Moniek Bloks's Blog, page 75

Maria Dobroniega of Kyiv – The Connection between Poland and Kievan Rus

In the eleventh through thirteenth centuries, multiple marriages occurred between the Piast dynasty of Poland and the Rurik dynasty of the Kievan Rus. The first Rus princess to marry in Poland was Maria Dobroniega.

Parentage

There is a lot of controversy surrounding when Maria Dobroniega was born and who her parents exactly were. What is certain is that she was either a daughter or granddaughter of Vladimir I, Grand Prince of Kyiv. The most common theory was that Maria was a daughter of Vladimir the Great, either by his first Christian wife, Anna Porphyrogenita, or his last wife, an unnamed granddaughter or great-granddaughter of Holy Roman Emperor Otto I. There are a few dates to take into consideration when determining Maria’s parentage and year of birth. Anna was born in 963 and died in 1011. Vladimir died in 1015. Maria’s husband, Casimir, was born in 1016. Maria and Casimir married sometime between 1038 and 1043 and went on to have five children.

Maria could not have been much older than her husband, so it seems unlikely for her to have been born before 1010. By then, Anna was already in her late forties, so it is considered unlikely for her to be Maria’s mother. Many seem to doubt the theory that Anna could have been Maria’s mother and suggest that instead, her mother was Vladimir’s last wife. However, there are some historians that believe that Maria was a granddaughter of Vladimir rather than a daughter. The two sons of Vladimir she is suggested to have been a daughter of are Boris, Prince of Rostov, and Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kyiv. Whoever Maria’s father or mother were, we know for certain that she was descended from Vladimir the Great and a member of the Rurikid dynasty.

Early Years

Maria was most likely born sometime between 1010 and 1016. In early Christian Rus, it was common for princely children to receive two names, a Slavic “pagan” name and a Christian name. This could explain Maria Dobroniega’s double name, Maria being her Christian name and Dobroniega being her pagan name. Whoever her parents might have been, it is commonly agreed that she was born before 1018, when the Polish Duke Boleslaw the Brave occupied Kyiv. When Boleslaw returned to Poland, it is said that he took Yaroslav’s first wife, Vladimir’s (or Boris’s) widow and nine of Vladimir’s daughters with him. This included Vladimir’s eldest daughter, Predslava, and presumably Maria herself.

Maria is believed to have spent the next years in Poland. She, her sisters (or aunts), and the other captives are believed to have lived on an island in Lake Lednica, Poland. Excavations on the island have revealed the foundations of a Byzantine-style palace and church. At this time, the Rus modelled many of their traditions after the Byzantines. When Boleslaw died in 1025, it looks like most of the captives were not released and remained on the island.

Marriage

Between 1038 and 1043, Maria married Casimir I of Poland, the grandson of Boleslaw. There is debate about when the wedding occurred. The date is variously given as 1038, 1039, 1041, or 1042. The Russian Primary Chronicle says that the marriage took place in 1043, but most sources think that it happened before then. As a wedding gift, Casimir released eight-hundred Rus captives whom his grandfather captured in 1018. Maria might have had some relatives among these captives.

This marriage improved the relationship between Poland and Rus. Not too long after Maria and Casimir married, Casimir’s sister, Gertrude, married Yaroslav’s second son Iziaslav.

Duchess of Poland

Both Casimir’s father and grandfather had been crowned as kings of Poland, but Casimir himself was never crowned. Thanks to his marriage to Maria, he received much-needed military support from Yaroslav. When Casimir became Duke in 1040, Poland was ruined by years of war. Poland had lost many territories, such as the province of Mazovia. At Casimir’s request, Yaroslav went to war against Mazovia and conquered it for Casimir. Because Poland’s previous capital, Gniezno, was in ruins, Casimir relocated the court to Krakow. Due to his efforts to bring Poland to its former glory, Casimir is known to history as Casimir the Restorer. Polish chroniclers believe that by marrying Maria, his position was strengthened and that peace was restored to Poland.

Maria and Casimir’s marriage is considered to be successful. The couple was known to participate in the founding of churches. They were also benefactors to art and education. They had five children:

Boleslaw II (1042/3-1081/2) King of Poland from 1076-1079Wladyslaw I Herman (1043/4-1102) Duke of Poland from 1079-1102Mieszko (1045-1065) Possibly Duke of KuyaviaOtto (1047-1048)Swietoslawa (1046/8-1126) Married Vratislaus II, King of Bohemia

Widowhood

Casimir died on 28 November 1058. Maria would outlive him by nearly thirty years, and she seems to have had a very active widowhood. On Casimir’s death, his and Maria’s son, Boleslaw, became the new Duke of Poland. He was only fifteen or sixteen at the time, so he relied heavily on his elders, especially Maria. During the first years of Boleslaw’s reign, Maria actively helped him in governing his country. In addition, she had a great influence on her son.

In 1063, Boleslaw and Maria welcomed Geza II of Hungary to their court. Geza and his cousin, Solomon, were involved in a succession dispute for the Hungarian crown. Boleslaw offered Geza reinforcements, but in the end, Geza recognized Solomon as the Hungarian King. However, Geza claimed the Hungarian crown from 1074 to 1077.

In 1069, Maria’s nephew or cousin, Iziaslav I of Kyiv, was overthrown. He and his wife Gertrude, Casimir’s sister, fled to Poland. Maria and Boleslaw welcomed them at the Polish court. They provided Iziaslav with military support, and he was eventually able to retake Kyiv.

Boleslaw was crowned King of Poland in 1076. However, he was deposed in 1079 and replaced by his younger brother, Wladyslaw Herman, who only had the title of Duke. There is nothing that mentions whether Maria was involved in these events. Boleslaw died in 1081 or 1082, and Maria outlived him. She died on 13 December 1087, in her seventies, a very long life for that time.

There would be many other marriages between the Rurikid and Piast dynasties, but the marriage of Maria and Casimir is considered one of the most significant. It was one of the first, and thanks to it, the two dynasties worked closely together for centuries. So interconnected they were to each other that it is even said that both Poland and Rus were governed by the same ruling family.

