Empress Xin () or Princess Xin (; personal name unknown) was a consort of

Zhang Zuo Zhang Zuo (; died November 3559th month of the 11th year of the ''Yong'he'' era, per vol.100 of ''Zizhi Tongjian''. The month corresponds to 22 Oct to 20 Nov 355 in the Julian calendar.), courtesy name Taibo (), formally Prince Wei of (Former ...

(Prince Wei) of the Chinese

Former Liang dynasty The Former Liang (; 301–376) was a dynastic state, and one of the Sixteen Kingdoms, in Chinese history. It was founded by Zhang Shi of the Han Chinese Zhang family. Its territories included present-day Gansu and parts of Ningxia, Shaanxi, Qing ...

. Whether her title was

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 ...

or princess is unclear, because historical sources differ on the subject. The ''

Book of Jin The ''Book of Jin'' is an official Chinese historical text covering the history of the Jin dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty from 266 to 420. It was compiled in 648 by a number of officials commissioned by the imperial court of the Tang dynasty, ...

'', which reported that her husband claimed the title of

emperor 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 ...

when he declared a total break from

Eastern Jin dynasty Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

in 354, reported that he created her empress. ''

Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...

'', which reported that her husband claimed the title of prince, reported that he created her princess. Nothing else is known about her. In 355, when her husband was killed in a coup and replaced by his nephew

Zhang Xuanjing Zhang Xuanjing (張玄靚 or 張玄靖) (350–363), courtesy name Yuan'an (), formally Duke Jingdao of Xiping (西平敬悼公, posthumous name given by Jin Dynasty (266–420)) or Duke Chong of Xiping (西平沖公, posthumous name used interna ...

, his two sons (whether by her or not) were also executed, but nothing was mentioned about her fate.

References

Historical sources appear to imply that the last ruler of the state,

Zhang Tianxi Zhang Tianxi (; 346–406), original courtesy name Gongchungu (), later Chungu (), nickname Duhuo (), formally Duke Dao of Xiping (), was the last ruler of the Chinese state Former Liang. He was the youngest son of Zhang Jun (Duke Zhongcheng), ...

, had a princess (who might have been the mother of his first

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

Zhang Dahuai (張大懷)), but no name was given for her, nor was her existence conclusively stated. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Xin, Empress Former Liang princesses Sixteen Kingdoms empresses