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Empress Wang of Jing (孝景王皇后, 173–126 BC), also known by her
birth name A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth r ...
Wang Zhi (王娡) and by her title Lady Wang (), 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), ...
during the
Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
. She was the second wife of Emperor Jing and the mother of Emperor Wu.


Family background and first marriage

Wang Zhi was born in 173 BC to Wang Zhong (王仲) and Zang Er (臧兒), who was a granddaughter of
Zang Tu Zang Tu (died 202 BC) was a warlord who lived during the late Qin dynasty and early Han dynasty of China. Biography Zang Tu was originally a military general serving under Han Guang, the king of the Yan state. Around 207 BC, when rebellions b ...
, the one-time King of Yan appointed by
Xiang Yu Xiang Yu (, –202 BC), born Xiang Ji (), was the Hegemon-King (Chinese: 霸王, ''Bà Wáng'') of Western Chu during the Chu–Han Contention period (206–202 BC) of China. A noble of the Chu state, Xiang Yu rebelled against the Qin dynas ...
until the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu.
Zang Tu Zang Tu (died 202 BC) was a warlord who lived during the late Qin dynasty and early Han dynasty of China. Biography Zang Tu was originally a military general serving under Han Guang, the king of the Yan state. Around 207 BC, when rebellions b ...
rebelled against the
Emperor 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), ...
and was defeated. He and his entire family was massacred. Zang Er, who was married to Wang Zhong, was
Zang Tu Zang Tu (died 202 BC) was a warlord who lived during the late Qin dynasty and early Han dynasty of China. Biography Zang Tu was originally a military general serving under Han Guang, the king of the Yan state. Around 207 BC, when rebellions b ...
's granddaughter. Wang Zhi's parents had, in addition to her, an older son, Wang Xin (王信) and a younger daughter, Wang Erxu (王兒姁). They lived in Huaili (槐里, in modern
Xianyang Xianyang () is a prefecture-level city in central Shaanxi province, situated on the Wei River a few kilometers upstream (west) from the provincial capital of Xi'an. Once the capital of the Qin dynasty, it is now integrated into the Xi'an metrop ...
,
Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
). After her father died, her mother remarried a man named Tian (田), and had two more sons, Tian Fen (田蚡) and Tian Sheng (田勝). When Wang Zhi was young, she was married to a local man named Jin Wangsun (金王孫), and had a daughter named
Jin Su Jin Su (金俗; 150s- 140s BCE), also known as Lady of Xiucheng (修成君), was a Chinese noble woman during the Han Dynasty. She was a half-sister of Emperor Wu. Jin Su was the long lost daughter of Empress Wang Zhi and her first husband, Jin Wa ...
(金俗). However, her mother was told by a soothsayer that both of her daughters would become extremely honoured. Zang Er decided to offer her daughters to the
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 ...
, Liu Qi, and, to do so, forcibly divorced Wang Zhi from her husband. Wang Zhi was then sent along with her sister, Wang Erxu, to Crown Prince's palace to join his concubinage.


