time he saw her.[18] He was so stunned by her beauty that he immediately became smitten with her.[19] He realized that he had lost a precious jewel. Emperor Yuan wanted her for himself, but it was too late.[20] Emperor Yuan had already made the wedding arrangements, and he was bound by honour to give her to the Xiongnu Khan.[21] However, he would always deeply regret losing her.[22] 

Consort Wang Zhaojun left the palace with four of Emperor Yuan’s unfavoured concubines.[23] The concubines would be her servants. In honour of the marriage, Emperor Yuan declared her a new title, “Lady of Peace at the Border”.[24] Legend has it that she was so sorrowful about leaving her homeland that she strummed her pipa during her journey.[25] This detail appears to be a fictional invention by Tang poets.[26] Nevertheless, it has become intertwined with Queen Wang Zhaojun’s image.[27] The earliest portrait of Queen Wang Zhaojun holding the pipa was by Han Gan.[28] Since then, artists have usually inserted a pipa when painting her portrait.[29] 

Lady Wang Zhaojun married Khan Huhanye.[30] She shared equal rank as Queen consort among his many wives.[31]  Khan Huhanye had at least ten sons.[32] Queen Wang Zhaojun gave birth to a son named Yitu Zhiyashi.[33] Huhanye died, and his eldest son named Diaotaomogao became the next Khan as Fuzhulei Ruoti.[34] It was custom for the widows of the previous Khan to marry the new Khan.[35] Queen Wang Zhaojun was so dismayed at having to marry her step-son that she petitioned the new Chinese Emperor to let her return home.[36] The Emperor rejected her petition because she was the property of her Xiongnu husband.[37] Thus, Queen Wang Zhaojun had no choice but to marry the new Khan.

Queen Wang Zhaojun bore Khan Fuzhulei Ruoti two daughters.[38] The older daughter, known as Princess Xubu, married a Xiongnu nobleman named Xubu Dang.[39] Princess Xubu and Xubu Dang would work to build positive relations between Han China and the Xiongnu.[40] They were often invited to Chang’an and met with the imperial royal family. Emperor Wang Mang (the Usurper) even married his daughter Princess Lulu to Princess Xubu’s son and gave his son-in-law the title of Duke of Hou’an.[41] This provided the Duke of Hou’an with enough military aid that would help him to become the Khan of the Xiongnu.[42] Both Princess Xubu and her son, the Duke of Hou’an, would be killed in the rebellion that overthrew Emperor Wang Mang in 23 B.C.E.[43] Queen Wang Zhaojun’s younger daughter, Princess Dangyu, bore a son named King Yidu.[44]

Queen Wang Zhaojun’s death remains unrecorded. Archaeologists are still trying to find the location of her Green Grass tomb.[45] Queen Wang Zhaojun was successful in establishing peace between Han China and the Xiongnu.[46] Her story has been retold many times through plays, operas, and television and has remained one of the nation’s favourite characters in Chinese drama.[47] She has been portrayed by the famous Yang Mi in the television drama Wang Zhaojun and by Li Caihua in the drama Zhaojun Chu Sai. Queen Wang Zhaojun remains one of China’s greatest patriotic heroes because she sacrificed her personal happiness for the well-being of her country.[48]

Sources:

Besio, K. (1997). Gender, Loyalty, and the Reproduction of the Wang Zhaojun Legend: Some Social Ramifications of Drama in the Late Ming. Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 40(2), 251–282. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3632684.

Li, Y., L. Lee. X.H., & Wiles. S. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.

Lei, D. P.-W. (1996). Wang Zhaojun on the Border: Gender and Intercultural Conflicts in Premodern Chinese Drama. Asian Theatre Journal, 13(2), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.2307/1124527.

