Empress Yin Yuying
Encyclopedia
Empress Yin Yuying (died 453) was briefly an empress of the Chinese
dynasty Liu Song. Her husband was Liu Shao
, the crown prince
of Emperor Wen
who killed his father in 453 and briefly became emperor.
Yin Yuying was the daughter of Yin Chun (殷淳), an official under Emperor Wen, who died in 434 at the age of 31. Emperor Wen married her to Liu Shao, already his crown prince at that point, in 438, when he was 12; she was likely around that age as well. She carried the title of crown princess thereafter. It appears likely, although far from certain, that his oldest son Liu Weizhi (劉偉之), was her son.
In spring 453, after Liu Shao had become aware that his father intended to depose him because he and his brother Liu Jun the Prince of Shixing had engaged the witch Yan Daoyu (嚴道育) to curse him to death (so that Liu Shao could become emperor), he carried out a coup d'etat
, assassinated Emperor Wen, and took over as emperor. There was no evidence that Crown Princess Yin was involved in the plot, although her uncle Yin Chong (殷沖) thereafter became a key official for Liu Shao. Liu Shao created Crown Princess Yin empress and Liu Weizhi crown prince. During the subsequent war between Liu Shao and his brother Liu Jun
the Prince of Wuling (different character than Liu Shao's confederate), Yin Chong was heavily involved in the logistics planning and propaganda for Liu Shao.
Two and a half months after Liu Shao had assassinated Emperor Wen, he was captured and executed by Liu Jun, who had by then taken the throne as Emperor Xiaowu. Empress Yin was captured and forced to commit suicide. Before doing so, she made the comment to Emperor Xiaowu's official Jiang Ke (江恪), who was charged with the task of seeing that she did kill herself, "The Lius are killing each other. Why kill me, an innocent person?" Jiang responded, "You are the empress, and how can you say that you are innocent?" She responded, "This was but temporary; he would have soon created Wang Yingwu [(王鸚鵡, a servant girl who had been the liaison between Liu Shao and Yan Daoyu)] empress." Whether her assertion was true or not is unclear, although it was evidence that her marital relationship with Liu Shao was hardly a strong one. As all four sons of Liu Shao were also executed, and his daughters were forced to commit suicide, none of her children, if any, would have survived.
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 Liu Song. Her husband was Liu Shao
Liu Shao (Liu Song)
Liu Shao , courtesy name Xiuyuan , posthumously known as Yuanxiong , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...
, the crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Emperor Wen
Emperor Wen of Liu Song
Emperor Wen of Liu Song , personal name Liu Yilong , nickname Che'er , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was the third son of the dynastic founder Emperor Wu . After his father's death in 422, Liu Yilong's eldest brother Liu Yifu took the throne as Emperor Shao...
who killed his father in 453 and briefly became emperor.
Yin Yuying was the daughter of Yin Chun (殷淳), an official under Emperor Wen, who died in 434 at the age of 31. Emperor Wen married her to Liu Shao, already his crown prince at that point, in 438, when he was 12; she was likely around that age as well. She carried the title of crown princess thereafter. It appears likely, although far from certain, that his oldest son Liu Weizhi (劉偉之), was her son.
In spring 453, after Liu Shao had become aware that his father intended to depose him because he and his brother Liu Jun the Prince of Shixing had engaged the witch Yan Daoyu (嚴道育) to curse him to death (so that Liu Shao could become emperor), he carried out a coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
, assassinated Emperor Wen, and took over as emperor. There was no evidence that Crown Princess Yin was involved in the plot, although her uncle Yin Chong (殷沖) thereafter became a key official for Liu Shao. Liu Shao created Crown Princess Yin empress and Liu Weizhi crown prince. During the subsequent war between Liu Shao and his brother Liu Jun
Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song
Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song , personal name Liu Jun , courtesy name Xiulong , nickname Daomin , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was a son of Emperor Wen. After his older brother Liu Shao assassinated their father in 453 and took the throne, he rose in rebellion and overthrew Liu...
the Prince of Wuling (different character than Liu Shao's confederate), Yin Chong was heavily involved in the logistics planning and propaganda for Liu Shao.
Two and a half months after Liu Shao had assassinated Emperor Wen, he was captured and executed by Liu Jun, who had by then taken the throne as Emperor Xiaowu. Empress Yin was captured and forced to commit suicide. Before doing so, she made the comment to Emperor Xiaowu's official Jiang Ke (江恪), who was charged with the task of seeing that she did kill herself, "The Lius are killing each other. Why kill me, an innocent person?" Jiang responded, "You are the empress, and how can you say that you are innocent?" She responded, "This was but temporary; he would have soon created Wang Yingwu [(王鸚鵡, a servant girl who had been the liaison between Liu Shao and Yan Daoyu)] empress." Whether her assertion was true or not is unclear, although it was evidence that her marital relationship with Liu Shao was hardly a strong one. As all four sons of Liu Shao were also executed, and his daughters were forced to commit suicide, none of her children, if any, would have survived.