As consort to the crown prince and then emperor

After being offered to the Crown Prince, both Wang Zhi and Wang Erxu became favoured. She then bore him three daughters, Grand Princess Yangxin (陽信長公主), Princess Nangong (南宮公主) and Princess Longlü (隆慮公主), and later a son named
Liu Che The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(劉徹) who was born in 157 BC, on the day Liu Qi ascended to the throne as
Emperor Jing of Han Emperor Jing of Han (Liu Qi (劉啟); 188 BC – 9 March 141 BC) was the sixth emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 157 to 141 BC. His reign saw the limiting of the power of the feudal kings/princes which resulted in the Rebellion of the Sev ...
, whilst her sister bore him four sons, Liu Yue, Prince Hui of Guangchuan (廣川惠王 劉越), Liu Ji, Prince Kang of Jiaodong (膠東康王 劉寄), Liu Cheng, Prince Ai of Qinghe (清河哀王 劉乘), and Liu Shun, Prince Xian of Changshan (常山憲王 劉舜). When Wang Zhi was pregnant with Liu Che, she claimed that she dreamed that the sun had fallen into her womb. Emperor Jing was ecstatic over the divine implication, and made Liu Che (his 10th son) the Prince of Jiaodong (膠東王) in 153 BC. Wang Zhi was also promoted to a consort for giving birth to a royal prince. Emperor Jing's formal wife,
Empress Bo Empress Bo () (personal name unknown) (died 147 BC) was an empress during the Han Dynasty. She was the first wife of Emperor Jing, and also the first empress to be deposed in Chinese imperial history. Empress Bo was from the family of Empress D ...
, was childless. As a result, Emperor Jing's oldest son
Liu Rong Liu Rong ( Chinese: ) (died 148 BC) was the eldest son of Emperor Jing of the Han dynasty. His mother was Lady Li (栗姬). He was made crown prince of the empire under the formal title Crown Prince Li () in 153 BC, but demoted three years later to ...
(劉榮), born of the Emperor's other favourite concubine, Lady Li (栗姬), was created crown prince in 153 BC. Lady Li, feeling certain that her son would become the emperor, grew arrogant and intolerant, and frequently threw
tantrum A tantrum, temper tantrum, lash out, meltdown, fit or hissy fit is an emotional outburst, usually associated with those in emotional distress, that is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, violence, defiance, angry rant ...
s at Emperor Jing out of jealousy over his favouring other concubines. Her lack of tact would prove to be Consort Wang's chance. When Emperor Jing's older sister, Eldest Princess Guantao (館陶長公主) Liu Piao (劉嫖), offered to marry her daughter Chen Jiao (陳嬌) to Liu Rong, Lady Li rudely rejected the proposal complaining that Princess Guantao often offered new concubines as prostitutes and encouraged Emperor Jing not to favour Lady Li. Consort Wang, who had been observing quietly and waiting for her chance, took the opportunity and secured a marriage alliance by offering to marry her 5-year-old son Liu Che. Now siding with Consort Wang, Princess Guantao constantly criticised Lady Li in front of Emperor Jing. Gradually accepting his sister's concerns, Emperor Jing decided to test out Lady Li. One day he asked Lady Li that whether she would happily look after and properly raise the rest of his children if he was to pass away, only to have Lady Li rudely (and foolishly) refuse to comply. This made Emperor Jing angry and he became worried that if Liu Rong was to inherit the throne and Lady Li became Empress Dowager, many of his concubines might suffer the fate of Consort Qi. Seizing the opportunity, Consort Wang put in place the
final straw ''Final Straw'' is the third studio album and major-label debut by Scottish-Northern Irish rock band Snow Patrol, released on 4 August 2003 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and in 2004 in the United States. The album is notable for bringing the ...
against Lady Li. She persuaded a minister to advise Emperor Jing to make Lady Li empress as Liu Rong was already the crown prince. Emperor Jing, already of the view that Lady Li must not be made empress, was enraged and believed that Lady Li had conspired with government officials. He executed that minister who put forward that proposal, and demoted Liu Rong to the Prince of Linjiang (臨江王) in 150 BC and exiled him out of the capital city
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...
. Lady Li was stripped of her titles and placed under house arrest, and died of frustration and depression not long after. Since Empress Bo's deposition one year earlier, the position of empress was open. Emperor Jing, who had always considered Liu Che to be his favourite son, soon made Consort Wang empress. Liu Che, now legally the oldest son of the Empress, was later made crown prince.


