Yang Lihua
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Yang Lihua (; 561–609) 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 Zhou dynasty Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty an ...
, and later a princess of
Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...
. Her husband was
Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou (北周宣帝) (559 – 22 June 580), personal name Yuwen Yun (宇文贇), courtesy name Qianbo (乾伯), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China. He was known in history as an erratic and was ...
(Yuwen Yun), and her father was Yang Jian who later usurped the Northern Zhou throne to become the
Emperor Wen of Sui The Emperor Wen of Sui (; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (), alias Narayana () deriving from Buddhist terms, was the founder and the first emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. The ''Book of ...
.


Background

Yang Lihua was born in 561, as the oldest daughter of Yang Jian, then 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 ...
to Yang Zhong (楊忠) the Duke of Sui, and Yang Jian's wife
Dugu Qieluo Dugu Qieluo or Dugu Jialuo (; 544 – September 10, 602), formally Empress Wenxian (文獻皇后), was an empress of the Chinese Sui dynasty. She was the wife of Emperor Wen, who, on account of his love and respect for her, as well as an oath t ...
. In 568, her grandfather Yang Zhong died, and her father Yang Jian inherited the title of Duke of Sui. In fall 573, Emperor Wu arranged her to be the wife of Yuwen Yun, then his
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 ...
, and she thereafter carried the title of crown princess. He was 14 and she was 12. In summer 578, Emperor Wu died, and Yuwen Yun took the throne (as Emperor Xuan). He created her empress. (She bore him no sons and one daughter, Yuwen Eying (宇文娥英), although Yuwen Eying's birth year is not clear(开皇初,周宣帝后乐平公主有女娥英...) ''Bei Shi'', vol.59. This account was found in the biography of Yuwen's grandfather-in-law Li Xian..)


As Empress of Zhou

Emperor Xuan was excessive and erratic in his behavior, and less than a year after taking the throne, in spring 579, he formally passed the throne to his son
Yuwen Chan Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou ((北)周靜帝) (July or August 573 – 10 July 581), personally name né Yuwen Yan (宇文衍), later Yuwen Chan (宇文闡), was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty. He became emperor ...
(as Emperor Jing), born of 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 ...
Consort Zhu Manyue. He took an atypical title for a
retired emperor Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used by the monarchical regimes in the Sinosphere for former emperors who had (at least in name) abdicated voluntarily to another member of the same clan, usually their s ...
-- "Emperor Tianyuan" (天元皇帝, ''Tianyuan Huangdi''). She thereafter took the title of "Empress Tianyuan" (天元皇后, ''Tianyuan Huanghou''). However, as part of his unusual behavior, he soon decided that he would create four empresses, so he created three of his concubines—Consort Zhu, Consort Chen Yueyi, and Consort Yuan Leshang—empress titles as well, but different from Empress Yang's to distinguish them. (Empress Zhu was ''Tianyuan Di Hou'' (天元帝后); Empress Chen was ''Tian Zhuo Huanghou'' (天左皇后); and Empress Yuan was ''Tian You Huanghou'' (天右皇后).) However, Empress Yang continued to be recognized as the most honored among his empresses. (He later added one more empress,
Empress Yuchi Chifan Yuchi Chifan () or Yuchi Fanchi ()The ''Book of Zhou'' gives her given name as Chifan, while the ''History of Northern Dynasties'' gives her given name as Fanchi. (566–595), later Buddhist nun name Huashou (華首), was a concubine of the Emper ...
.) In spring 580, he added ''Da'' (大, "great") to the empresses' titles, and therefore Empress Yang's title was changed to ''Tianyuan Da Huanghou'' (天元大皇后). It was said that Empress Yang was meek and not jealous, and that she was loved and respected by the other four empresses and the other imperial consorts. As Emperor Xuan grew increasingly erratic and violent, on one occasion, he got angry at Empress Yang and wanted to punish her. When he summoned her, however, she was relaxed but firm in her defense of herself, which angered him more, and he ordered her to commit suicide. When her mother Lady Dugu heard of this, she rushed to the palace and prostrated herself, begging Emperor Xuan for mercy. His anger dissipated, and he pardoned Empress Yang. Emperor Xuan fell suddenly ill in summer 580, and Yang Jian entered the palace to attend to him. Emperor Xuan died without being able to leave instructions, and his close associate Zheng Yi (鄭譯), a friend of Yang Jian's, issued an edict in Emperor Xuan's name appointing Yang Jian
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 ...
. Empresses Yang and Zhu were honored as
dowager empress 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 ...
es, with Empress Yang taking the primary title of ''Huang Taihou'' (皇太后). She was initially happy to hear that her father had become regent, but became apprehensive and displeased at her father when she sensed that he had designs on the throne, although she made no overt attempts to stop him. After defeating the generals
Yuchi Jiong Yuchi Jiong (尉遲迥) (died 11 September 580''gengwu'' day of the 8th month of the 2nd year of the ''Daxiang'' era, per Emperor Jing's biography in ''Book of Zhou''), courtesy name Bojuluo (薄居羅), was a general of the Xianbei-led Western We ...
(Empress Yuchi's grandfather) and Sima Xiaonan (司馬消難) later in 580 after they had risen against him, Yang Jian seized the throne from Emperor Jing in spring 581, ending Northern Zhou and establishing Sui Dynasty as its Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen created Emperor Jing the Duke of Jie, and while it was unclear what Empress Dowager Yang's title was at this point, it was likely she carried the title of Duchess Dowager of Jie. Emperor Wen soon slaughtered Emperor Jing and the other members of Northern Zhou's imperial Yuwen clan.