Sources

Evgenievna, Morozova Lyudmila; Great and Unknown Women of Ancient Russia

Voloshchuk, Myroslav; “Ruthenian-Polish matrimonial relations in the XIth-XIVth centuries”

Voloshchuk, Myroslav; “Ruthenian Court of the Rurik dynasty princess in the lands of the Piast dynasty in the 11th century”

Yasynetska, Olena; “Poland-Ukraine: a thousand years of reciprocity. The Kyivan Princess Dobroniega-Maria, wife of Kazimierz the Restorer: a new hypothesis on her pedigree”

The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian text

“Maria Dobroniega” on the website The Court of the Russian Princesses of the XI-XVI centuries

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The Nassaus of Breda Exhibition

The city of Breda has a deep connection to the Dutch Royal Family due to the marriage of the 11-year-old heiress Johanna van Polanen, the only child of John III, Lord of Polanen and the Lord of Breda, and Engelbert I, Count of Nassau. They were the great-great-grandparents of William I, Prince of Orange and thus ancestors of the Dutch Royal Family.

The Stedelijk Museum in Breda now has a new permanent exhibition about the Nassaus of Breda. As a visitor, you travel through three centuries of struggles, intrigue, love, marriage and loss.

Photo by Moniek Bloks

Upon entry, you are greeted by this model of the Castle of Breda. The castle still exists and can be visited occasionally with a tour, but it is now in use by the Dutch Military Academy.

Click to view slideshow.

The exhibition holds some impressive items, such as Johanna and Engelbert’s Joyeus Entry charter, Cimburga of Baden’s (Johanna’s granddaughter-in-law) manuscript, an altar which includes Saint Elisabeth of Hungary and a portrait of Barbara of Nassau, an illegitimate daughter of Engelbert II, Count of Nassau and thus Johanna’s great-granddaughter.

I must say I was rather impressed with this exhibition. There was no annoying audio guide, a logical walking route, plenty of information in Dutch and English and some extras for children, which did not take away from the exhibition. The employees were all very involved and happy to see visitors.

If I had to name one thing I felt was missing, it would be an accompanying publication, but perhaps that will be forthcoming.

The Stedelijk Museum of Breda is within walking distance of the station. Plan your visit here.

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Royal Jewels – Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace

Queen Alexandra’s Wedding Necklace consists of “eight pearl and diamond clusters, all detachable and all with spiral back clasps for attachments, the three at the centre with detachable brilliant and pavé-set baroque pearl pendants, linked by festoons of brilliant in open-back and cut-down silver collets.”1

Embed from Getty Images

The necklace was part of a pearl and diamond parure given to then Princess Alexandra of Denmark by her future husband as a wedding present. The parure consisted of a tiara, brooch, necklace and earrings and cost a total of £13,680.2

Alexandra wore the necklace on her wedding day in 1863 and during the coronation in 1902. It was passed to Queen Mary and then Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother had it lengthened in 1937. Queen Elizabeth II inherited the necklace in 2002.

Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

The then Duchess of Cambridge wore the necklace in 2018 during the Dutch State Visit.

 

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Françoise de Choiseul – A guillotined Monegasque Princess

Françoise de Choiseul was born on 8 December 1766 as the daughter of Jacques Philippe de Choiseul, Duke of Stainville and Marshal of France, and Thérèse de Clermont.

She was described as a “delicate girl, fair-skinned, with pale hair set off by violet eyes, and had a charming manner.”1

On 6 April 1782, she married Prince Joseph of Monaco, the younger brother of Honoré IV, Prince of Monaco. Their first child was born shortly after their second wedding anniversary. Princess Honorine Camilla was born on 22 April 1784, followed by Princess Athénais on 2 June 1786. Their third daughter, Princess Delphine, was born on 22 July 1788, but she died in infancy.

The Monegasque royals lived in Paris at the time, and during the French Revolution, Joseph travelled abroad to try and obtain enough money to extricate the entire family. However, this action caused him to be seen as a suspected enemy of the people, and he was not allowed to return to France. Françoise was with him at the time, but tragically, they were separated from their two daughters, whom they had left in the care of a governess.

On 4 March 1793, after the execution of King Louis XVI, Monaco officially became a part of the French Alpes-Martimes département. By then, unable to stand being apart from their daughters any longer, Françoise had returned to Paris and was immediately arrested. Luckily, her brother-in-law managed to secure some money for her, and she was released on a bond. However, Honoré IV, his elder son Honoré (the future Honoré V), his estranged wife Louise and their younger son Florestan were imprisoned and remained so. They were considered to be enemies of the people and were imprisoned in the barracks at the rue de Sèvres. Louise and the children were eventually rescued after the Grimaldi family doctor faked a release order.

Françoise was arrested again in September 1793. Joseph was still under high suspicion, and Françoise began to fear the worst. As the charges were being read against her, Françoise claimed to be ill to be allowed to lie down in another room. She managed to escape from this room and made her way to a convent on the rue de Bellerchasse. The nuns took her in, but when the convent was raided three months later, she was arrested again. From prison, Honoré appealed for the safety of his family.

On 25 July 1794, Françoise was ordered to appear before the Revolutionary Tribunal, and she appeared before them the following morning. One of her fellow inmates wrote, “She showed not the slightest sign of emotion. She… kissed her maid and took leave of us just as though parting from fellow travellers whose company had been pleasant and agreeable during a long journey.”2

That same day, Françoise was condemned to death as an enemy of the people. However, she claimed to be pregnant and named a dead prisoner as the child’s father, and she was promptly returned to a cell. While in the cell, she broke a small window pane with her shoe and cut off two locks of her hair. She enclosed them in letters – one was addressed to her daughters, the other to their governess. She then wrote a note asking for the public prosecutor.

When no one came for her that day, she wrote a second note, which read, “I give you notice, Citizen, that I am not with child. I wanted to tell you in person, and now, having no hope of you coming, I inform you in writing. I did not soil my lips with this lie for fear of death nor to avoid it, but to give myself one more day so that I could cut my hair myself instead of having it cut by the executioner. This is all I could leave to my children, it had at least to be clean.”3

On 27 July 1794, at five in the afternoon, Françoise was guillotined. Just 24 hours later, with the execution of Maximilien Robespierre, the reign of terror ended. Would she have survived if she had just waited to send her note? Her last words were reportedly to a fellow victim, “Be brave, my dear friends; crime alone displays weakness.”4

Her body was interred in one of the two mass graves in the Picpus Cemetery.5

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Jin Moyu – The Last Princess of the Qing Dynasty

Jin Moyu was the last surviving Princess of the Qing Dynasty. Princess Jin Moyu was a cousin of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. Her older sister was the notorious Yoshiko Kawashima. Because of her illustrious relatives, it is no wonder why the Last Princess of the Qing Dynasty would endure many hardships. She went from an imperial princess to a prisoner. However, Princess Jin Moyu was able to persevere and fulfil her ambitions.

