Empress Teng Fanglan

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Teng Fanglan
滕芳蘭
Empress of Eastern Wu
Tenure November 264 – 280
Predecessor Empress Zhu
Born Unknown
Died Unknown
Spouse Sun Hao
Father Teng Mu

Empress Teng (fl. 264–280), personal name Teng Fanglan, [1] was an empress of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She married Sun Hao, the fourth and last emperor of Wu.

Eastern Wu former country

Wu (222–280), commonly known as Dong Wu or Sun Wu, was one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280). It previously existed from 220–222 as a vassal kingdom nominally under Cao Wei, its rival state, but declared independence from Wei and became a sovereign state in 222. It became an empire in 229 after its founding ruler, Sun Quan, declared himself emperor. Its name was derived from the place it was based in — the Jiangnan region, which was also historically known as "Wu". It was referred to as "Dong Wu" or "Sun Wu" by historians to distinguish it from other Chinese historical states with similar names which were also located in that region, such as the Wu state in the Spring and Autumn period and the Wuyue kingdom in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. It was called "Eastern Wu" because it occupied most of eastern China in the Three Kingdoms period, and "Sun Wu" because the family name of its rulers was "Sun". During its existence, Wu's capital was at Jianye, but at times it was also at Wuchang.

Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history (220–280 CE), where much of China was divided into the Wei, Shu-Han, and Wu kingdoms

The Three Kingdoms was the tripartite division of China between the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu. It started with the end of the Han dynasty and was followed by the Jin dynasty. The term "Three Kingdoms" is something of a misnomer, since each state was eventually headed not by a king, but by an emperor who claimed suzerainty over all China. Nevertheless, the term "Three Kingdoms" has become standard among English-speaking sinologists. To distinguish the three states from other historical Chinese states of the same names, historians have added a relevant character to the state's original name: the state that called itself Wei (魏) is also known as Cao Wei (曹魏), the state that called itself Han (漢) is also known as Shu Han (蜀漢) or just Shu (蜀), and the state that called itself Wu (吳) is also known as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu (孫吳).

Sun Hao Eastern Wu emperor

Sun Hao, courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son of Sun He, a one-time heir apparent of the founding emperor Sun Quan. He ascended the throne in 264 after the death of his uncle, Sun Xiu, in light of the desire of the people to have an older emperor, considering the recent destruction of Wu's ally state Shu Han. However, he turned out to be a most unfortunate choice, as his cruelty, extravagance and inability to handle domestic matters doomed Wu, which was eventually conquered by the Jin dynasty in 280, ending the Three Kingdoms period.

Contents

Life

Lady Teng was the daughter of Teng Mu (滕牧). She was also a distant relative of Teng Yin, a high-ranking minister in Wu. When Teng Yin was killed in a failed attempt to overthrow the Wu regent Sun Chen in 256, Teng Mu and his family were exiled to the border. However, after Sun Xiu ascended the throne in 258 and eliminated Sun Chen, he granted amnesty to those who were condemned by Sun Chen, so Teng Mu and his family were allowed to return to the Wu capital Jianye (建業; present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Teng Mu became a zhonglang (中郎; a type of official) in the Bureau for All Purposes (五官曹). When Sun Hao was enfeoffed as the "Marquis of Wucheng" (烏程侯), he took Lady Teng as his concubine and instated her as the empress later when he ascended the throne in 264. He enfeoffed Teng Mu as the Marquis of Gaomi (高密侯), appointed him as the General of the Guards (衞將軍) and granted him authority over the Masters of Writing (尚書). [2]

Teng Yin, courtesy name Chengsi, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He plotted the assassination of the tyrannical regent Zhuge Ke together with Sun Jun. Teng Yin was later promoted to Grand Marshal for his achievement. Teng Yin once again plotted the assassination of another tyrannical regent, Sun Chen. However, Sun Chen discovered the plot, accused him of treason and had him executed.

Sun Chen, courtesy name Zitong, was a military general and regent of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He ruled as regent during the reigns of the emperors Sun Liang and Sun Xiu. His conflict with Sun Liang eventually led him to depose the emperor in favour of Sun Xiu. However, he was subsequently killed by Sun Xiu in a coup.

Sun Xiu, courtesy name Zilie, formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China.

