Empress He (Ling)
Encyclopedia
Empress He personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Lingsi (靈思皇后; literally: "The Unattentive and Deep-thinking Empress") was an empress of the Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
. She was Emperor Ling
's second wife. Along with her brother He Jin
, she was able to temporarily dominate power at the imperial court after the death of Emperor Ling in 189 as empress dowager
.
, Henan
). Her mother was named Xing (興). It is not known when she was selected as an imperial consort. According to legends, she was selected to be an imperial consort after her family paid bribes to the eunuch
s selecting imperial consorts. She was said to be far taller than the average woman and very beautiful. In 176, she gave birth to Emperor Ling's oldest surviving son Liu Bian. (Emperor Ling had previous sons but all died in infancy or childhood.) Based on customs of the time, in order to let Prince Bian avoid the fate of his older brothers, he was entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao (史子眇) and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi." In 180, Emperor Ling made Consort He empress to replace his first wife Empress Song
, who was deposed in 171.
In 181, a concubine of Emperor Ling, Consort Wang, gave birth to a son named Liu Xie. The jealous Empress He assassinated her by poisoning her rice porridge
. Emperor Ling was enraged and wanted to depose her, but the eunuchs pleaded on her behalf, and she was not deposed. Prince Xie was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong."
As the princes grew in age, Emperor Ling considered whom to create crown prince. Prince Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered creating Prince Xie crown prince, but hesitated and could not decide.
, whom he trusted, wanted to first kill He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with him. He found out, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor (later known as the Prince of Hongnong). Empress He became empress dowager, and she and He Jin became the key power at court, although a number of the eunuchs remained very powerful.
A confrontation quickly brewed. In the summer of 189, He Jin, plotting with Yuan Shao
and Yuan Shu
, as well as a number of other young officials, planned to act against Jian. Jian tried to persuade his fellow powerful eunuchs, including Zhao Zhong
and Song Dian (宋典), to go along with his plan to arrest and kill He Jin. However, Zhao and Song were persuaded by another eunuch, Guo Sheng (郭勝) -- a friend of the Hes—to turn down Jian's suggestions. He Jin then arrested Jian and executed him, taking over the forces under his control.
The Hes then had a confrontation with yet another power center. Emperor Ling's mother, Grand Empress Dowager Dong
, and her nephew Dong Chong (董重) were displeased at the Hes' power grab, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong often argued with Empress Dowager He, once threatening to have Dong Chong decapitate He Jin. He Jin took preemptive action and had Empress Dowager He issue an edict exiling her mother-in-law back to Hejian (in modern Baoding
, Hebei
), where her husband's fief was and Dong Chong arrested. Dong Chong committed suicide, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong died soon thereafter—with most historical accounts concluding that she died from fear, but some suggested that she committed suicide. This event caused the Hes to be very unpopular among the people.
In autumn 189, Yuan Shao suggested to He Jin that the eunuchs be slaughtered—a proposal that Empress He immediately rejected, as the plan would have required that Empress He interact with normal men on a regular basis, a requirement that she found offensive and inmodest. Lady Xian and He Miao also opposed the plan, reasoning that they owed much to the eunuchs. He Jin was therefore hesitant to carry out his plan, and he and Yuan Shao hatched an alternative plan that would later prove disastrous—instructing generals outside the hospital to declare rebellions and demanding that the eunuchs be slaughtered, in order to force Empress He to do so. One of the generals that He Jin so instructed was Dong Zhuo
, then in command of the battle-tested Liang Province (涼州, modern Gansu
) forces—not remembering that Dong Zhuo had previous records for disobeying direct orders and undue harshness.
As Dong approached the capital with his forces, Empress Dowager He was forced to order the powerful eunuchs to leave the palace and return to their marches
. (Most of these powerful eunuchs were created marquesses by Emperor Ling.) However, after the eunuchs' leader, Zhang Rang
pleaded with his daughter-in-law (Empress Dowager He's sister), Empress Dowager He relented and summoned them back to the palace. The eunuchs then found out that He Jin in fact planned to exterminate them, and they tricked He Jin into falling into an ambush and getting killed. He Jin's associates, led by Yuan Shao, then surrounded the palace, and the eunuchs took Empress Dowager He, the young emperor, and Prince Xie hostage, although Empress Dowager He soon escaped. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao had the other eunuchs mass-executed, and also killed He Miao for not having cooperated with He Jin.
Two days later, the several eunuchs holding the emperor and Prince Xie hostage, knowing that they were in desperate straits, took the emperor and the prince and fled north toward the river. With government officials Lu Zhi and Min Gong (閔貢) on their heels, the eunuchs, led by Zhang Rang, released the emperor and Prince Xie and committed suicide by jumping into the Yellow River
. As Min and Lu were escorting the emperor and the prince back to the capital Luoyang
, they were intercepted by Dong Zhuo's forces. As Dong came up to meet them, the young emperor was so shocked that he spoke incoherently and could not answer Dong Zhuo's questions. The younger Prince Xie, however, had no such difficulty in describing the events. Dong became impressed by the younger prince, and, because he shared the same name with the late Grand Empress Dowager Dong, began to consider deposing the emperor and replacing him with Prince Xie.