On 14 September 1918, Princess Jin Moyu was born in Lushun, China. Her original name was Aisin-Gioro Xianqi. She was the youngest of Prince Su’s thirty-eight children and was his seventeenth daughter.[1] Her mother was Prince Su’s fourth concubine named Lady Janggiya.[2] One of her older sisters was Yoshiko Kawashima. She was a cousin of Puyi, the deposed Emperor of China. Even though the Qing Dynasty was deposed in 1912, the royal family were still allowed to retain their imperial titles and royal privileges.[3] 

When Princess Xianqi was four years old, both of her parents died. After Prince Su’s death, most of his children left to study abroad. However, three of Princess Xianqi’s half-sisters gave up studying abroad to raise her.[4] As a child, she loved watching Charlie Chaplin movies.[5] She also learned etiquette befitting a Princess of the Qing Dynasty.[6] Later, she enrolled in a primary school in Lushun and learned Japanese.[7] In 1934, she continued her studies abroad in Japan.

In 1937, the nineteen-year-old Princess Xianqi left Japan and returned to Lushun.[8] She changed her name to Jin Moyu and dreamed of becoming an actress or a journalist.[9] Instead, she secretly worked as a consultant at a Japanese company and had a steady salary.[10] Princess Jin Moyu also became a model at a photo studio. The photo showed Princess Jin Moyu with short hair and wearing a flower cheongsam.[11] Her photo was displayed in the window of the photo studio. One of Princess Jin Moyu’s brothers was passing by when he noticed his sister’s photo.[12] He was immediately ashamed and angered by the photo because a princess was not supposed to show her face to the public.[13] He bought the photo and scolded her.

Princess Jin Moyu’s siblings also pressured her to fulfil her duty as a Qing Dynasty Princess by marrying a Mongolian Prince.[14] However, Princess Jin Moyu refused to let her family use her as a pawn and wanted to marry for love.[15] To break free from her family’s expectations, she left Lushun and moved to her father’s princely mansion in Beijing.[16] On 18 August 1945, the puppet State of Manchukuo collapsed. Many of her siblings fled China.[17] However, Princess Jin Moyu decided to stay in China and brace for the storms that awaited her.[18] Prince Su’s mansion was often looted by the Chinese army, and her brothers had no choice but to sell it.[19] She sold all her possessions and rented a room in a courtyard house.[20] She made a living by knitting sweaters and selling them on the street.[21]

In 1952, Princess Jin Moyu used all her savings to open a restaurant that specialized in Sichuan cuisine. The restaurant became very popular.[22] Many famous Chinese celebrities of the day were her regular customers.[23] In 1954, Princess Jin Moyu was introduced to a painter named Ma Wanli. Ma Wanli had married twice before and had a daughter.[24] However, Princess Jin Moyu fell in love with him and married him that same year.[25] Their marriage was very happy.[26] Ma Wanli made a special seal for her. If she happened to like one of his paintings, then he would stamp her seal on it.[27] Princess Jin Moyu later worked as a Japanese translator for a translation agency.[28]

In February 1958, Jin Moyu was arrested by the Chinese government because she was a Princess of the Qing Dynasty.[29] Princess Jin Moyu was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. In order to not implicate her husband, she asked Ma Wanli for a divorce.[30] Ma Wanli initially refused. He told her he would wait for her until she finished her sentence.[31] However, his family pressured him to divorce her.[32] Even though Ma Wanli had divorced her, he still kept the photos of Princess Jin Moyu under his pillow until his death in 1979.[33] Thus, Ma Wanli continued to love her for the rest of his life.

In 1973, Princess Jin Moyu was finally released from prison and worked at a small farm in Tianjin.[34] She met her fellow farm worker named Shi Youwei, and they fell in love.[35] He made her a shovel and gave her a copy of People’s China in the Japanese language.[36] They married that same year. The marriage was happy, but she regretted that she had no children of her own.[37] 

Due to health issues, Princess Jin Moyu also struggled to keep a job.[38] In 1979, she wrote a letter to Vice Premier Deng Xiaojing to ask him for a job. Because she was a Princess of the Qing Dynasty, he quickly found a job for her as a librarian in Beijing.[39] In 1996, Princess Jin Moyu opened a Japanese language school in Langfang. She continued to live the rest of her years peacefully with her husband in Langfang and supervised her school.[40] On 26 May 2014, she died of a heart attack in a Beijing hospital. She was ninety-five years old.

The Last Princess of the Qing Dynasty went through many difficulties. However, she persevered and was finally able to open her own Japanese language school. Unlike her older sister, Yoshiko Kawashima, Princess Jin Moyu stayed in China and became an ordinary Chinese citizen. Even though Yoshiko Kawashima was more famous and attracted notoriety, Princess Jin Moyu led a simpler life and had a better ending. Thus, she finally found peace and happiness later in life. The death of Princess Jin Moyu marked the last living symbol of the Qing Dynasty.

Sources:

Birnbaum, P. (2015). Manchu Princess: Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy who Commanded Her Own Army (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, Culture). NY: Columbia University Press.

DayDayNews. (November 27, 2021). “Jin Moyu: The last Gege in the Qing Dynasty, the sister of Yoshiko Kawashima, was interviewed by Lu Yu at the age of 88”. Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

DayDayNews. (April 3, 2020). “The lowest-profile imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, lived incognito until 2014, and his neighbors did not know his identity until he died”. Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

iMedia. (n.d.). “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014”. Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/31058e457....

iNews. (n.d.). “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”. Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/c212e0c4b....

iNews. (n.d.). “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.” Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/6a7eeuedb....

Laitimes. (July 25, 2022). “In the late Qing Dynasty, Ge Ge Jin Moyu changed his name to 2014, and before he died, he told a royal scandal”. Retrieved on 30 November 2022 from https://www.laitimes.com/en/articile/....

