Wang Shaoming (王韶明) 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

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

dynasty

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succeede ...

. Her husband was

Xiao Zhaowen Xiao Zhaowen (蕭昭文) (480–494), formally Prince Gong of Hailing (海陵恭王), courtesy name Jishang (季尚), was an emperor of the Chinese Southern Qi dynasty. He is known as the Prince of Hailing because that was the title he was demote ...

, known by his post-removal title of Prince of Hailing. Wang Shaoming was the daughter of the official Wang Ci (王慈), who came from a noble line with several ancestors being prime ministers, including the Jin prime minister

Wang Dao Wang Dao (; 276 – 7 September 339), courtesy name Maohong (茂弘), formally Duke Wenxian of Shixing (始興文獻公), was a Chinese politician during the Jin dynasty who played an important role in the administrations of Emperor Yuan, Empe ...

and the

Liu Song Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern Dynasty (南朝宋) in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. ...

prime minister Wang Hong. One of her sisters married Emperor Gao's son Xiao Feng (蕭鋒) the Prince of Jiangxia. In 490, when Xiao Zhaowen, grandson of Emperor Gao's son Emperor Wu, was 10 and carried the title Duke of Linru, he married her, and she carried the title Duchess of Linru. In 493, after Emperor Wu died and was succeeded by Xiao Zhaowen's other brother

Xiao Zhaoye Xiao Zhaoye (蕭昭業; 473–494), often known by his posthumously demoted title of Prince of Yulin (鬱林王), courtesy name Yuanshang (元尚), childhood name Fashen (法身), was an emperor of the Chinese Southern Qi dynasty. He is known as ...

, Xiao Zhaowen was created the Prince of Xin'an, and Duchess Wang therefore became the Princess of Xin'an. In 494, Xiao Zhaoye's granduncle Xiao Luan assassinated Xiao Zhaoye and made Xiao Zhaowen emperor. Princess Wang was therefore created empress, but later that year, Xiao Luan deposed Xiao Zhaowen and took over himself as emperor (as Emperor Ming). Xiao Zhaowen was reduced to the title of Prince of Hailing, and Empress Wang was demoted to the title of Princess of Hailing. Later that year, Emperor Ming had Xiao Zhaowen poisoned. Nothing further is known about Empress Wang, including when she died or whether she was buried with her husband (whom Emperor Ming had buried with great honors, but not honors due an emperor).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaoming, Empress Wang Wang Shaoming, Empress