[1] Li, et. al., p. 212

[2] Besio, p. 255

[3] Li, et. al., p. 209

[4] Li, et. al., p. 209

[5] Li, et. al., p. 207

[6]Li, et. al., p. 207

[7] Li, et. al., p. 208

[8]Li, et. al., p. 208

[9]Li, et. al., p. 209

[10] Li, et. al., p. 208

[11] Lei, p. 231

[12]Li, et. al., p. 209

[13]Li, et. al., p. 208

[14]Li, et. al., p. 212

[15] Li, et. al., p. 209

[16] Li, et. al., p. 209

[17] Li, et. al., p. 209

[18] Lei, p. 231; Li, et. al., p. 209

[19] Lei, p. 231;Li, et. al., p. 209

[20] Li, et. al., p. 209

[21]Li, et. al., p. 209

[22]Li, et. al., p. 209

[23]Li, et. al., p. 209

[24] Li, et. al., p. 208

[25] Li, et. al., p. 210

[26] Li, et. al., p. 210

[27] Li, et. al., p. 210

[28] Li, et.al., p.210

[29] Li, et. al., p. 210

[30] Besio, p. 255

[31] Li, et. al., p. 208

[32] Li, et. al., p. 208

[33] Lei, p. 230

[34] Besio, p. 255; Li, et. al., p. 208

[35] Li, et. al., p. 208

[36] Lei, p. 231

[37] Lei, p. 231

[38] Besario, p. 255

[39]Li, et. al., pp.208-209

[40] Li, et. al., p. 209

[41] Li, et. al., p. 209

[42] Li, et. al., p. 209

[43] Li, et. al., p. 209

[44] Li, et. al., p. 209

[45] Li, et. al., p. 211

[46]Li, et. al., p. 209

[47] Lei, p. 230

[48]Li, et. al., p. 212

The post Queen Wang Zhaojun – The precious jewel that the Emperor deeply regretted losing appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Empress Huo Chengjun – The murderer’s daughter

Huo Chengjun has often been portrayed in Chinese television as an ambitious and scheming empress who was finally given her just deserts by coming to an unfortunate end.[1] In the Chinese drama Love Yunge From the Desert, Empress Huo Chengjun was the main villain. However, audiences were moved when the actress, Yang Rong, who played Empress Huo Chengjun in the drama, portrayed her as a woman whom viewers loved to hate but at the same time gained the viewers’ sympathy.[2]

Huo Chengjun was the second Empress of Emperor Xuan. She became an empress when her mother, Lady Xian, poisoned the first empress, Xu Pingjun. Emperor Xuan was unaware that he married the daughter of his wife’s murderer. He loved her and spoiled her. While she has often been described as an evil empress by ancient chroniclers, modern historians view her with more sympathy.[3] They describe Empress Huo Chengjun as a pawn to her mother’s ruthless ambitions.[4] Some historians even suggested that she may not have wanted to marry Emperor Xuan at all but was forced to by her family.[5] Thus, Empress Huo Chengjun’s tragedy was that she never lived a life of her own but was a puppet who did her mother’s bidding.

Empress Huo Chengjun was from Pingyang in Hedong (modern-day Linfen District in Shanxi Province).[6] Her birth date is unknown. Her parents were Huo Guang and Lady Xian.[7] She had an older sister who married Shangguan An, and their daughter became Empress to Emperor Zhao.

Her father, Huo Guang, was the most powerful man in China.[8] He was the unofficial regent of China when the imperial throne was vacant. He chose Liu Xun to be the next Emperor. Liu Xun became Emperor Xuan in 74 B.C.E. Huo Guang wanted his daughter, Huo Chengjun, to be Emperor Xuan’s Empress.[9] However, Emperor Xuan refused and wanted his wife Xu Pingjun to be his Empress because he loved her deeply.[10] Because Xu Pingjun had been with him when he was poor and had no prospects, Emperor Xuan believed she deserved the position.[11] Emperor Xuan stubbornly fought for Xu Pingjun to be made Empress that, at last, Huo Guang and the other ministers had no other choice but to accept the Emperor’s will.[12]

Xu Pingjun was invested as Empress in December 74 B.C.E. Huo Chengjun remained in her parents’ household. As her parents contemplated her future marriage prospects, Huo Guang had already accepted the fact that his daughter would never be an empress.[13] However, his wife still hoped that Huo Chengjun could still be an empress.[14] There was only one obstacle in her daughter’s way. It was Empress Xu Pingjun.[15] Lady Xian believed that Empress Xu Pingjun could be easily eliminated.[16] Lady Xian’s opportunity came when Empress Xu Pingjun was about to give birth to a second child.[17] Lady Xian bribed Empress Xu Pingjun’s female doctor named Chunyu Yan to poison the Empress.[18]

Shortly after Empress Xu Pingjun gave birth to a second son, Chunyu Yan poisoned her by adding aconite to her medication.[19] The Empress suffered from a severe headache and died in misery.[20] The doctors, including Chunyu Yan, were charged with neglecting the care of Empress Xu Pingjun.[21] They were quickly imprisoned, and Huo Guang was put in charge of the investigation. When Huo Guang found out that his wife was, in fact, the murderer, he quickly covered up the truth of Empress Xu Pingjun’s death.[22] Huo Guang let all the doctors go.[23] Thus, Emperor Xuan did not know about the true cause of his beloved wife’s death.[24]