As Princess Leping of Sui

In 586, Emperor Wen changed the former Empress Yang's title to Princess Leping. She was, however, resentful of her father's usurpation, and often expressed her anger and grief. Emperor Wen tried to get her to remarry, but she refused. Later, she selected, for her daughter Yuwen Eying's husband, Li Min (李敏) the Duke of Guangzong—who was raised in the palace on account of his father, the general Li Chong (李崇), having died in battle against Tujue in 583. When the wedding occurred, Emperor Wen authorized that the ceremony be as grand as if a princess were to be married. When Emperor Wen subsequently summoned Li Min, intending to give him a mid-level official position, the Princess Leping advised him to not thank the emperor until and unless the emperor bestowed him the high rank of ''Zhuguo'' (柱國) (second rank, first division, under Sui's nine-rank system). When Emperor Wen initially stated that he was going to give him the rank of ''Yitong'' (fourth rank, first division), Li therefore said nothing. Emperor Wen then mentioned ''Kaifu'' (開府, third rank, second division), and Li still said nothing. Emperor Wen finally said, "The Princess has achieved so much for me. How can I be stingy as to her son-in-law? I will make you a ''Zhuguo''." Only then did Li bow and thank the emperor. Emperor Wen died in 604, and was succeeded by Yang Lihua's brother
Yang Guang Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝, 569 – 11 April 618), personal name Yang Guang (), alternative name Ying (), Xianbei name Amo (), also known as Emperor Ming of Sui () during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong, was the second emperor of ...
(as Emperor Yang). The princess often attended to her brother, but on one occasion became a source of friction between him and his son Yang Jian (note different character than his grandfather) the Prince of Qi, as once she told Emperor Yang that a daughter of the Liu clan was beautiful, but Emperor Yang initially took no action. She then offered the woman to Yang Jian, who took her as a concubine. When Emperor Yang subsequently asked her about Lady Yang, she stated that she had already given her to Yang Jian, which brought displeasure to Emperor Yang. In 609, while accompanying Emperor Yang on a visit to
Zhangye Zhangye (), formerly romanized as Changyeh or known as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Gansu Province in the People's Republic of China. It borders Inner Mongolia on the north and Qinghai on the south. Its central district is Ga ...
, Yang Lihua grew ill, and she asked Emperor Yang to transfer her fief (five times the size of a usual ducal fief) to Li, stating that she was concerned for her daughter and therefore wanted her son-in-law to have her fief. Emperor Yang agreed, and did so after she died. However, in 615, when Emperor Yang became suspicious of Li Min over popular rumors that the next emperor would be from the Li clan, he had his associate
Yuwen Shu Yuwen Shu (; died 616), courtesy name Botong (伯通), formally Duke Gong of Xu (許恭公), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Sui dynasty. He was a confidant of Emperor Yang (Yang Guang) and was instrumental in Yang Guang's di ...
investigate the matter. Yuwen Shu persuaded Yuwen Eying that Li Min and his uncle Li Hun (李渾) (who had previously offended Yuwen Shu by refusing to pay Yuwen Shu a bribe that he had promised) were beyond help, and that she needed to save herself—and therefore got her to submit a confession stating that members of the Li clan were planning a ''coup'' to support Li Min as emperor. When Emperor Yang saw the confession, he believed the truth thereof, and he executed Li Hun, Li Min, and 30 other members of their clan. Several months later, Yuwen Eying was also poisoned to death.


Ancestry


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Lihua Northern Zhou empresses Chinese princesses Sui dynasty people 561 births 609 deaths 7th-century Chinese women 7th-century Chinese people 6th-century Chinese women 6th-century Chinese people