[1] Birnbaum, 2015

[2] Birnbaum, 2015

[3] DayDayNews, 3 April 2020, “The lowest-profile imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, lived incognito until 2014, and his neighbors did not know his identity until he died”

[4] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[5] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[6] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[7] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[8] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[9] Laitimes, 25 July 2022, “In the late Qing Dynasty, Ge Ge Jin Moyu changed his name to 2014, and before he died, he told a royal scandal”

[10] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[11] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[12] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[13] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[14] DayDayNews, 27 November 2021, “Jin Moyu: The last Gege in the Qing Dynasty, the sister of Yoshiko Kawashima, was interviewed by Lu Yu at the age of 88”

[15] DayDayNews, 27 November 2021, “Jin Moyu: The last Gege in the Qing Dynasty, the sister of Yoshiko Kawashima, was interviewed by Lu Yu at the age of 88”

[16] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[17] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[18] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[19] DayDayNews, 27 November 2021, “Jin Moyu: The last Gege in the Qing Dynasty, the sister of Yoshiko Kawashima, was interviewed by Lu Yu at the age of 88”

[20] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[21] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[22] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[23] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[24] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[25] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[26] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[27] iNews, n.d., “Jin Moyu: Before the family fled, the elder brother left 6 children to be taken care of, but only 100 yuan was left in the whole house.”

[28] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[29] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[30] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[31] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[32] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[33] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[34] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[35] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[36] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[37] iMedia, n.d., “Jin Moyu: The last gege of the Qing Dynasty. He was imprisoned for 15 years by his sister Yoshiko Kawashima and died in 2014″

[38] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[39] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

[40] iNews, n.d., “Gege Jin Moyu at the end of the Qing Dynasty: a patriot, but his sister Yoshiko Kawashima is the number one female traitor”

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Princess Huisheng – The love suicide pact on Mount Amagi

Princess Huisheng was the favourite niece of Puyi, the Last Emperor of China. She was the first daughter of Prince Pujie (Emperor Puyi’s younger brother and heir to the state of Manchukuo) and his Japanese wife, Princess Hiro Saga. She was most well-known for committing a murder-suicide pact with her lover, Okubo Budo, on Mount Amagi. Her suicide made international headlines and spawned many popular films. Princess Huisheng’s story shows a mother whose ambitions prevented a daughter from marrying the man she loved. This led to one of the Qing Dynasty’s greatest tragedies.

On 26 February 1938, Princess Huisheng was born at a hospital in Changchun, China. Her father was Pujie, the Crown Prince of the puppet State of Manchukuo. Her mother was Princess Hiro Saga, who was a cousin of Emperor Hirohito of Japan.[1] Her uncle was Puyi, the puppet Emperor of Manchukuo. Princess Huisheng’s birth was a disappointment to the Japanese Kwantung Army.[2] Because Emperor Puyi did not have any children, they hoped that Princess Hiro Saga’s firstborn would be a boy.[3] However, it turned out to be a girl. Even though the Japanese were disappointed with the girl, Emperor Puyi was very happy with her.[4] He gave her the name Huisheng (which meant “wisdom” [5]), and she became his favourite niece.[6] Because the Japanese Kwantung Army was so angry that Princess Hiro Saga failed to produce a son, they sent Prince Pujie and his family to Japan in September 1938.[7] 

On 13 March 1940, Princess Hiro Saga gave birth to another daughter named Husheng, who would later be known as Kosei Fukunaga. In 1931, Princess Hiro Saga and her two daughters joined their father in Changchun.[8] Princess Hiro Saga oversaw Princess Huisheng’s education.[9] Because Huisheng was a Manchukuo Princess and a descendant of the royal Qing Dynasty, she had to learn the Chinese language and culture.[10] When Princess Huisheng was four years old, Emperor Puyi gifted her with a piano.[11] Princess Huisheng would later become known for being a skilled musician.[12]

In 1943, Prince Pujie took his family to Tokyo to study military affairs in Japan.[13] In December 1944, Princess Huisheng was left behind in the care of her aunt in Tokyo because she was already enrolled in a primary school.[14] Thus, Princess Huisheng would never see her father again.[15] On 18 August 1945, the puppet State of Manchukuo collapsed. Prince Pujie would be captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union.[16] He would not be pardoned for his war crimes until 1960. Princess Hiro Saga and Princess Husheng also were labelled as war criminals and went through a series of prisons in Northeast China. They were finally released in 1947 and sent back to Japan.[17] Thus, Princess Huisheng was finally reunited with her mother and sister.[18]

Princess Hiro Saga was very strict with Princess Huisheng.[19] She reminded her that she was a Chinese Princess.[20] She constantly told her that she was Chinese and not Japanese.[21] Even though Princess Huisheng was attending a prestigious Japanese school, she had to continue learning the Chinese language.[22] Princess Hiro Saga also made it clear to her that she must marry a Chinese man.[23] In 1955, Princess Huisheng finally contacted her father, who was still imprisoned in China.[24] They continued to stay in contact through letters.[25]

As Princess Huisheng grew older, she was considered as a possible bride for Emperor Akihito.[26] However, Princess Hiro Saga was against it because she wanted her daughter to marry a Chinese man rather than a Japanese Emperor.[27] In September 1956, the eighteen-year-old Princess Huisheng became a college student at Gakushuin University, a college for Japanese nobles.[28] She met her classmate named Okubo Budo, the son of a wealthy railway director from Aomori Prefecture.[29] Because Okubo Budo was not from Tokyo, he was often bullied by his classmates for his dialect and lack of manners.[30] However, Princess Huisheng felt sympathy for Okubo Budo.[31] She taught him the right etiquette and how to speak without an accent.[32] Their friendship quickly turned into romance.[33]

Okubo Budo proposed to Princess Huisheng, and she accepted.[34] She wrote a letter to her father asking for his permission to marry Okubo Budo.[35] Prince Pujie was very confused about Princess Huisheng’s situation.[36] He told her to ask her mother.[37] When Princess Hiro Saga heard that her daughter wanted to marry a Japanese man, she immediately refused.[38] Instead, she told her that since she was a Chinese Princess, she should marry a Chinese man.[39] Thus, Princess Huisheng could not marry the man she loved.[40] Since they could not be together, Princess Huisheng and Okubo Budo committed a love suicide pact on Mount Amagi on 4 December 1957.[41]

Princess Huisheng showed no outward signs to her family that she was planning to die with Okubo Budo.[42] Princess Huisheng signed several New Year’s Day cards.[43] She even wrote in her diary about next year’s plans.[44] During that time, Princess Huisheng had already written a suicide note.[45] On 3 December 1957, she supposedly left that morning for school as usual.[46] However, Princess Huisheng did not go to school. Instead, she and Okubo Budo made their way to Mount Amagi, which was known as a famous honeymoon area.[47] They spent one night in a hotel.[48] On 4 December 1957, under a hundred-day-old mangrove tree, Okubo Budo placed a gold ring on her finger.[49] Then, he shot Princess Huisheng in the head.[50] She died immediately on impact.[51] Okubo Budo cradled her body in his arms and shot himself.[52] Above their heads was tissue paper containing their hair and fingernails, which was common for love suicides in Japan.[53] Princess Huisheng was nineteen years old.

