Empress Dowager Cheng
Encyclopedia
Empress Dowager Cheng (died 334) was an empress dowager
of the Chinese
/Jie
state Later Zhao
. She was a concubine of Later Zhao's founding emperor Shi Le
and gave birth to his crown prince and successor, Shi Hong
. Her brother Cheng Xia (程遐) was one of Shi Le's key advisors, particularly after Zhang Bin
's death.
After Shi Le died in 333, his powerful nephew Shi Hu
quickly seized power in a coup d'état and killed Cheng Xia and another key advisor of Shi Le, Xu Guang (徐光). Shi Le's wife Empress Dowager Liu
tried to start rebellions to overthrow Shi Hu, but could not and was herself killed. After her death, Consort Cheng was made empress dowager, but neither she nor her son had any real power. In 334, Shi Hu seized the throne and imprisoned her, Shi Hong, and Shi Hong's brothers Shi Hong (石宏, note different character) the Prince of Qin and Shi Hui (石恢) the Prince of Nanyang, but soon had all of them executed.
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
/Jie
Jie (ethnic group)
The Jié were members of a small tribe in Northern China in the 4th century CE. They established the Later Zhao state.According to the Book of Wei, their name derives from the Jiéshì area where they reside....
state Later Zhao
Later Zhao
The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...
. She was a concubine of Later Zhao's founding emperor Shi Le
Shi Le
Shi Le , courtesy name Shilong , formally Emperor Ming of Zhao , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
and gave birth to his crown prince and successor, Shi Hong
Shi Hong
Shi Hong , courtesy name Daya , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao after the death of his father Shi Le, Later Zhao's founder. Because after his cousin Shi Hu deposed him, he was created the Prince of Haiyang , he is sometimes known by that title.- Background :Shi Hong was...
. Her brother Cheng Xia (程遐) was one of Shi Le's key advisors, particularly after Zhang Bin
Zhang Bin
Zhang Bin , courtesy name Mengsun , formally Marquess Jing of Puyang , was a key strategist for Shi Le, the founder of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao.-Biography:...
's death.
After Shi Le died in 333, his powerful nephew Shi Hu
Shi Hu
Shi Hu , courtesy name Jilong , formally Emperor Wu of Zhao , was an emperor of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao...
quickly seized power in a coup d'état and killed Cheng Xia and another key advisor of Shi Le, Xu Guang (徐光). Shi Le's wife Empress Dowager Liu
Empress Liu (Ming)
Empress Liu was an empress of the Chinese/Jie state Later Zhao. Her husband was the founder of the empire, Shi Le....
tried to start rebellions to overthrow Shi Hu, but could not and was herself killed. After her death, Consort Cheng was made empress dowager, but neither she nor her son had any real power. In 334, Shi Hu seized the throne and imprisoned her, Shi Hong, and Shi Hong's brothers Shi Hong (石宏, note different character) the Prince of Qin and Shi Hui (石恢) the Prince of Nanyang, but soon had all of them executed.