Empress Dowager Xiaojing (; 27 February 1565 – 18 October 1611), of the Wang clan, was a
Ming dynasty concubine of the
Wanli Emperor and the biological mother of the
Taichang Emperor. She was primarily known during her lifetime as
Consort Gong (), but is most commonly referred to by her posthumous name.
Biography
Wang joined the imperial court as a
palace lady in the service of
Empress Dowager Xiaoding Empress Dowager Xiaoding (1545 – 18 March 1614), of the Li clan, was the mother of the Wanli Emperor. She was the nominal Regent of China during the minority of her son from 1572 to 1582. She became known in history under her posthumous name, Xiao ...
. The
Wanli Emperor met her whilst visiting his mother and began a relationship with her.
When Wang became pregnant, the emperor ignored her.
Empress Dowager Xiaoding Empress Dowager Xiaoding (1545 – 18 March 1614), of the Li clan, was the mother of the Wanli Emperor. She was the nominal Regent of China during the minority of her son from 1572 to 1582. She became known in history under her posthumous name, Xiao ...
questioned her son and advised him to marry Wang, as he still had no sons. In the fourth lunar month of 1582, Wang was given the rank of Consort and the honorific Gong. Four months later, she gave birth to a son, who was given the name
Zhu Changluo
The Taichang Emperor (; 28 August 1582 – 26 September 1620), personal name Zhu Changluo (), was the 15th Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He was the eldest son of the Wanli Emperor and succeeded his father as emperor in 1620. However, his reign c ...
. Shortly before this in the same year,
Empress Xiaoduanxian
Empress Xiaoduanxian (; 7 November 1564 – 7 May 1620), personal name Wang Xijie (), was empress consort of the Wanli Emperor. She was the longest serving empress consort in Chinese history.
Early life
Wang was born in Beijing to Wang Wei ( ...
, the emperor's primary wife, had given birth to a daughter; the
Princess Rongchang
Princess Rongchang (1582–1647) was a Chinese princess, the eldest child of the Ming dynasty Wanli Emperor and his primary wife's, Empress Xiaoduanxian, only child.
Biography
In 1596, Zhu Xuanying was given the title of Princess Rongchang. In Ma ...
.
In 1584, Wang had a daughter named Zhu Xuanyuan (朱軒嫄).
Titles
*During the reign of the
Jiajing Emperor (r. 1521–1567):
**Lady Wang (王氏; 27 February 1565)
*During the reign of the
Wanli Emperor (r. 1572–1620):
**Palace Lady (宮人; from 1578)
**Consort Gong (恭妃; from 5 July 1582)
**Imperial Noble Consort (皇貴妃; from 1605)
**''Imperial Noble Consort Wensu Duanjing Chunyi'' (温肃端靖纯懿皇贵妃; from 1611)
*During the reign of the
Tianqi Emperor (r. 1620–1627)
**''Empress Dowager Xiàojìng Wēnyì Jìngràng Zhēncí Cāntiān Yìnshèng'' (孝靖溫懿敬讓貞慈參天胤聖皇太后; from 1621)
Issue
*As Consort Gong:
**
Taichang Emperor (泰昌帝 朱常洛; 28 August 1582 – 26 September 1620), the Wanli Emperor's first son
**Princess Yunmeng (雲夢公主; 1584–1587), personal name Xuanyuan (軒嫄), the Wanli Emperor's fourth daughter
Succession dispute
Although Wang had given birth to the emperor's eldest son, the emperor's favourite concubine was
Noble Consort Zheng
Noble Consort Zheng (1565–1630), was a Ming dynasty concubine of the Wanli Emperor. She is known for having been his most beloved consort and, in an attempt to please her, he tried to make her son his heir apparent. This act caused over a decade ...
, who also had a son. When the
Wanli Emperor conferred the status of Imperial Noble Consort on Zheng in 1586, it became apparent to the court that he intended for her son,
Zhu Changxun, to inherit the throne, which triggered more than a decade of court factionalism and conflict. This included attempts by officials to raise Wang's status to Noble Consort. Eventually, Wang's son was proclaimed heir apparent in 1601, as a result of pressure from both officials and
Empress Dowager Xiaoding Empress Dowager Xiaoding (1545 – 18 March 1614), of the Li clan, was the mother of the Wanli Emperor. She was the nominal Regent of China during the minority of her son from 1572 to 1582. She became known in history under her posthumous name, Xiao ...
. However,
Zhu Changxun was not dispatched to his provincial command in keeping with imperial customs until 1604.
In 1605, Wang was made Imperial Noble Consort.
[History Office (1620s), volume 418.] In 1606, the emperor conferred upon Wang the honorific name of Cisheng (慈圣) to celebrate the birth of
Zhu Changluo's first son.
References
Citations
Cited sources
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Empress Dowager
1565 births
1611 deaths
Chinese ladies-in-waiting
Ming dynasty posthumous empresses
16th-century Chinese women
16th-century Chinese people
17th-century Chinese women
17th-century Chinese people