Dong quickly took over the capital by using his forces to intimidate others. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao
, then in command of the palace guards, saw that they could no longer control their forces, which had been so intimidated by the stronger Liang Province forces that they were not following orders, fled the capital. Dong then ordered the young emperor deposed (and created the Prince of Hongnong
), and Empress Dowager He was forced to agree. Prince Xie was declared emperor (as Emperor Xian
).
Dong then accused Empress Dowager He of having been filially unpious toward Grand Empress Dowager Dong, and forcibly moved her to an unused palace. He then had her poisoned to death. While she was still buried with an empress title with her husband Emperor Ling, she was not honored with the proper ceremonies due an empress dowager, and Dong also had her mother, Lady Xian, executed. Her son, the Prince of Hongnong, would also suffer the same fate in 190.
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
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 Emperor Ling
Emperor Ling of Han
Emperor Ling of Han, trad. ch. 漢靈帝;, sim. ch. 汉灵帝, py. hàn líng dì, wg. Han Ling-ti, was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was a great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhang. The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out during Emperor Ling's reign.Emperor Ling's reign saw yet another repetition of...
's second wife. Along with her brother He Jin
He Jin
He Jin was the elder half-brother of Empress He, consort to Emperor Ling of the late Eastern Han Dynasty in China. He shared power with his sister as regents in 189, following the death of Emperor Ling. In the ensuing struggle with the influential eunuch faction for power, He Jin was assassinated...
, she was able to temporarily dominate power at the imperial court after the death of Emperor Ling in 189 as 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...
.
Family background and marriage to Emperor Ling
Unlike most Han Dynasty empresses, Empress He was not from a noble family; rather, her father He Zhen (何真) was a butcher in Nanyang (南陽, in modern NanyangNanyang, Henan
Nanyang is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Henan province, People's Republic of China. The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the north, Sanmenxia to the...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
). Her mother was named Xing (興). It is not known when she was selected as an imperial consort. According to legends, she was selected to be an imperial consort after her family paid bribes to the eunuch
Eunuch
A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...
s selecting imperial consorts. She was said to be far taller than the average woman and very beautiful. In 176, she gave birth to Emperor Ling's oldest surviving son Liu Bian. (Emperor Ling had previous sons but all died in infancy or childhood.) Based on customs of the time, in order to let Prince Bian avoid the fate of his older brothers, he was entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao (史子眇) and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi." In 180, Emperor Ling made Consort He empress to replace his first wife Empress Song
Empress Song (Ling)
Empress Song was an empress during the Han Dynasty. She was Emperor Ling's first wife, who later became a victim of the powerful eunuchs.- Family background and marriage to Emperor Ling :...
, who was deposed in 171.
As empress
As empress, Empress He was said to be greatly favored by Emperor Ling. She was also described as very jealous and very cruel, and the imperial consorts were all fearful of her. After she became empress, her mother Lady Xing was created the Lady of Wuyang, and her brothers He Jin and He Miao (何苗) began to be promoted quickly.In 181, a concubine of Emperor Ling, Consort Wang, gave birth to a son named Liu Xie. The jealous Empress He assassinated her by poisoning her rice porridge
Porridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
. Emperor Ling was enraged and wanted to depose her, but the eunuchs pleaded on her behalf, and she was not deposed. Prince Xie was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong."
As the princes grew in age, Emperor Ling considered whom to create crown prince. Prince Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered creating Prince Xie crown prince, but hesitated and could not decide.
As empress dowager
Emperor Ling died in 189. The powerful eunuch Jian ShuoJian Shuo
Jian Shuo was the leader of the eunuch faction in the imperial court of the late Eastern Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Along with Zhang Rang, Jian Shuo eventually became a leading member of the Ten Attendants, who became the most powerful eunuchs during the time...
, whom he trusted, wanted to first kill He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with him. He found out, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor (later known as the Prince of Hongnong). Empress He became empress dowager, and she and He Jin became the key power at court, although a number of the eunuchs remained very powerful.
A confrontation quickly brewed. In the summer of 189, He Jin, plotting with Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao
Yuan Shao was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil war that occurred towards the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms era...
and Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu
Yuan Shu was a warlord during the late Han Dynasty era of Chinese history. He rose to prominence following the collapse of the imperial court in 189. He was said to be a younger cousin of the warlord Yuan Shao, but was actually Yuan Shao's younger half-brother...
, as well as a number of other young officials, planned to act against Jian. Jian tried to persuade his fellow powerful eunuchs, including Zhao Zhong
Zhao Zhong
Zhào Zhōng was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han the Ten regular attendants . The eunuchs who had gained considerable power in the Han imperial court...
and Song Dian (宋典), to go along with his plan to arrest and kill He Jin. However, Zhao and Song were persuaded by another eunuch, Guo Sheng (郭勝) -- a friend of the Hes—to turn down Jian's suggestions. He Jin then arrested Jian and executed him, taking over the forces under his control.
