Empress Xiaohuizhang (5 November 1641 – 7 January 1718), of the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan, was the wife and second empress consort of Fulin, the Shunzhi Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from 1654 until her husband's death in 1661, after which she was honoured as Empress Dowager Renxian during the reign of her step-son, Xuanye, the Kangxi Emperor. She was posthumously honoured with the title Empress Xiaohuizhang.

Life

Family background

* Father: Chuo'erji (; d. 1670), held the title of a third rank prince () ** Paternal grandfather: Chahan (), held the title of a third rank prince () ** Paternal great aunt: Primary consort Minhui (1609–1641) ** Paternal great aunt: Empress Xiaozhuangwen (1613–1688), the mother of the

Shunzhi Emperor The Shunzhi Emperor (15 March 1638 – 5 February 1661) was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Qing dynasty of China, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1644 to 1661. A Deliberative Council of Prince ...

(1638–1661) * Mother: Lady

Aisin Gioro The House of Aisin-Gioro was a Manchu clan that ruled the Later Jin dynasty (1616–1636), the Qing dynasty (1636–1912), and Manchukuo (1932–1945) in the history of China. Under the Ming dynasty, members of the Aisin Gioro clan served as c ...

** Maternal grandfather: Abatai (1589–1646) * Seven brothers * Two elder sisters and two younger sisters ** Fourth younger sister: Consort Shuhui (1642–1713)

Chongde era

Lady Borjigit was born on the third day of the tenth

lunar Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...

month in the 16th year of the reign of

Hong Taiji Hong Taiji (28 November 1592 – 21 September 1643), also rendered as Huang Taiji and sometimes referred to as Abahai in Western literature, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Qing, was the second khan of the Later Jin ...

, which translates to 5 November 1641 in the Gregorian calendar.

Shunzhi era

On 25 October 1653, the

deposed his first empress consort, Erdeni Bumba, who was also from the Borjigit clan. In June or July 1654, Alatan Qiqige entered the Forbidden City and became a concubine of the Shunzhi Emperor. In July or August 1654, she was officially designated as the empress to replace the deposed Erdeni Bumba. However, the Shunzhi Emperor showed little interest in his new empress consort because he favoured Consort Donggo more than any other consort of his. Some historians believe that the Shunzhi Emperor made Alatan Qiqige his new empress consort because he wanted to reduce tensions between the Aisin Gioro and Borjigit clans after demoting his first empress consort. The Aisin Gioro and Borjigit clans had a long history of political marriages, so the emperor had to choose a Borjigit woman to be his empress consort in order to keep up with tradition.

Kangxi era

The Shunzhi Emperor died on 5 February 1661 and was succeeded by his third son,

Xuanye The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...

, who was born to Lady Tunggiya. Xuanye was enthroned as the Kangxi Emperor, while Alatan Qiqige, as the empress consort of the previous emperor, was granted the title "Empress Dowager Renxian". She died on 7 January 1718 and was interred in a separate tomb in the Xiao Mausoleum of the

Eastern Qing tombs The Eastern Qing tombs (; ) are an imperial mausoleum complex of the Qing dynasty located in Zunhua, northeast of Beijing. They are the largest, most complete, and best preserved extant mausoleum complex in China. Altogether, five emperors (Shun ...

Titles

* During the reign of

(r. 1626–1643): ** Lady Borjigit (from 5 November 1641) * During the reign of the

(r. 1643–1661): ** Empress (; from July/August 1654) * During the reign of the Kangxi Emperor (r. 1661–1722): ** Empress Dowager Renxian (; from 5 February 1661順治十八年正月七日) ** ''Empress Xiaohuizhang'' (; from 1718)

In fiction and popular culture

* Portrayed by Wang Ge in ''

Xiaozhuang Mishi ''Xiaozhuang Mishi'', also known as ''Xiaozhuang Epic'', () is a 2003 Chinese television series produced by You Xiaogang. The series is the first installment in a series of four television series about the early Qing dynasty. It was followed by '' ...

'' (2003) * Portrayed by Yang Mingna in '' Chronicle of Life'' (2016)

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Xiaohuizhang, Empress 1641 births 1718 deaths Qing dynasty empresses Qing dynasty empresses dowager Manchu people Borjigin 17th-century Chinese women 17th-century Chinese people 18th-century Chinese women 18th-century Chinese people 17th-century Mongolian women 18th-century Mongolian women