Zhang Yan (; died 163 BC), known formally as Empress Xiaohui (孝惠皇后) was an

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

during the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

. She was the daughter of Princess Yuan of Lu (the only daughter of Emperor Gao (Liu Bang) and his wife Empress Lü) and her husband

Zhang Ao Zhang may refer to: Chinese culture, etc. * Zhang (surname) (張/张), common Chinese surname ** Zhang (surname 章), a rarer Chinese surname * Zhang County (漳县), of Dingxi, Gansu * Zhang River (漳河), a river flowing mainly in Henan * ''Zh ...

(張敖, son of Zhang Er), the Prince of Zhao and later Marquess of Xuanping.

Biography

In 192 BC, at the insistence of then-Empress Dowager Lü, Lady Yan married her uncle Emperor Hui, the son of Emperor Gao and Empress Dowager Lü, and she was created empress. The marriage was a childless one. At Empress Dowager Lü's instruction, Empress Zhang took several male children as her own and killed their mothers. (Whether these children were Emperor Hui's is a matter of

controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

, although it appears likely that they were Emperor Hui's children by 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 ...

s.) When Emperor Hui died in 188 BC at the age of 22, one of the children that Empress Zhang adopted became emperor (as Emperor Qianshao), but Grand Empress Dowager Lü had effective total control of the imperial government. Empress Zhang, was not made empress dowager as this title was retained by Empress Dowager Lü who never claimed the title Grand Empress Dowager and did not appear to have significant influence. Nevertheless, when Emperor Qianshao found out in 184 BC that he was not actually her child, he made a careless comment that he would take vengeance on her—at which Empress Dowager Lü had him deposed and executed, and replaced him with his brother Liu Hong (as Emperor Houshao), who was also adopted by Empress Zhang. It was during Emperor Qianshao's reign that Empress Zhang's brother Zhang Yan (張偃, pinyin Zhāng Yǎn—notice difference in tone) was created the Prince of Lu. After Empress Dowager Lü died in 180 BC, and the Lü clan overthrown and slaughtered by the officials opposed to the Lüs in the Lü Clan Disturbance, Emperor Houshao was deposed and killed. Empress Zhang was not killed, but she was put under house arrest in a palace to the north after being deposed from her position as empress and henceforth referred to as Empress Hui. Her brother, the Prince of Lu, was also deposed and reduced in rank to Marquess of Nangong. After this no records exist of her later life until her death. Empress Zhang died in 163 BC and was buried with her husband of merely four years.

Family

*Father: Zhang Ao, Prince of Zhao and Marquis of Xuanping **Grandfather: Zhang Er, Prince Jin of Zhao *Mother: Princess Yuan of Lu **Grandfather/father-in-law:

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (256 – 1 June 195 BC), born Liu Bang () with courtesy name Ji (季), was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning in 202–195 BC. His temple name was "Taizu" while his posthumous name was Emper ...

***Great-grandfather: Liu Taigong **Grandmother/mother-in-law:

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

***Brother: Zhang Yan, Prince Yuan of Lu and Marquis of Nangong ***Brother: Zhang Shou, Marquis of Lechang *Uncle/Husband: Emperor Hui of Han **Adopted son: Emperor Qianshao **Adopted son: Liu Qiang, Prince Huai of Huaiyang **Adopted son: Liu Buyi, Prince Ai of Hengshan **Adopted son: Liu Hong, Emperor Houshao **Adopted son: Liu Zhao, Prince of Hengshan **Adopted son: Liu Wu, Prince of Huaiyang **Adopted son: Liu Tai, Prince of Liang

Titles

* 210–192 BC: Princess Zhang Yan of Zhao * 192–188 BC: Empress of China * 188–163 BC: Empress Xiaohui

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhang Yan, Empress 210 BC births 163 BC deaths Han dynasty empresses 3rd-century BC Chinese women 2nd-century BC Chinese women 3rd-century BC Chinese people 2nd-century BC Chinese people