Empress Dowager Wang Yuanji
Encyclopedia
Wang Yuanji formally Empress Wenming (文明皇后, literally: "civil and understanding empress") was an empress dowager
during the Jin Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. She was the wife of Sima Zhao
, regent of the state of Cao Wei
during the Three Kingdoms
period. She was also the mother of Sima Yan
, the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty.
(王朗) who was an official in Wei. Wang Su (王肅) was a Wei general and Confucian
scholar. She was known for her filial piety when she was young. She could read the Classic of Poetry and Analects of Confucius at the age of 8. When she was 15 she married Sima Zhao
. It is known that she bore Sima Zhao five sons and a daughter. In traditional history she correctly predicted that Zhong Hui
was overly ambitious and warned her husband that Zhong would eventually rebel.
After Sima Zhao's death in 265, Sima Yan inherited his position as the paramount authority of Wei and soon forced the last Wei emperor Cao Huan
to abdicate in his favour. After establishing the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan honored her as the empress dowager. Wang was said to be a humble empress dowager who was not much involved in political matters. She died in 268 at the age of 52 by East Asian age reckoning
and was buried with Sima Zhao, with honors befitting an empress.
of Koei's Dynasty Warriors
video game series.
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...
during the Jin Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
period of Chinese history
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...
. She was the wife of Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
, regent of the state of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period. She was also the mother of Sima Yan
Emperor Wu of Jìn
Emperor Wu of Jin, , personal name Sima Yan , style name Anshi , was the grandson of Sima Yi and son of Sima Zhao. He became the first emperor of the Jin Dynasty after forcing Cao Huan, last ruler of the state of Cao Wei, to abdicate to him. He reigned from 265 to 290, and after conquering the...
, the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty.
Biography
Wang Yuanji was born into a scholarly family by her grandfather Wang LangWang Lang
Wang Lang was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty and a politician of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. Through his granddaughter's marriage to Sima Zhao, he would become great-grandfather of Sima Yan, who later became the founding emperor of the Jin Dynasty.-Early life...
(王朗) who was an official in Wei. Wang Su (王肅) was a Wei general and Confucian
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
scholar. She was known for her filial piety when she was young. She could read the Classic of Poetry and Analects of Confucius at the age of 8. When she was 15 she married Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao
Sima Zhao was a military general, politician and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
. It is known that she bore Sima Zhao five sons and a daughter. In traditional history she correctly predicted that Zhong Hui
Zhong Hui
Zhong Hui was a military general of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He was the son of Zhong Yao, a calligrapher and politician of Wei....
was overly ambitious and warned her husband that Zhong would eventually rebel.
After Sima Zhao's death in 265, Sima Yan inherited his position as the paramount authority of Wei and soon forced the last Wei emperor Cao Huan
Cáo Huàn
Cao Huan , formally known as Emperor Yuan of Wei, was the fifth and last emperor of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history....
to abdicate in his favour. After establishing the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan honored her as the empress dowager. Wang was said to be a humble empress dowager who was not much involved in political matters. She died in 268 at the age of 52 by East Asian age reckoning
East Asian age reckoning
East Asian age reckoning is a concept and practice that originated in China and is widely used by other cultures in East Asia, which share this traditional way of counting a person's age. Newborns start at one year old, and each passing of a Lunar New Year, rather than the birthday, adds one year...
and was buried with Sima Zhao, with honors befitting an empress.
Modern references
Wang Yuanji is first introduced as a playable character in the seventh installmentDynasty Warriors 7
is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....
of Koei's Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors
is a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force and Koei. The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese classical novel of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors,...
video game series.
See also
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms
- List of Dynasty Warriors characters