When Princess Huisheng did not return home from school on 3 December 1957, Princess Hiro Saga and Lady Saga (Princess Huisheng’s grandmother) grew worried and anxious.[54] They stayed up all night waiting for her to return.[55] They feared that someone had kidnapped her.[56] The next morning, the police conducted a public search. They learned that Okubo Budo was missing as well as his gun.[57] The police also found the suicide note that Princess Huisheng left behind.[58] Princess Hiro Saga continued to search for her missing daughter. She interviewed their classmates and learned that Princess Huisheng had been planning a trip to Mount Amagi.[59] Princess Hiro Saga hoped that she did not lose her daughter.[60] She even went on public radio and gave permission for Princess Huisheng and Okubo Budo to marry.[61] However, it was too late.[62] Little did she know that she had already lost her.

On 10 December 1957, the police found the bodies of Princess Huisheng and Okubo Budo under a hundred-day-old mangrove tree.[63] The princess’s body was held in Okubo Budo’s arms.[64] At the request of Okubo Budo’s father, they were cremated and buried together.[65] Later, Prince Pujie and Princess Hiro Saga had Princess Huisheng’s ashes. One-half is buried in Beijing.[66] The other half lies with her lover in Yamaguchi Prefecture alongside Princess Hiro Saga and Prince Pujie.

Princess Hiro Saga was heartbroken over Princess Huisheng’s death. She refused to believe that her daughter was willing to die in the murder-suicide pact.[67] Instead, she believed that Princess Huisheng was murdered by her lover against her will.[68] On 28 January 1958, Prince Pujie received news of Princess Huisheng’s death in prison.[69] He was utterly devastated.[70] He wondered how he could continue living if his daughter was no longer alive. He said that losing a daughter was “the deepest grief of a father.” [71] Princess Huisheng’s death was her greatest tragedy. Princess Hiro Saga learned from Princess Huisheng’s death. She gave permission for Princess Husheng to marry the man she loved.[72]

Princess Huisheng’s death was truly one of the Qing Dynasty’s greatest tragedies. Because she was a Chinese Princess, Princess Hiro Saga desired her to marry a Chinese man. Due to Princess Hiro Saga’s stubbornness, Princess Huisheng could not marry the man she loved because he was Japanese. She decided that since she could not be with Okubo Budo in life, then she would be with him in death.[73] If Princess Hiro Saga had allowed Princess Huisheng to marry the man she loved, this tragedy would never have happened. The tragic love story has fascinated popular culture and has continued to produce many movies. Through popular media, Princess Huisheng’s tragic love story will never be forgotten.

Sources:

Birnbaum, P. (2015). Manchu Princess: Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy who Commanded Her Own Army (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, Culture). NY: Columbia University Press.

DayDayNews. (June 21, 2020). “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

DayDayNews. (December 26, 2020). “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?” Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

Ellis, E. R. & Allen, G. N. (1961). Traitor Within: Our Suicide Problem. NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://archive.org/details/traitorwi....

iMedia. (n.d.). “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/911781be3....

iNews. (n.d.). “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/d51a41336....

iNews. (n.d). “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/19d6bc9b3....

[1] Birnbaum, 2015

[2] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[3] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[4] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[5] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″, para. 18

[6] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[7] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[8] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[9] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[10] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[11] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[12] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[13] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[14] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[15] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[16] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[17] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[18] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[19] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[20] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[21] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[22] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[23] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[24] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[25] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[26] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[27] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[28] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[29] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[30] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[31] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[32] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[33] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[34] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[35] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[36] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[37] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[38] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[39] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[40] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[41] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[42] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[43] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[44] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[45] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[46] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[47] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[48] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[49] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[50] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[51] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[52] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[53] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[54] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[55] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[56] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[57] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[58] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[59] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[60] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[61] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[62] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[63] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[64] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[65] Ellis and Allen, 1961

[66] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[67] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[68] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[69] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[70] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[71] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″, para. 60

[72] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[73] Ellis and Allen, 1961

The post Princess Huisheng – The love suicide pact on Mount Amagi appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Book News August 2023

*contains affiliate links*

Embroidering Her Truth: Mary, Queen of Scots and the Language of Power 

Paperback – 22 August 2023 (US) & 19 January 2023 (UK)

In sixteenth-century Europe women’s voices were suppressed and silenced. Even for a queen like Mary, her prime duty was to bear sons. In an age when textiles expressed power, Mary exploited them to emphasise her female agency. From her lavishly embroidered gowns as the prospective wife of the French Dauphin to the fashion dolls she used to encourage a Marian style at the Scottish court and the subversive messages she embroidered in captivity for her supporters, Mary used textiles to advance her political agenda, affirm her royal lineage and tell her own story.

In this eloquent cultural biography, Clare Hunter exquisitely blends history, politics and memoir to tell the story of a queen in her own voice.

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Founding an Empire 

Paperback – 22 August 2023 (US) & 15 May 2023 (UK)

Henry II became King of England in 1154 after twenty years of civil war. He was the first Plantagenet king, the founder of England’s most successful and longest-ruling dynasty.

But Henry did not come to the throne alone. He had married Eleanor of Aquitaine, a feisty, formidable and powerful woman ten years his senior. Eleanor had spent fifteen years married to Louis VII of France before he divorced her, only to be angered when she married his young rival. Together, they were a medieval power couple who soon added the ultimate rank of king and queen consort to their list of titles. With them, the Angevin Empire was born.

Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power 

Hardcover – 15 August 2023 (US) & 11 May 2023 (UK)

Following the intertwined stories of the three women from girlhood through young adulthood, Leah Redmond Chang’s Young Queens paints a picture of a world in which a woman could wield power at the highest level yet remain at the mercy of the state, her body serving as the currency of empire and dynasty, sacrificed to the will of husband, family, kingdom.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, as It Was Said: Truth and Tales about the Medieval Queen 

Hardcover – 4 August 2023 (US & UK)

Much of what we know about Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then Queen of England, we know from recorded rumor—gossip often qualified by the curious phrase “it was said,” or the love songs, ballads, and romances that gossip inspired. While we can mine these stories for evidence about the historical Eleanor, Karen Sullivan invites us to consider, instead, what even the most fantastical of these tales reveals about this queen and life as a twelfth-century noblewoman. She reads the Middle Ages, not to impose our current conceptual categories on its culture, but to expose the conceptual categories medieval women used to make sense of their lives. Along the way, Sullivan paints a fresh portrait of this singular medieval queen and the women who shared her world.

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, Princess Isabel and the Ending of Servile Labour in Russia and Brazil (Anthem Impact) 

Paperback – 15 August 2023 (US) & 16 November 2021 (UK)

Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna of Russia and Princess Isabel of Brazil were active participants in the struggle to end servile labor in their respective countries. They acted in defiance of political conventions which excluded women from any political activity. Both women were determined to do all in their power to further the cause of emancipation and to determine the terms under which serfs and slaves were emancipated. This book examines the political activities of the two royal women within the context of their respective societies and adopts a comparative approach.

The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of History at Hampton Court 

Hardcover – 17 August 2023 (UK) & 5 December 2023 (US)

Hampton Court has been an arc of monarchy, revolution, religious fundamentalism, sexual scandals, and military coups. In this rich and vivid history, Gareth Russell moves through the rooms and the decades, each time focusing on a different person who called Hampton Court their home.

Tudor Roses: From Margaret Beaufort to Elizabeth I 

Paperback – 15 August 2023 (UK)

A dynasty is defined by its men: by their personalities, their wars and reigns, their laws and decisions. Their mothers, wives, sisters and daughters are often depicted as mere foils, shadowy figures whose value lies in the inheritance they brought, or the children they produced. Yet the Tudor dynasty is full of women who are fascinating in their own right, like Margaret Beaufort, who finally emerged triumphant after years of turmoil; Elizabeth of York and her steadying influence; Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, whose rivalry was played out against the backdrop of the Reformation; and Mary and Elizabeth, England’s first reigning queens.

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Princess Ruth Ke’elikōlani 

Paperback – 1 August 2023 (UK & US)

This pictorial biography is a colorful account of the life and times of the controversial Princess Ruth (1826-1883), one of the last chiefesses of old Hawai’i. Ruth never left the islands throughout her life-Hawai’i was her world-and stubbornly, she clung to the old Hawaiian ways, ignoring the missionaries and their growing influence. When the lava flow of 1881 threatened the town of Hilo, the High Chiefess was credited with stopping the fiery molten rock in its tracks by interceding with Pele, the goddess of volcanoes.

When Women Ruled the Pacific: Power and Politics in Nineteenth-Century Tahiti and Hawai‘i (Studies in Pacific Worlds) 

Hardcover – 1 August 2023 (UK & US)

In When Women Ruled the Pacific Joy Schulz highlights four Polynesian women rulers who held enormous domestic and foreign power and expertly governed their people amid shifting loyalties, outright betrayals, and the ascendancy of imperial racism. Like their European counterparts, these Polynesian rulers fought arguments of lineage, as well as battles for territorial control, yet the freedom of Polynesian women in general and women rulers in particular was unlike anything Europeans and Americans had ever seen. Consequently, white chroniclers of contact had difficulty explaining their encounters, initially praising yet ultimately condemning Polynesian gender systems, resulting in the loss of women’s autonomy. The queens’ successes have been lost in the archives as imperial histories and missionary accounts chose to tell different stories. In this first book to consider queenship and women’s political sovereignty in the Pacific, Schulz recenters the lives of the women rulers in the history of nineteenth-century international relations.

Radegund: The Trials and Triumphs of a Merovingian

Paperback – 18 August 2023 (US) & 3 September 2023 (UK)

A princess born to the Thuringian royal house. A captive in war, forced to marry the Frankish king who killed her family. A queen, who renounced her position, received consecration as a deaconess, and took monastic vows. A religious leader, who acquired a fragment of the Cross of the Crucifixion for her convent of Holy Cross in Poitiers. And, lastly, a saint, remembered for her healings, exorcisms, and extreme self-mortification. Such was Radegund, a woman who lived through an era defined by headlong change. Honored as a “mother” by subsequent Frankish kings and as a holy woman by her nuns and devotees, Radegund enjoyed a reputation for righteousness that spread throughout the whole of medieval Europe, with later queens emulating her pious achievements. For generations, she defined medieval queenship, female monastic practice, and the expectations associated with holy women. Today, she is often envisioned as a pan-European saint.

The post Book News August 2023 appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Royal Jewels – Queen Alexandra’s Collet Necklace

Queen Alexandra’s Collet Necklace consists of “31 graduated brilliants (five detachable) in cut-down collet settings.”1

The necklace and a matching pair of earrings made of large old-cut Golconda diamonds were given to the then Princess Alexandra of Denmark upon her marriage to the future King Edward VII by the City of London.

Alexandra wore the necklace on a velvet band as a choker and usually paired it with one or more other necklaces. The necklace was passed to Queen Mary upon Queen Alexandra’s death in 1925. Two, out of a total of eight, of Queen Mary’s collet necklaces were bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. This included Queen Alexandra’s collet necklace.2

Embed from Getty Images

The post Royal Jewels – Queen Alexandra’s Collet Necklace appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Hiro Saga – China’s only Japanese Princess (Part two)

Hiro Saga was the only Chinese Princess from Japan. She was the second wife of Prince Pujie (Emperor Puyi’s younger brother and heir to the puppet State of Manchukuo). In my last article, I have discussed how Princess Hiro Saga was separated from her husband. She would not reunite with him for sixteen years. During those sixteen years, Princess Hiro Saga would experience many sorrows. This article explores Princess Hiro Saga’s relationships with her daughters. One of her daughters would come to a tragic end.