Due to his wife’s request, Huo Guang submitted a memorial to ask for his daughter to be brought to the palace.[25] Emperor Xuan agreed.[26] Huo Chengjun entered the palace. In April 70 B.C.E., Huo Chengjun was appointed as Empress.[27] Emperor Xuan cherished his new Empress and showered her with his affections.[28] He seemed to love her genuinely.[29] Ancient chroniclers have praised Empress Xu Pingjun, who lived simply and practically as Empress and have heavily criticized Empress Huo Chengjun’s lavish lifestyle.[30] In fact, Empress Huo Chengjun was so extravagant that she gave each of her subordinates gifts that equalled $10,000 cash.[31] However, modern historians are more sympathetic to Empress Huo Chengjun’s extravagant lifestyle.[32] This was because Empress Xu Pingjun knew poverty and how to economize.[33] As Huo Guang’s daughter, Empress Huo Chengjun, had always lived a luxurious lifestyle, and it was all she knew.[34] She never experienced poverty the way Empress Xu Pingjun did.

Empress Huo Chengjun visited Changle Palace every five days in respect to her niece, Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan.[35] Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan never formed a close relationship with Empress Huo Chengjun the way she did with Empress Xu Pingjun. This was because they both found it awkward that the aunt had to pay respects to the niece due to imperial hierarchy.[36]

Huo Guang died in 67 B.C.E. Because Empress Huo Chengjun remained childless, Emperor Xuan named Liu Shi (Empress Xu Pingjun’s son) as his successor.[37] This angered Empress Huo Chengjun’s mother, Lady Xian, so much that she refused to eat and vomited blood.[38] Lady Xian said that because Liu Shi was “born of a commoner (Xu Pingjun), he was not entitled to the position of the heir apparent”.[39] She believed that by making Liu Shi the Crown Prince, it would prevent the prospects of her daughter’s sons that she might bear in the future.[40]

Lady Xian pressured her daughter to poison Liu Shi.[41] After much persuasion, Empress Chengjun reluctantly agreed.[42] She invited Liu Shi to her palace to dine with her. The plot failed because his attendants pre-tasted his food.[43] The failed attempt on the heir apparent quickly led to the truth about Empress Xu Pingjun’s death.[44] Lady Xian refused to admit that all was lost. She conspired with her sons-in-law and her male relatives to depose Emperor Xuan and place a Huo member on the throne.[45] The plot was quickly revealed to Emperor Xuan.[46]

Emperor Xuan was disgusted by his in-laws and his Empress’s actions.[47] Emperor Xuan no longer loved Empress Huo Chengjun. Ever since Empress Huo Chengjun tried to kill his son, he saw her as “evil and immoral.” [48] He executed the Huo clan, including Lady Xian.[49] He deposed Empress Huo Chengjun by issuing an edict. It said:

“Huo Chengjun is not worthy of being a mother of the people and an empress. She is not fit to serve the imperial temple as an empress. She must leave the palace and must relinquish her imperial seal and ribbon.”[50]

Empress Huo Chengjun was deposed in 66 B.C.E.[51] She was sent to Zhaotai Palace. She was an empress for five years. Twelve years later, in 54 B.C.E., she was sent to Yunling Residence.[52] Shortly after her arrival, she committed suicide and was buried in Kunwu Pavilion (modern-day Laotian District in Shanxi Province).[53]

Empress Huo Chengjun was truly a tragic figure. Unlike Empress Xu Pingjun, who was faithful to her husband, Empress Huo Chengjun was not faithful to her husband. Instead, she chose her evil mother over her husband. Emperor Xuan loved her, cherished her, and even spoiled her. Yet, she made a fatal mistake by following her mother’s order to kill the heir apparent. Instead, she should have just been a faithful wife and established a close relationship with her stepson.[54] If Empress Huo Chengjun had done these two things, her ending would have been very different.[55]

Sources:

DayDayNews. (2019, December 2). “The villain role Yang Rong has played: Huo Chengjun is both hateful and pitiful, she is at the peak of her appearance”. Retrieved December 26, 2021, from https://daydaynews.cc/en/entertainmen....

DayDayNews. (2019, December 23). “Huo Chengjun: Behind her was the most powerful family in the Han Dynasty, but in the end it ended her life by suicide”. Retrieved December 26, 2021 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/2815....