As empress

Remembering the lesson of Empress Bo's and Lady Li's fate, despite her highest rank and honoured position as empress, Empress Wang did not try to assert as much influence on her husband as her mother-in-law, Empress Dowager Dou, had asserted over her father-in-law, Emperor Wen. Although Empress Wang was her husband's favorite and
Liu Che The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
was Emperor Jing's heir and favorite son, she was very tolerant and submissive of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law because of her and her son's position. She had good relations with her mother-in-law, and both she and her brother Wang Xin played important parts in calming Emperor Jing over his anger against his younger brother Liu Wu (劉武), the Prince Xiao of Liang, and the favoured young son of Empress Dowager Dou, when Liu Wu assassinated a number of court officials in 148 BC for opposing the proposal to have him appointed the
heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
. It was because of this that Empress Dowager Dou wanted to create Wang Xin a marquess, a move initially blocked by his prime minister,
Zhou Yafu Zhou may refer to: Chinese history * King Zhou of Shang () (1105 BC–1046 BC), the last king of the Shang dynasty * Predynastic Zhou (), 11th-century BC precursor to the Zhou dynasty * Zhou dynasty () (1046 BC–256 BC), a dynasty of China ** West ...
(周亞夫), although Emperor Jing eventually carried out the promotion of Wang Xin. She was probably pleased when Zhou Yafu committed suicide in 143 BC after being falsely accused of
treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
and arrested. When Emperor Jing died in 141 BC, Crown Prince Che succeeded to the throne as Emperor Wu, and Empress Wang became empress dowager.


As empress dowager

After Empress Wang became empress dowager, her son carried out several immediate acts to honour her family members. Her mother was created the Lady of Pingyuan, and her half-brothers were created marquesses. Her daughter Jin Su, from her previous marriage, was tracked down and personally visited by Emperor Wu, and he created her the Lady of Xiucheng (修成君). She was awarded 300 servants, 100 acres of land, and a grand mansion. Jin Su's daughter was married to a prince. Empress Dowager Wang exerted significant influence on her son. For example, with her approval, her half-brother Tian Fen became the commander of the armed forces and exerted power even beyond the military affairs. Initially, her influence was balanced and outweighed by that of her mother-in-law, Grand Empress Dowager Dou. With Grand Empress Dowager Dou's death in 135 BC, Empress Dowager Wang became the paramount figure at court, and in 135 BC Tian Fen was made prime minister, although her son gradually justified this position as he matured. For example, in 133 BC, in the aftermath of the failed attempt to capture the
Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...
Chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 CE. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...
at the
Battle of Mayi The Battle of Mayi (), also known as the Scheme of Mayi (馬邑之謀) or the Encirclement at Mayi (馬邑之圍), was an abortive ambush operation by the Han dynasty against the invading Xiongnu forces led by Junchen Chanyu, with minimal casualt ...
, Emperor Wu wanted to execute the key strategist, Wang Hui (王恢, unrelated to her), who bribed Tian, who in turn persuaded her to speak on Wang Hui's behalf. Emperor Wu refused to accept her intercession, and forced Wang Hui to commit suicide. However, it was at her behest that Emperor Wu executed his grand uncle Dou Ying (竇嬰) (Empress Dou's cousin) in 132 BC for having insulted Tian. Empress Dowager Wang died in 126 BC, and was buried with her second husband Emperor Jing.


Media

*Portrayed by Li Jianqun in the 1996 Chinese television series ''Han Wudi''. *Portrayed by Xu Lin in the 2001 Chinese television series '' Da Han Tian Zi''. *Portrayed by
Wang Likun :''This is a Chinese name. The family name is'' Wang. Wang Likun (), also known as Claudia Wang, is a Chinese actress and dancer. She is best known for her roles in television series ''Seven Swordsmen'' (2006), ''Beauty's Rival in Palace'' (2010), ...
in the 2011 Chinese television series ''
Beauty's Rival in Palace ''Beauty's Rival in Palace'' ( Chinese: 美人心計, pinyin: Měirén Xīnjì, lit. ''Schemes of a Beauty'') is a 2010 Chinese television series adapted from Xiao Qiying's short story ''Turbulence in the Empress' Chamber'' (). It was first broadc ...
''. *Portrayed by Yu Xiaofan in the 2014 Chinese television series ''
The Virtuous Queen of Han ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''.


Notes


References

* ''
Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. I ...
'', vol. 97, Part 1. *''
Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...
'', vol. 49 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang Zhi, Empress 126 BC deaths Han dynasty empresses 2nd-century BC Chinese women 2nd-century BC Chinese people Year of birth unknown Emperor Wu of Han