Sun Hao turned out to be a cruel and superstitious tyrant. His subjects were hesitant in attempting to persuade him to mend his ways, but due to Teng Mu's honoured status, they often asked Teng Mu to help them present their proposals to Sun Hao because the emperor might be offended if they gave him advice directly. Sun Hao eventually grew tired of Teng Mu's suggestions and Empress Teng fell out of her husband's favour as a consequence. In 266, Sun Hao suddenly ordered Teng Mu to move to Cangwu (蒼梧; in present-day Wuzhou, Guangxi) — effectively sending the latter into exile — even though he did not strip the latter of his titles. Teng Mu died of distress on the journey to Cangwu. Sun Hao considered deposing Empress Teng as well but his superstitious beliefs worked in the empress's favour — his sorcerers (whom he trusted) told him that replacing the empress would lead to disaster for him. Sun Hao's mother, Empress Dowager He, also intervened by protecting and speaking up for Empress Teng. Empress Teng lived with her mother-in-law and rarely saw Sun Hao again but retained her authority as the empress. At the same time, Sun Hao gave empress signets to many of his other concubines. [3]

Wuzhou Prefecture-level city in Guangxi, Peoples Republic of China

Wúzhōu, formerly Ngchow, is a prefecture-level city in the east of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, People's Republic of China.

Guangxi Autonomous region

Guangxi ( ; formerly romanised as Kwangsi; Chinese: 广西; Zhuang: Gvangjsih, officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in south China and bordering Vietnam. Formerly a province, Guangxi became an autonomous region in 1958.

Empress Dowager He, personal name unknown, was an empress dowager of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was a concubine of Sun He, a son of Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan. She became the empress dowager during the reign of her son Sun Hao, the fourth and last emperor of Wu.

Little else is known about Empress Teng. When Wu was conquered by forces of the Jin dynasty in 280, she accompanied Sun Hao to the Jin capital Luoyang. [4] When Sun Hao was dead in 284. Teng Fanglan felt very sad so she wrote a lament on her own to honor her husband. She eventually died in Luoyang. [5]

Conquest of Wu by Jin

The conquest of Wu by Jin was a military campaign launched by the Jin dynasty (265–420) against the state of Eastern Wu in 280 at the end of the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The campaign concluded with the fall of Wu and the reunification of China under the Jin dynasty.

Luoyang Prefecture-level city in Henan, Peoples Republic of China

Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast. As of the final 2010 census, Luoyang had a population of 6,549,941 inhabitants with 1,857,003 people living in the built-up area made of the city's five urban districts, all of which except the Jili District are not urbanized yet.

Empress Teng's personal name was not recorded in her biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi), the authoritative source of the history of the Three Kingdoms period. However, the Jiankang Shilu mentioned that her personal name was "Fanglan", hence she was also known as "Teng Fanglan". [1]

<i>Records of the Three Kingdoms</i> Chinese historical book

The Records of the Three Kingdoms is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. The primary body of the text was written by Chen Shou in the third century and combines the smaller histories of Cao Wei, Shu Han and Eastern Wu into a single text.

See also

The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order.

Related Research Articles

Liu Bian, also known as Emperor Shao of Han and the Prince of Hongnong, was the 13th emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He became emperor around the age of 13 upon the death of his father, Emperor Ling, and ruled briefly from 15 May to 28 September 189 before he was deposed, after which he became known as the "Prince of Hongnong". His emperor title, "Emperor Shao", was also used by other emperors who were in power for very short periods of time. In 190, he was poisoned to death by Dong Zhuo, the warlord who deposed him and replaced him with his younger half-brother, Liu Xie.

Empress He, personal name unknown, posthumously known as Empress Lingsi, was an empress of the Eastern Han dynasty. She was the second empress consort of Emperor Ling and the mother of Emperor Shao. After the death of Emperor Ling in 189, she became empress dowager when her young son, Liu Bian, became the new emperor. She was caught up in the conflict between her brother, General-in-Chief He Jin, and the eunuch faction, who were both vying for power in the Han imperial court. After He Jin's assassination and the elimination of the eunuch faction, the warlord Dong Zhuo took advantage of the power vacuum to lead his forces into the imperial capital and seize control of the Han central government. He subsequently deposed Emperor Shao, replaced him with Liu Xie, and had Empress Dowager He poisoned to death.