Inf.News. (n.d.). “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”. Retrieved December 26, 2021 from https://inf.news/en/history/299726cea....

Kinney, A. B. (2004). Representations of Childhood and Youth in Early China. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Waldherr, K. (2008). Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di. NY: Bloomsbury Books.

Wang, X. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.

[1] DayDayNews, “Huo Chengjun: Behind her was the most powerful family in the Han Dynasty, but in the end it ended her life by suicide”, para. 15

[2] DayDayNews, “The villain role Yang Rong has played: Huo Chengjun is both hateful and pitiful, she is at the peak of her appearance”, para. 4

[3]DayDayNews, “Huo Chengjun: Behind her was the most powerful family in the Han Dynasty, but in the end it ended her life by suicide”, para. 15

[4] Wang, p. 153

[5] DayDayNews, “Huo Chengjun: Behind her was the most powerful family in the Han Dynasty, but in the end it ended her life by suicide”, para. 15

[6] Wang, p. 152

[7] Wang, p. 152

[8] Wang, p. 152

[9]Kinney, p. 143

[10] Waldherr, p. 37

[11] Waldherr, p. 37

[12] Kinney, p. 143; McMahon, p. 75

[13] Wang, p. 152

[14] Wang, p. 152

[15] Wang, p. 152

[16] Wang, p. 152

[17] Wang, p. 152

[18] Kinney, p. 143

[19] Waldherr, p. 37

[20] Kinney, p. 143

[21] Wang, p. 227

[22] Kinney, pp. 143-144

[23] Kinney, pp. 143-144

[24] McMahon, p. 75; Waldherr, p. 37

[25] Wang, p. 152

[26] Wang, p. 152

[27] Wang, p. 152-153

[28] McMahon, p. 75; Waldherr, p. 37

[29] McMahon, p. 75

[30] Wang, p. 153

[31] Wang, p. 153

[32] Inf.News, “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”, para. 14

[33] Inf.News, “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”, para. 8

[34] Inf.News, “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”, para. 14

[35] Wang, p. 153

[36] Wang, p. 153

[37] Wang, p. 153

[38] Wang, p. 153

[39] Wang, p. 153

[40] Wang, p. 153

[41] Wang, p. 153

[42] Wang, p. 153

[43] Wang, p. 153

[44] McMahon, p. 75; Wang, p. 153

[45] McMahon, p. 75

[46] McMahon, p. 75

[47] Wang, p. 153

[48] Wang, p. 153

[49] Wang, p. 153

[50] Wang, p. 153

[51] Kinney, p. 144

[52] Wang, p. 153

[53] Wang, p. 153

[54] Inf.News, “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”, para. 18

[55] Inf.News, “Why does Huo Chengjun think she is the queen of course? Greed and arrogance give birth to stupidity”, para. 18

The post Empress Huo Chengjun – The murderer’s daughter appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Xu Pingjun – The poisoned Empress

Empress Xu Pingjun has always been portrayed as a tragic figure in Chinese television. She has been portrayed by Su Qing in the Chinese television series Love Yunge from the Desert, where viewers watched her heart-breaking end. Despite being tragically murdered at the early age of eighteen, she seemed to be a woman of devotion and faithfulness. Empress Xu Pingjun married the future Emperor Xuan when he was poor and had very few prospects. Emperor Xuan loved Xu Pingjun for her devotion to him. He fought against his ministers to make her Empress. Thus, Empress Xu Pingjun was deeply loved and respected by her husband. He honoured her memory by making her son his successor.

Empress Xu Pingjun was born around 89 B.C.E. Her father was a eunuch named Xu Guanghan.[1] Xu Guanghan was serving under Emperor Wu when he accidentally took another servant’s saddle and put it on his own horse.[2] The penalty for stealing while serving the Emperor was death, but the Emperor was merciful and castrated him instead.[3] Xu Guanghan became a supervisor of the women’s sickroom in the women’s quarters.[4]

When Xu Pingjun was fourteen, she was betrothed to Ouhou’s son. Ouhou was the Director of Palace Servants.[5] Her betrothed died before the wedding could take place.[6] However, Ouhou suggested that Xu Pingjun should marry Liu Xun, the Imperial Great-Grandson.[7] Had it been under normal circumstances, Xu Pingjun would never have been considered worthy of marrying Liu Xun.[8] However, Liu Xun’s grandfather, the Crown Prince Liu Ju, had been falsely accused of witchcraft, Emperor Wu ordered a mass execution on the Crown Prince Liu Ju’s household.[9] Liu Xun’s parents, Liu Jin and Wang Wengxu, were murdered in the massacre.[10]