Princess Hiro Saga and Princess Husheng accompanied Empress Wanrong to Yanji. Then, they were forced to leave Empress Wanrong behind and move to Mudanjiang. Princess Hiro Saga felt regret that she had to leave the Empress behind, but there was nothing that she could do.[1] She also wondered what would happen to Empress Wanrong since there would be no one to care for her.[2] Later, they were transferred from Mudanjiang to Kiamusze. In January 1947, Princess Hiro Saga and Princess Husheng were finally permitted to return to Japan because they were related to the Japanese royal family.[3] They lived with her parents as she waited for news about Prince Pujie’s whereabouts.

Princess Hiro Saga became a calligraphy teacher at a prestigious private school.[4] She enrolled her daughters in private schools. She was very strict with her daughters.[5] She reminded them that they were Manchukuo Princesses and descendants of the imperial Qing Dynasty.[6] She always told them that they were Chinese and not Japanese.[7] Therefore, they had to continue learning the Chinese language.[8] She made it clear to them that they must marry Chinese men.[9] In 1955, Princess Hiro Saga and her daughters were finally in contact with Prince Pujie, who was imprisoned in China.[10] They continued to stay in contact through letters.[11]

In 1957, Princess Huisheng fell in love with a Japanese man named Okubo Budo.[12] However, Princess Hiro Saga refused to let them get married because the man was Japanese and not Chinese.[13] Princess Hiro Saga’s objections prevented her daughter from marrying the man she loved.[14] On 4 December 1957, Princess Huisheng and Okubo Budo committed a murder-suicide pact on Mount Amagi.[15] She was nineteen years old. Princess Huisheng’s death crushed her mother’s heart.[16] Princess Hiro Saga refused to believe that her daughter was willing to be in a murder-suicide pact.[17] Instead, she believed that Princess Huisheng was murdered by her lover against her will.[18]

In November 1960, Prince Pujie was finally released from prison. In 1961, Princess Hiro Saga left Princess Husheng behind in Japan and went to China.[19] In Beijing, she was finally reunited with Prince Pujie. For the rest of their lives, she stayed with him in China.[20] She even became a Chinese citizen.[21] She only made two trips to Japan after Prince Pujie’s release.[22]

In 1968, Princess Husheng fell in love with a Japanese man named Kenji Fukunaga. Because of what happened to Princess Huisheng, Princess Hiro Saga made no objections to the match.[23] Princess Husheng and Kenji Fukunaga had three sons and two daughters. Princess Husheng later became a Japanese citizen. She also changed her first name to Kosei.

On 20 June 1987, Princess Hiro Saga died of illness in a Beijing hospital. She was seventy-three years old. Her husband, Prince Pujie, died on 28 February 1994. Both of their remains were cremated.[24] Half of their ashes are in Beijing, and the other half is in Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan.[25]

Princess Hiro Saga married Prince Pujie for political purposes. However, it became a very strong and loving relationship. Princess Hiro Saga was very devoted to Prince Pujie and to China. However, she was strict with her daughters and pressured them to marry Chinese men. Because of her stubbornness, she lost one of her daughters. Princess Hiro Saga learned from her mistake and was able to spend the rest of her life in peace with Prince Pujie. Even though Princess Hiro Saga was Japanese, she was truly a daughter of China.

Sources:

Birnbaum, P. (2015). Manchu Princess: Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy who Commanded Her Own Army (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, Culture). NY: Columbia University Press.

DayDayNews. (June 21, 2020). “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

iMedia. (n.d.). “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/911781be3....

iNews. (n.d.). “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/d51a41336....

iNews. (n.d.). “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/0240962fe....

iNews. (n.d). “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/19d6bc9b3....

[1] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[2] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[3] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[4] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[5] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[6] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[7] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[8] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[9] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[10] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[11] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[12] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[13] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[14] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[15] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[16] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[17] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[18] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19″

[19] Birnbaum, 2015

[20] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[21] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[22] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[23] iMedia, n.d.,”Puyi’ss younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters”

[24] iNews, n.d.” “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese”.”

[25] iNews, n.d”, “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japane”e.”

The post Hiro Saga – China’s only Japanese Princess (Part two) appeared first on History of Royal Women.

Hiro Saga – China’s only Japanese Princess (Part one)

Hiro Saga was the only Chinese Princess from Japan. She was the second wife of Prince Pujie (Emperor Puyi’s younger brother and heir to the puppet State of Manchukuo). Their marriage was a political alliance between Japan and China. However, it turned into a happy marriage. The couple endured many hardships and were separated for sixteen years. Yet, their love only grew stronger. The romance between Princess Hiro Saga and Prince Pujie has become one of China’s most touching love stories.[1] Because Princess Hiro Saga was a legendary figure, I have decided to write two articles on her. This first article explores her relationship with her husband.

On 16 March 1914, Hiro Saga was born in Japan. She was the eldest daughter of the Marquis Saneto Saga. Her mother was Naomi Hamaguchi. She was a cousin of Emperor Hirohito.[2] Hiro Saga studied poetry and painting.[3] She graduated from a women’s college and has been taught by many famous teachers.[4] She also grew up learning etiquette.[5] She was said to have been intelligent and virtuous.[6] She grew up to be a suitable bride for a noble Japanese family.[7] Little did she know that she would marry into a Chinese royal family.

In 1936, the Japanese pressured Prince Pujie, Emperor Puyi’s brother, to marry a Japanese noblewoman.[8] Because Emperor Puyi had no children, Prince Pujie was the heir to the puppet state of Manchukuo.[9] The Japanese hoped that if Prince Pujie married a Japanese woman who would one day become the future Empress of Manchukuo, it would strengthen the ties between China and Japan.[10] As Prince Pujie looked through a series of photographs of Japanese noblewomen, his eyes finally rested upon Hiro Saga’s photograph.[11] Prince Pujie was a fan of an all-female drama troupe, and Hiro Saga looked like one of his favourite stars in the troupe.[12] Therefore, he chose Hiro Saga to be his wife.[13] The Japanese Kwantung Army immediately notified the bride.