Lu Kang, courtesy name Youjie, was a military general of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Lu Xun, the third Imperial Chancellor of Wu. Lu Kang inherited the mantle of his father but was less involved in politics as he served mainly in the Wu military. He rose to prominence during the reign of the fourth and last Wu emperor, Sun Hao. In 272, he successfully suppressed a rebellion by Bu Chan and fended off invading forces from Wu's rival, the Jin dynasty. After the battle, he actively pursued a policy of détente with the Jin general Yang Hu at the Wu–Jin border. At the same time, he constantly submitted memorials to Sun Hao, urging the tyrannical emperor to change his ways and govern with benevolence, but his advice fell on deaf ears. In 280, about six years after Lu Kang's death, the Jin dynasty launched a campaign against Wu and conquered Wu within a year.

Lady Gan Liu Beis wife

Lady Gan was concubine of Liu Bei, the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China and Liu Shan's mother. She was later posthumously honoured as Empress Zhaolie.

Lady Zhen Cao Wei noble lady

Lady Zhen, personal name unknown, was the first wife of Cao Pi, the first ruler of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period. In 226, she was posthumously honoured as Empress Wenzhao when her son, Cao Rui, succeeded Cao Pi as the emperor of Wei.

Pan Shu Eastern Wu empress

Empress Pan, personal name Pan Shu, was an empress of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was the only empress of Wu's founding emperor, Sun Quan, even though he had a succession of wives before her. She was the mother of Sun Liang, Sun Quan's successor and the second emperor of Wu.

Empress Quan, also known as Quan Huijie, was an empress of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was married to Sun Liang, the second emperor of Wu.

Sun He (224–253), courtesy name Zixiao, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the third son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. In 242, he became the crown prince after the death of his brother Sun Deng, the eldest son and first heir apparent of Sun Quan. In the 240s, a power struggle broke out between Sun He and his fourth brother, Sun Ba, over the succession to their father's throne. The conflict ended in 250 when Sun Quan forced Sun Ba to commit suicide, deposed Sun He and replaced him with Sun Liang. In 253, during Sun Liang's reign, the regent Sun Jun reduced Sun He to commoner status and forced him to commit suicide. In 264, one of Sun He's sons, Sun Hao, became the fourth emperor of Eastern Wu. After his coronation, Sun Hao honoured his father with the posthumous title Emperor Wen.

Sun Kuang, courtesy name Jizuo, was a younger brother of Sun Quan, a Chinese warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and became the founding emperor of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period.

Quan Cong, courtesy name Zihuang, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong became famous at a young age when he performed acts of charity by giving grain to people suffering from famine and providing shelter to refugees from central China. He started his career under the warlord Sun Quan as a military officer and achieved success in his early career by pacifying the restive Shanyue tribes in the Jiangdong territories. After Sun Quan became an independent ruler of Wu in 222, Quan Cong rose to the rank of General and participated in battles against Wu's rival state Wei. He also pacified rebellions by local tribes in Danyang, Wu and Kuaiji commanderies. After Sun Quan became emperor in 229, Quan Cong married his daughter Sun Luban and became one of his most trusted generals. During this time, although he was less active in battles, he became more outspoken on state affairs. He strongly objected to Sun Quan's decision to let his heir apparent Sun Deng lead troops into battle because it was against traditions, and attempted to dissuade Sun Quan from launching an invasion of Zhuya and Yizhou. Towards the end of his life, he became embroiled in a power struggle between Sun Quan's sons Sun He and Sun Ba over the succession to their father's throne. Although he supported Sun Ba, he died before he could see the power struggle end in 250 with neither Sun He nor Sun Ba becoming the new heir apparent. Throughout his life, Quan Cong was known for being a respectful and agreeable man who remained humble despite his high social status and prestige. As a military commander, he was known for being courageous and decisive, and for conducting himself with dignity and often taking the bigger picture into consideration.

Luo Xian, courtesy name Lingze, was a military general of the Jin dynasty of China. He previously served in the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period. He is best known for defending his position at Yong'an for about six months against attacks from Shu's former ally state Wu after the fall of Shu.

