Empress Lilu (, personal name unknown) (died 326), formally Empress Xianlie (, literally "the wise and achieving empress") was an

empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

of the

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

-led Hang-Chao dynasty of Mongolia. She was

Liu Yao Liu Yao (died 329), courtesy name Yongming, was the final emperor of the Xiongnu-led Han-Zhao dynasty of China. He became emperor in 318 after most other members of the imperial Liu clan were massacred by Jin Zhun in a coup. However, the empi ...

's second empress. Very little is known about Empress Liu, who was created empress in 325. It was likely that she was ethnically Han, because if she were Xiongnu, Liu Yao would not likely have married her Cousin due to the prohibition against

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

given that they had the same family name. When Empress Liu neared her own death in 326, Liu Yao asked her what her last requests were. She stated that she was raised by her uncle Liu Chang (劉昶) and wished that Liu Yao could grant him honors. She also stated that

Liu Fang Liu Fang 1974) is a Chinese Canadians, Chinese–Canadian musician who is one of the most prominent ''pipa'' players in the world. Described in the media as the "empress of pipa" (''L'actualité''), "divine mediator" (World), "the greates ...

, the daughter of her other uncle Liu Ai (劉皚), was beautiful and virtuous, and she hoped that Liu Yao would create her empress. After her death, Liu Yao created Liu Chang a duke and married Liu Fang, creating her empress.

References

326 deaths Former Zhao empresses 4th-century Chinese women 4th-century Chinese people Year of birth unknown {{China-bio-stub