Liu Xun was the only survivor of the mass murder, and he was only a few months old at the time of the mass execution.[11] An official named Bing Ji took pity on the infant and protected him from the massacre.[12] The baby was immediately put in prison. Bing Ji became Liu Xun’s custodian.[13] Bing Ji felt sorry for the baby because he knew that the Crown Prince was innocent of witchcraft.[14] Bing Ji selected two female prisoners to become Liu Xun’s wet nurses. He visited Liu Xun every day to see how the baby was faring.[15] Eventually, Bing Ji learned that Consort Shi’s (Liu Xun’s paternal grandmother) mother named Zhenjun was still alive and placed the child in her care.[16] Thus, his paternal great-grandmother raised Liu Xun herself.[17]

When Xu Guanghan heard of this proposal between his daughter and Liu Xun, he merely accepted it.[18] He made no outward signs that he considered Liu Xun to be an unworthy husband for his daughter.[19] On the other hand, Xu Guanghan’s wife made no secret that she found Liu Xun to be a lowly candidate for her daughter.[20] She wanted her daughter to marry a more advantageous man.[21] Liu Xun was a commoner who seemed to have very few prospects.[22] He seemed destined to remain in political obscurity.[23] Despite his wife’s blatant objections, Xu Guanghan let the marriage arrangements carry on.

Xu Pingjun married Liu Xun, and a year later, she bore him a son named Liu Shi (the future Emperor Yuan).[24] In 74 B.C.E., Liu Xun ascended the throne as Emperor Xuan.[25] Xu Pingjun was made “Lady of Handsome Fairness”.[26] This was the highest status of a concubine.[27] Thus, she was not yet made Empress.[28]  Huo Guang, the man who helped put Emperor Xuan on the throne, wanted his daughter, Huo Chengjun, to be Emperor Xuan’s Empress instead.[29] However, Emperor Xuan wanted Xu Pingjun to be his Empress.[30] He loved her because she had been with him when he was poor and had no prospects.[31] He refused to let politics control his heart.[32] Emperor Xuan fought so hard to make Xu Pingjun empress that at last, the ministers and Huo Guang had no choice but to let Xu Pingjun become Empress.[33]

In December 74 BC.E., Xu Pingjun was invested as Empress.[34] Because Xu Guanghan had committed a crime, he was not given a noble title which was the custom for fathers of empresses.[35] Instead, he was given a lowly rank with the title of “Lord of Changcheng”.[36] She established a close and respectful relationship with Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan (Huo Guang’s granddaughter). [37]In 72 B.C.E., Empress Xu Pingjun was pregnant again. All seemed well for Empress Xu Pingjun. She happily awaited the birth of her next child and was not aware that there was someone who was planning her death.

While everyone had reluctantly accepted Xu Pingjun as Empress, there was one who did not. Huo Guang’s wife, Lady Xian, still hoped that her daughter Huo Chengjun would become Empress.[38] She plotted to poison the Empress. She bribed Xu Pingjun’s female doctor named Chunyu Yan to poison the Empress.[39] Shortly after Empress Xu Pingjun gave birth to her second son in 71 B.C.E., Chunyu Yan took the opportunity to poison her by adding aconite to her medication.[40] It was not long until Empress Xu Pingjun had a severe headache. Concerned, Empress Xu Pingjun asked Chunyu Yan if her medication had been poisoned, but Chunyu Yan denied it.[41] Empress Xu Pingjun’s headache grew worse, and she died in misery.[42] Empress Xu Pingjun was eighteen years old. Her second son would die shortly after her.

The doctors, including Chunyu Yan, were immediately imprisoned and investigated for neglecting the care of Empress Xu Pingjun.[43] When Huo Guang (who was oblivious to his wife’s evil doings) found out what his wife had done, he immediately covered it up and let the doctors go.[44] Emperor Xuan, who did not know that his beloved wife was murdered, made Huo Chengjun his Empress.[45] He cherished Huo Chengjun and showered her with his affections.[46] Empress Huo Chengjun’s happiness would be short-lived because Emperor Xuan would eventually come to learn the truth about his first empress’s death.[47] He would depose Empress Huo Chengjun five years after her investiture, and twelve years after her deposition, she would commit suicide.[48]

Empress Xu Pingjun was Empress for only three years.[49] She was buried in the tomb of Dunan in the South During Gardens.[50] She was given the posthumous title of Empress Gong’ai, which meant “Reverent and Pitiable Empress”.[51] Empress Xu Pingjun’s son named Liu Shi ascended the throne as Emperor Yuan in 49 B.C.E.