Bu Zhi, courtesy name Zishan, was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the warlord Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty and gradually rose through the ranks. Between 210 and 220, he served as the governor of the remote and restive Jiao Province in southern China. During the Battle of Xiaoting/Yiling of 221–222, he quelled local uprisings in Sun Quan's territories in southern Jing Province and maintained peace in the area. After Sun Quan became emperor in 229, Bu Zhi oversaw the Wu armed forces guarding the Wu–Shu border at Xiling for about 20 years. During this time, he also gave advice to Sun Quan's first heir apparent, Sun Deng, and spoke up for officials affected by Lü Yi's abuses of power. In 246, he became the fourth Imperial Chancellor of Wu, but died in office in the following year.

Lu Kai, courtesy name Jingfeng, was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the influential Lu clan of the Wu region towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Lu Kai started his career around the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period as a county chief and later a military officer under Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. During the reign of Sun Liang, he participated in some battles against bandits and Eastern Wu's rival state Cao Wei, and was promoted to the rank of General. Throughout the reign of Sun Xiu and early reign of Sun Hao, Lu Kai continued to hold military commands until September or October 266, when Sun Hao appointed him and Wan Yu as the Left and Right Imperial Chancellors of Eastern Wu respectively. Well known for being outspoken and candid, Lu Kai strongly objected to Sun Hao's decision to move the imperial capital from Jianye to Wuchang in 265, attempted to dissuade Sun Hao from going to war with the Jin dynasty that replaced the Cao Wei state in 266, and spoke up against Sun Hao's cruel and extravagant ways on numerous occasions. Although Sun Hao deeply resented Lu Kai for openly defying him, he tolerated Lu Kai because Lu Kai held an important office and also because he did not want to antagonise the Lu clan. After Lu Kai's death, Sun Hao sent his family away to a distant commandery in the south.

Lady Bu, personal name Bu Lianshi, was a concubine of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Since she have posthumously honoured as an empress by Sun Quan. She is also known as Empress Bu.

This article contains the family trees of members of the Sun clan, who ruled the state of Eastern Wu (229–280) in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) in China.

This article contains the family trees of members of the Liu clan, who ruled the state of Shu Han (221-263) in the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) in China. They were related to the House of Liu, the imperial clan of the Han dynasty.

Sun Fen, courtesy name Ziyang, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the fifth son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu.

Sun Ba, courtesy name Ziwei, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the fourth son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu.

Sun Luyu, courtesy name Xiaohu, was an imperial princess of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was the younger daughter of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu, and his concubine Bu Lianshi. She is also referred to as Princess Zhu (朱公主/朱主) because of her marriage to Zhu Ju.

Puyang Xing, courtesy name Ziyuan, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eighth Imperial Chancellor of Eastern Wu.

References

  1. 1 2 (追諡父和為文皇帝，　... 立夫人滕氏為皇后。后諱芳蘭，太常滕胤族女。) Jiankang Shilu vol. 4.
  2. ↑ (孫皓滕夫人，故太常胤之族女也。胤夷滅，夫人父牧，以踈遠徙邊郡。孫休即位，大赦，得還，以牧為五官中郎。皓旣封烏程侯，聘牧女為妃。皓即位，立為皇后，封牧高密侯，拜衞將軍，錄尚書事。) Sanguozhi vol. 50.
  3. ↑ (後朝士以牧尊戚，頗推令諫爭。而夫人寵漸衰，皓滋不恱，皓母何恒左右之。又太史言，於運歷，后不可易，皓信巫覡，故得不廢，常供養升平宮。牧見遣居蒼梧郡，雖爵位不奪，其實裔也，遂道路憂死。長秋官僚備員而已，受朝賀表疏如故。而皓內諸寵姬，佩皇后璽紱者多矣。) Sanguozhi vol. 50.
  4. ↑ (天紀四年，隨皓遷于洛陽。) Sanguozhi vol. 50.
  5. ↑ (天纪四年,随帝北迁,薨于洛阳 ... 後五年，薨於洛陽，葬河南芒山。滕后自為哀策，文甚酸楚) Jiankang Shilu vol. 4.
Chinese royalty
Preceded by
Empress Zhu 		Empress of Eastern Wu
264 – 280 		Dynasty ended
Empress of China (Southeastern)
264 – 280 		Succeeded by
Empress Yang Zhi of Jin
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