Empress Chen (Longqing)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chen (陳) .

Empress Xiao'an 孝安皇后
Empress consort of the Ming dynasty
Born	Tongzhou, Zhili [1] (present-day Tongzhou District, Beijing, China)
Died	1596 (1597)
Burial	Zhaoling Mausoleum
Spouse	Longqing Emperor
Posthumous name Empress Xiao'an Zhenyi Gongchun Wenhui Zuotian Hongsheng (孝安貞懿恭純溫惠佐天弘聖皇后)
Clan	Chen
Father	Chen Jingxing [2]
Chinese name
Chinese	孝安皇后
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiào'ān Huánghòu

Empress Xiao'an (d. 1596), of the Chen clan, was a Chinese empress consort of the Ming dynasty. She was the second wife of the Longqing Emperor.

In 1558, following the death of his first wife Lady Li, Zhu Zaiji, Prince of Yu, married Lady Chen. Upon his ascension to the throne as the Longqing Emperor in 1567, he appointed her as his empress. After only two years, however, she fell out of favor with the Emperor and was moved to a separate palace in 1569. She became ill and was not properly cared for. The Emperor told opposing officials that she did not understand his family affairs and that she had no son and was in poor health. Another alleged reason for her removal was her criticism of the Emperor's preoccupation with women and music. ^[3]

The Emperor's son from another wife, the heir to the throne and future Wanli Emperor, however, treated the Empress well and visited her regularly. After his ascension to the throne, he granted her the title of empress dowager and always treated her with respect as his father's principal wife. ^[3]

Titles

The titles of Empress Chen: ^[1]

• During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (r. 1521–1567):
  • Lady Chen (陳氏)
  • Princess Consort of Yu (裕王妃; from 1558)
• During the reign of the Longqing Emperor (r. 1567–1572):
  • Empress (皇后; from 1567)
• During the reign of the Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620):
  • Empress Dowager Rensheng (仁聖皇太后; from 1572)
  • Empress Dowager Rensheng Zhenyi (仁聖貞懿皇太后; from 1578)
  • Empress Dowager Rensheng Zhenyi Kangjing (仁聖貞懿康靜皇太后; from 1582)
  • Empress Xiao'an Zhenyi Gongchun Wenhui Zuotian Hongsheng (孝安貞懿恭純溫惠佐天弘聖皇后; from 1596)

References

Citations

1. History of Ming, vol. 114, p. 3534.
2. Wong (1997), p. 274.
3. McMahon (2016), p. 123.

Works cited

• McMahon, Keith (2016). Celestial Women: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Song to Qing. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   9781442255029.
• Wong, Nai-kwan (1997). Ming dai huang shi yan jiu明代皇室研究 [A Study of the Imperial Family of the Ming Dynasty] (MPhil thesis) (in Chinese). Pokfulam, Hong Kong: The University of Hong Kong. doi: 10.5353/th_b3122010 . hdl: 10722/33933 .
• Zhang, Tingyu (1974) [1739]. Ming Shi明史[History of Ming] (in Literary Chinese). Beijing: Zhonghua Book. ISBN   7101003273.

Chinese royalty
Vacant Title last held by Empress Dowager Zhaosheng and Empress Dowager Zhangsheng	Empress dowager of the Ming dynasty 1572–1596 with Empress Dowager Xiaoding	Vacant Title next held by Empress Dowager Ningsheng (Southern Ming)
Vacant Title last held by Empress Xiaolie	Empress consort of the Ming dynasty 1567–1572	Vacant Title next held by Empress Xiaoduanxian
Preceded by Princess Consort Li	Princess Consort of Yu 1558–1567	The Prince of Yu ascended the throne