Sources:

Kinney, A. B. (2004). Representations of Childhood and Youth in Early China. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

McMahon, K. (2013). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. NY: Rowman and Littlefield.

Waldherr, K. (2008). Doomed Queens: Royal Women Who Met Bad Ends, From Cleopatra to Princess Di. NY: Bloomsbury Books.

Wang, X & Bao, S. (2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. – 618 C.E. (L. X. H. Lee, Ed.; A. D. Stefanowska, Ed.; S. Wiles, Ed.). NY: Routledge.

[1] McMahon, p. 75

[2] McMahon, p. 75

[3] McMahon, p. 75

[4] Wang, p. 226

[5] Wang, p. 226

[6] Wang, p. 226

[7] Wang, p. 226

[8] McMahon, p. 75

[9] Wang, p. 226

[10] Wang, p. 226

[11]Bao, p. 188

[12] Bao, p. 188

[13] Bao, p. 188

[14] Bao, p. 188

[15] Bao, p. 188

[16] Bao, p. 189

[17] Bao, p. 189

[18] Wang, p. 226

[19] Wang, p. 226

[20] Wang, p. 226

[21] Wang, p. 226

[22] Wang, p. 226

[23] Wang, p. 226

[24] Wang, p. 226

[25] Wang, p. 226

[26] Wang, p. 226

[27] Wang, p. 226

[28] Wang, p. 226

[29] Kinney, p. 143

[30] Waldherr, p. 36

[31] Waldherr, p. 36

[32] Waldherr, p. 36

[33] Kinney, p. 143

[34] Wang, p. 227

[35] Wang, p. 227

[36] Wang, p. 227

[37] Wang, p. 153

[38] Wang, p. 227

[39] Wang, p. 227

[40] Waldherr, p. 36

[41] Wang, p. 227

[42] Kinney, p. 143; Wang, p. 227

[43] Wang, p. 227

[44] Kinney, pp. 143-144; Wang, p. 227

[45] McMahon, p. 75; Waldherr, p. 37

[46] McMahon, p. 75; Waldherr, p. 37

[47] Waldherr, p. 37

[48] Waldherr, p. 37

[49] Wang, p. 227

[50] Wang, p. 227

[51] Wang, p. 227

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Unique documentary about The Queen to be released

BBC and Buckingham Palace have announced the details of a unique documentary featuring home movies of The Queen filmed by the Royal Family, which will be broadcast on BBC One on 29 May. The documentary will be called Elizabeth: The Unseen Queen. 

These unseen private home movies of The Queen in her youth tell the story of her life as a Princess. Footage also includes her engagement at Balmoral and a behind the scenes look at her first tour abroad with her family at the age of 20.

Simon Young, the BBC’s Commissioning Editor for History, said, “We are honoured that The Queen has entrusted the BBC with such unprecedented access to her personal film collection. This documentary  is an extraordinary glimpse into a deeply personal side of the Royal Family that is rarely seen, and it’s  wonderful to be able to share it with the nation as we mark her Platinum Jubilee.” 

Claire Popplewell, Creative Director for BBC Studios Productions, added, “As programme-makers who have previously worked closely with the Royal Household on ceremonial and celebratory broadcast events and programmes, the production team were under no illusion quite how special having access to this very personal archive was. Being able to draw upon the self-recorded history of a young Princess  Elizabeth and her wider family – and allowing The Queen to tell us her own story – is the very heart of  this film.” 

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Queen Elizabeth II becomes the third longest-reigning monarch in history

Today Queen Elizabeth II surpasses Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein to become the third longest-reigning monarch in history. Johann II ruled the principality of Liechtenstein between 1858 and 1929. He succeeded his father on 12 November 1858 upon his death at the age of 62. Johann had just turned 18 the month before. He reigned until his own death at the age of 88 on 11 February 1929. He never married and was succeeded by his brother Franz I.

Queen Elizabeth became the fourth longest-reigning monarch in March 2020 and surpassed Eleanor of Aquitaine, who ruled the Duchy of Aquitaine in her own right, as the longest-reigning female ruler in 2019. In 2015, she surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria to become the longest-reigning British monarch.

However, the longest-reigning monarch in history remains King Louis XIV of France and he reigned for 26,407 days. Queen Elizabeth will reach that milestone on 24 May 2024, by which time she’ll be 98 years old.

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