Hiro Saga was about to attend a Kabuki performance with her family. Just before they left for the performance, a general of the Kwantung Army showed up at their door. He told the family that Hiro Saga would marry Prince Pujie. Her family adamantly opposed the match.[14] Hiro Saga’s grandmother wept and begged the general to choose another bride for Prince Pujie.[15] However, the general ignored their blatant objections.[16] In the end, the Sagas finally submitted to the army’s will.[17] After Hiro Saga agreed to be Prince Pujie’s wife, the Japanese Kwantung Army arranged for her to meet Prince Pujie. They fell in love at first sight.[18] 

On 3 April 1937, Hiro Saga married Prince Pujie in Tokyo. After the ceremony, the couple moved to Changchun, China to be with Emperor Puyi. Prince Pujie and Hiro Saga were very happy with each other.[19] Hiro Saga was known to have a gentle temperament, and she always made Prince Pujie’s interests her priority.[20] Princess Hiro Saga quickly became pregnant. When the Japanese Kwantung Army heard the news, they were very ecstatic.[21] They hoped that it would be a boy who would one day rule the puppet State of Manchukuo.[22] On 26 February 1938, Princess Hiro Saga gave birth to a girl. The Japanese Kwantung Army was very disappointed that it was a Princess and not a Prince.[23] However, Emperor Puyi was very happy with his niece.[24] He even named her Huisheng.[25] Princess Huisheng became Emperor Puyi’s favourite niece.[26]

The Japanese Kwantung Army was so angry that Princess Hiro Saga failed to give birth to a son.[27] In September 1938, they sent Prince Pujie and Princess Hiro Saga back to Japan.[28] A year later, Prince Pujie returned to Changchun. However, Princess Hiro Saga was pregnant and remained in Japan.[29] On 13 March 1940, Princess Hiro Saga gave birth to another daughter named Husheng, who would later be known as Kosei Fukunaga.

In 1941, Princess Hiro Saga returned to Changchun with her two daughters.[30] She took great care of her daughters’ education.[31] Because they were Manchukuo Princesses, Princess Hiro Saga immersed her daughters in Chinese culture and language.[32] She even hoped that they would marry Chinese men in the future.[33] In 1943, Prince Pujie took his family to Tokyo to study military affairs in Japan.[34] In December 1944, Prince Pujie, Princess Hiro Saga, and Princess Husheng returned to Changchun. They left Princess Huisheng behind in the care of her aunt because she was already enrolled in a primary school in Japan.[35]

On 18 August 1945, the puppet State of Manchukuo collapsed. Prince Pujie was devastated and heartbroken that the Qing Dynasty was no more.[36] He wanted to commit suicide.[37] He took his gun and was about to shoot himself, but was stopped by Princess Hiro Saga.[38] Princess Hiro Saga reminded Prince Pujie about his duties as a husband and father.[39] Prince Pujie put the gun away and began making escape plans.[40] They fled with Emperor Puyi and the other imperial relatives to Dalizigou.[41] Then, Prince Pujie left his wife and daughter to escape with Emperor Puyi. Before Prince Pujie left, Princess Hiro Saga promised him that she would wait for him her whole life.[42] They would not see each other for sixteen years because Prince Pujie would be captured and imprisoned by the Soviet Union.[43]

Princess Hiro Saga, Princess Husheng Empress Wanrong, and Imperial Concubine Li Yuqin (Emperor Puyi’s fourth wife) also tried to flee by going on a train to Korea. While they were en route, they were captured and imprisoned in Changchun. Imperial Concubine Li Yuqin was permitted to return home. However, Princess Hiro Saga and her daughter went through a series of prisons until they were finally permitted to return to Japan in 1947.

Even though Princess Hiro Saga was forced to marry Prince Pujie, she eventually fell in love with him. She was very devoted to Prince Pujie. Because of her love for her husband, Princess Hiro Saga was labelled as a war criminal and would undergo much suffering. Eventually, she would be released and sent back to Japan. However, there would be more sorrows awaiting her in Japan. The next article will detail the separation between Princess Hiro Saga and Prince Pujie. It will also explore Princess Hiro Saga’s relationship with her daughters, in which one of them would have a tragic end.

Part two coming soon.

Sources:

Birnbaum, P. (2015). Manchu Princess: Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy who Commanded Her Own Army (Asia Perspectives: History, Society, Culture). NY: Columbia University Press.

DayDayNews. (June 21, 2020). “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

DayDayNews. (December 26, 2020).“The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?” Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://daydaynews.cc/en/history/amp/....

iMedia. (n.d.). “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://min.news/en/history/911781be3....

iNews. (n.d.). “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/d51a41336....

iNews. (n.d.). “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/0240962fe....

iNews. (n.d). “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”. Retrieved on 29 November 2022 from https://inf.news/en/history/19d6bc9b3....

[1] iNews, n.d., “The wandering princess Sagaho and Pu Jie have 50 years of love: Pu Jie was born on April 16, 1907”

[2] Birnbaum, 2015

[3] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[4] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[5] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[6] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[7] Birnbaum, 2015

[8] Birnbaum, 2015

[9] Birnbaum, 2015

[10] Birnbaum, 2015

[11] Birnbaum, 2015

[12] Birnbaum, 2015

[13] Birnbaum, 2015

[14] Birnbaum, 2015

[15] Birnbaum, 2015

[16] Birnbaum, 2015

[17] Birnbaum, 2015

[18] Birnbaum, 2015

[19] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[20] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[21] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[22] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[23] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[24] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[25] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[26] Birnbaum, 2015

[27] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[28] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[29] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[30] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[31] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[32] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[33] DayDayNews, 21 June 2020, “She has the blood of the Japanese imperial family, but she resolutely married a Chinese to become a Chinese citizen and never taught her children to speak Japanese”

[34] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[35] iNews, n.d., “Aisin Gioro Huisheng: Once the “Prince of Manchukuo” that the Japanese hoped for, was shot to death by a suitor at the age of 19”

[36] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[37] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[38] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[39] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[40] DayDayNews, 26 December 2020, “The last imperial brother, the wandering princess: Brother Puyi married a Japanese wife, is it true love?”

[41] iNews, n.d., “Saga Hiroshi: The only Japanese princess in China, who became Chinese nationality in his later years, and her daughters are not allowed to marry Japanese.”

[42] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

[43] iMedia, n.d., “Puyi’s younger brother, Pu Jie, married a Japanese wife. The elder brother’s strong opposition was unsuccessful. What happened to the two daughters?”

The post Hiro Saga – China’s only Japanese Princess (Part one) appeared first on History of Royal Women.