Empress Gao Ying (高英) (died 14 November 518) was an

empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

of the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were a Proto-Mongolic ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. They originated from the Donghu people who splintered into the ...

-led Chinese

Northern Wei dynasty Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei (), Tuoba Wei (), Yuan Wei () and Later Wei (), was founded by the Tuoba (Tabgach) clan of the Xianbei. The first of the Northern dynasties, it ruled northern China from 386 to 535 during the ...

. She was the second empress of

Emperor Xuanwu Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei (May or June 483 – February 12, 515) was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty (499-515). He was born Tuoba Ke, but later changed his surname so that he became Yuan Ke. During Xuanwu's reign, N ...

. She was the daughter of Gao Yan (高偃), a younger brother of Emperor Xuanwu's mother Consort Gao Zhaorong (posthumously honored as Empress Wenzhao), making them cousins. It is not clear when she became his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

, but it was likely after he already had his first empress, Empress Yu, in 501. Once she became a consort, she was said to have gained his favor, and with her uncle

Gao Zhao Gao Zhao (高肇) (before 469 - 515), courtesy name Shouwen (首文), was a high-ranking official of the Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty of China. He was a maternal uncle of Emperor Xuanwu, and he became increasingly powerful during Emperor Xuanwu ...

being a powerful official, it was believed, when Empress Yu died in 507, and Empress Yu's son Yuan Chang (元昌) died in 508, that she and/or Gao Zhao was involved, although there is no conclusive evidence. She was created empress in 508 to replace Empress Yu. She was said to be extremely jealous, and few imperial consorts were able to have sexual relations with the emperor. She herself bore him a son who died early, and a daughter, later created the Princess Jiande. In 510, however, Emperor Xuanwu's concubine Consort Hu bore him a son, Yuan Xu (元詡), and because Emperor Xuanwu had apparently lost sons before in addition to Yuan Chang and Empress Gao's son, he decided to raise his son by choosing

wet nurse A wet nurse is a woman who breastfeeds and cares for another's child. Wet nurses are employed if the mother dies, or if she is unable or chooses not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as "milk-siblings", and in some cu ...

s who had experience raising many of their own children, and refused to let either Empress Gao or Consort Hu near the child. In 512, Emperor Xuanwu created Yuan Xu

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...

. In 515, Emperor Xuanwu grew ill, and died just three days later. He was succeeded by Crown Prince Xu (as Emperor Xiaoming), who was then only five. In the aftermaths of Emperor Xuanwu's death, Empress Gao wanted to put Consort Hu to death, but Consort Hu was protected by the

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

s Liu Teng (劉騰) and Hou Gang (侯剛) and the officials

Yu Zhong Yu Zhong (于忠) (452–518), né Wuniuyu Qiannian (勿忸于千年), courtesy name Sixian (思賢), formally Duke Wujing of Lingshou (靈壽武敬公), was an official of the Northern Wei dynasty. He briefly served as a regent during the reign ...

and Cui Guang (崔光) and avoided being killed. The officials were largely opposed to having Gao Zhao, who was then prime minister but was commanding an army in attacking rival

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(modern

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...

and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

), be

regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

, and forced Empress Gao to instead authorize Emperor Xuanwu's uncles

Yuan Yong Yuan Yong (元雍) (died May 17, 528), né Tuoba Yong (拓拔雍), courtesy name Simu (思穆), formally Prince Wenmu of Gaoyang (高陽文穆王), was an imperial prince of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty. He was very powerful during t ...

the Prince of Gaoyang and Yuan Cheng (元澄) the Prince of Rencheng serve as regents. She was honored as

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother) () is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese emperor in the Chinese cultural sphere. The title was also g ...

. Once Gao Zhao arrived back at the capital, however, he was quickly arrested and killed by the imperial princes, and Empress Dowager Gao was stripped of her title and forced to Yaoguang Temple (瑤光寺) to be a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

nun. She was not allowed into the palace except for major festivals. Subsequently, Emperor Xiaoming's mother Consort Hu was honored as empress dowager and assumed regency. (Empress Gao's daughter Princess Jiande escaped any ill treatment, however, as Empress Dowager Hu liked her greatly.) In 518, there was an occasion where the former Empress Dowager Gao was visiting her mother, the Lady Wuyi. At that time, there were astronomical anomalies that court astrologers believed to correspond to ill fortune for the empress dowager. Empress Dowager Hu decided that she could deflect the ill fortune onto Empress Dowager Gao, and therefore had her murdered—but the method of the murder is lost to history. She was buried with ceremony due a Buddhist nun, although the high-level officials attended the ceremony.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gao, Empress Gao Ying, Empress Xuanwu Gao, Empress Xuanwu Gao Ying, Empress Xuanwu Chinese Buddhist nuns 6th-century Buddhist nuns Year of birth unknown