Empress Dowager Wang (c. 1594? – 1651), personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Dowager Xiaozheng (), was an empress dowager of the

Southern Ming dynasty The Southern Ming (), also known as the Later Ming (), officially the Great Ming (), was an imperial dynasty of China and a series of rump states of the Ming dynasty that came into existence following the Jiashen Incident of 1644. Shun forces ...

of China. She was the main consort of Zhu Changying, Prince of Gui, the father of the

Yongli Emperor The Yongli Emperor (; 1623–1662; reigned 18 November 1646 – 1 June 1662), personal name Zhu Youlang, was a royal member to the imperial family of Ming dynasty, and the fourth and last commonly recognised emperor of the Southern Ming, reigni ...

. She converted to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

and adopted the name Helena. She was the principal consort of Zhu Changying, and as such, she became the adoptive mother of his children with his other consorts. After the fall of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

, she was asked to approve of the installation of her stepson Yongli Emperor as Ming emperor. She gave her approval in November 1646, after which the Emperor could be enthroned. The Yongli Emperor showed his stepmother more influence than was considered necessary, and she acted as one of his principal advisers. It was said that she was:

"...versed in letters, aware of current events, analytical about tasks and clear in her reasoning. After the Emperor assumed the throne there was nothing in which he did not follow her wishes."Lily Xiao Hong Lee, Sue Wiles:
Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: v. 1: The Qing Period, 1644-1911
'

She, along with the Emperor's biological mother and his consort, was converted to Catholicism by the Jesuit Andreas Xavier Koffler in April 1648.

Letters to the Pope

By November 1650, the Yongli Emperor's family had fled the

Manchus The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and Q ...

and were staying at

Nanning Nanning (; ; za, Namzningz) is the capital and largest city by population of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush subtropical foliage. Located in the South of ...

(see Southern Ming#The Nanning court (1646–1662) and

Transition from Ming to Qing The transition from Ming to Qing, alternatively known as Ming–Qing transition or the Manchu conquest of China, from 1618 to 1683, saw the transition between two major dynasties in Chinese history. It was a decades-long conflict between the e ...

). As Empress Dowager Wang and several others had converted to Christianity, she wrote to

Pope Innocent X Pope Innocent X ( la, Innocentius X; it, Innocenzo X; 6 May 1574 – 7 January 1655), born Giovanni Battista Pamphilj (or Pamphili), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 September 1644 to his death in January ...

, requesting aid. She gave the letters to Jesuit missionary

Michał Piotr Boym Michał () is a Polish and Sorbian form of Michael and may refer to: * Michał Bajor (born 1957), Polish actor and musician * Michał Chylinski (born 1986), Polish basketball player * Michał Drzymała (1857–1937), Polish rebel * Michał Heller ...

, who, accompanied by two Chinese, set sail from Macao by the end of the year. The journey to Rome and back would end up taking eight and a half years. They arrived in Rome in November 1652 via Goa, Golconda, Ispahan, Tauris, Smyrna, Venice, and Lorette. By then, the pope had died and his successor

Pope Alexander VII Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667. He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...

finally responded to the letters in December 1655. The new pope's banal reply expressed the hope that her empire would recover its former integrity. Boym set sail from Lisbon in 1656, and reached China once again in 1658/59. The Manchu

Qing Dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

denied him entry, and Boym soon fell ill died, his letters undelivered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Empress Dowager Ming dynasty empresses dowager Southern Ming empresses 1594 births 1651 deaths Year of birth uncertain People from Zhenjiang Chinese Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism 17th-century Chinese women 17th-century Chinese people