Empress Dowager Xia was an empress dowager

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...

 dynasty Liang Dynasty

Liang Dynasty

The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...

. She was the mother of Emperor Jing

Emperor Jing of Liang

Emperor Jing of Liang , personal name Xiao Fangzhi , courtesy name Huixiang , nickname Fazhen , was an emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty. As the only surviving son of Emperor Yuan, he was declared emperor by the general Chen Baxian in 555, but in 557 Chen forced him to yield the throne and...

 (Xiao Fangzhi).

The future Empress Dowager Xia was from Kuaiji Commandery (會稽, roughly modern Shaoxing

Shaoxing

Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. It was once known as "越"...

, Zhejiang

Zhejiang

Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

). Sometime between 520

520

Year 520 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Rusticus and Vitalianus...

 and 527

527

Year 527 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Mavortius without colleague...

, she became a concubine of Xiao Yi

Emperor Yuan of Liang

Emperor Yuan of Liang , personal name Xiao Yi , courtesy name Shicheng , nickname Qifu , was an emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty...

 the Prince of Xiangdong, a son of Liang's founder Emperor Wu

Emperor Wu of Liang

Emperor Wu of Liang , personal name Xiao Yan , courtesy name Shuda , nickname Lian'er , was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty...

. In 544

544

Year 544 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 544 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Belisarius is sent back to Italy to...

, she bore him a son, Xiao Fangzhi. After Xiao Yi declared himself emperor in 552

552

Year 552 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 552 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Battle of Asfeld: Longobards under king Audoin...

 (as Emperor Yuan), he created Xiao Fangzhi the Prince of Jin'an, and he honored Consort Xia as the Princess Dowager of Jin'an. She also carried the imperial consort rank guifei (貴妃), the first rank among imperial consort. After Emperor Yuan was captured and killed by Western Wei

Western Wei

The Western Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556.After the Xianbei general Yuwen Tai killed the Northern Wei emperor Yuan Xiu, he installed Yuan Baoju as emperor of Western Wei while Yuwen Tai would remain as the virtual ruler...

 in 554

554

Year 554 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 554 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* General Narses reconquers all of...

, Xiao Fangzhi was declared emperor by the general Chen Baxian

Emperor Wu of Chen

Emperor Wu of Chen , personal name Chen Baxian , courtesy name Xingguo , nickname Fasheng , was the first emperor of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He first distinguished himself as a Liang Dynasty general during the campaign against the rebel general Hou Jing, and he was progressively promoted...

 in 555

555

Year 555 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 555 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Nan Liang Dynasty begins; the first ruler...

. Princess Dowager Xia was honored as empress dowager. However, Chen controlled the government, and in 557

557

Year 557 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 557 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* The Northern Zhou Dynasty begins in northern...

 he forced Emperor Jing to yield the throne to him, establishing Chen Dynasty

Chen Dynasty

The Chen Dynasty , also known as the Southern Chen Dynasty, was the fourth and last of the Southern dynasties in China, eventually destroyed by the Sui Dynasty....

 (as its Emperor Wu). Emperor Jing was created the Prince of Jiangyin, and Empress Dowager Xia thus became the Princess Dowager of Jiangyin. Chen Baxian had Xiao Fangzhi killed in 558

558

Year 558 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 558 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* May 7 – In Constantinople,...

, and nothing further was recorded in history about the former empress dowager.