The Hes then had a confrontation with yet another power center. Emperor Ling's mother, Grand Empress Dowager Dong
Empress Dowager Dong
Empress Dowager Dong , personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Xiaocheng , was an empress dowager of Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. However, she was never empress, because she became mother to an emperor...
, and her nephew Dong Chong (董重) were displeased at the Hes' power grab, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong often argued with Empress Dowager He, once threatening to have Dong Chong decapitate He Jin. He Jin took preemptive action and had Empress Dowager He issue an edict exiling her mother-in-law back to Hejian (in modern Baoding
Baoding
-Administrative divisions:Baoding prefecture-level city consists of 3 municipal districts, 4 county-level cities, 18 counties:-Demographics:The Baoding urban area has a population of around 1,006,000 . The population of the Baoding administrative area is 10,890,000. The considerable majority are...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
), where her husband's fief was and Dong Chong arrested. Dong Chong committed suicide, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong died soon thereafter—with most historical accounts concluding that she died from fear, but some suggested that she committed suicide. This event caused the Hes to be very unpopular among the people.
In autumn 189, Yuan Shao suggested to He Jin that the eunuchs be slaughtered—a proposal that Empress He immediately rejected, as the plan would have required that Empress He interact with normal men on a regular basis, a requirement that she found offensive and inmodest. Lady Xian and He Miao also opposed the plan, reasoning that they owed much to the eunuchs. He Jin was therefore hesitant to carry out his plan, and he and Yuan Shao hatched an alternative plan that would later prove disastrous—instructing generals outside the hospital to declare rebellions and demanding that the eunuchs be slaughtered, in order to force Empress He to do so. One of the generals that He Jin so instructed was Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
, then in command of the battle-tested Liang Province (涼州, modern Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
) forces—not remembering that Dong Zhuo had previous records for disobeying direct orders and undue harshness.
As Dong approached the capital with his forces, Empress Dowager He was forced to order the powerful eunuchs to leave the palace and return to their marches
Marches
A march or mark refers to a border region similar to a frontier, such as the Welsh Marches, the borderland between England and Wales. During the Frankish Carolingian Dynasty, the word spread throughout Europe....
. (Most of these powerful eunuchs were created marquesses by Emperor Ling.) However, after the eunuchs' leader, Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang
Zhang Rang was a eunuch of the late Han Dynasty, who served Emperor Ling of Han; he was also the leader of the Ten regular attendants , a group of court eunuchs who held great influence in the Han imperial court...
pleaded with his daughter-in-law (Empress Dowager He's sister), Empress Dowager He relented and summoned them back to the palace. The eunuchs then found out that He Jin in fact planned to exterminate them, and they tricked He Jin into falling into an ambush and getting killed. He Jin's associates, led by Yuan Shao, then surrounded the palace, and the eunuchs took Empress Dowager He, the young emperor, and Prince Xie hostage, although Empress Dowager He soon escaped. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao had the other eunuchs mass-executed, and also killed He Miao for not having cooperated with He Jin.
Two days later, the several eunuchs holding the emperor and Prince Xie hostage, knowing that they were in desperate straits, took the emperor and the prince and fled north toward the river. With government officials Lu Zhi and Min Gong (閔貢) on their heels, the eunuchs, led by Zhang Rang, released the emperor and Prince Xie and committed suicide by jumping into the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
. As Min and Lu were escorting the emperor and the prince back to the capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. 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.Situated on the central plain of...
, they were intercepted by Dong Zhuo's forces. As Dong came up to meet them, the young emperor was so shocked that he spoke incoherently and could not answer Dong Zhuo's questions. The younger Prince Xie, however, had no such difficulty in describing the events. Dong became impressed by the younger prince, and, because he shared the same name with the late Grand Empress Dowager Dong, began to consider deposing the emperor and replacing him with Prince Xie.
Dong quickly took over the capital by using his forces to intimidate others. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
, then in command of the palace guards, saw that they could no longer control their forces, which had been so intimidated by the stronger Liang Province forces that they were not following orders, fled the capital. Dong then ordered the young emperor deposed (and created the Prince of Hongnong
Prince of Hongnong
The Prince of Hongnong , was briefly an emperor of China during the Han dynasty. He is also known as "Emperor Han Shao" , a name which he shares with several other emperors with brief reigns...
), and Empress Dowager He was forced to agree. Prince Xie was declared emperor (as Emperor Xian
Emperor Xian of Han
Emperor Xian of Han , personal name Liu Xie, style name Bohe, was the last emperor of the Han Dynasty period of Chinese history...
).
Dong then accused Empress Dowager He of having been filially unpious toward Grand Empress Dowager Dong, and forcibly moved her to an unused palace. He then had her poisoned to death. While she was still buried with an empress title with her husband Emperor Ling, she was not honored with the proper ceremonies due an empress dowager, and Dong also had her mother, Lady Xian, executed. Her son, the Prince of Hongnong, would also suffer the same fate in 190.
See also
- List of people of the Three Kingdoms