Empress Wang Shen'ai (; ; ), formally Empress Anxi (, literally "the peaceful and careful 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

Eastern Jin 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 ...

. Her

husband A husband is a man involved in a marital relationship, commonly referred to as a spouse. The specific rights, responsibilities, and societal status attributed to a husband can vary significantly across different cultures and historical perio ...

was the

developmentally disabled Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

Emperor An.

Life

Wang Shen'ai was the daughter of the official Wang Xianzhi, the son of the famed official and

calligrapher Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

Wang Xizhi Wang Xizhi ( zh, c=王羲之; courtesy name: Yishao ( zh, labels=no, c=逸少); ) was a Chinese politician, general and calligrapher from the Jin dynasty (266–420) known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. He is often regarded as the great ...

. Her mother Princess Xin'an was the daughter of Emperor Jianwen, making her and her husband cousins. In 396, while he was still

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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

under his father Emperor Xiaowu, they married, and she became crown empress. She was 12, and he was 14. As he was described to be so developmentally disabled that he could not speak or dress himself, or express whether he was full or hungry, it was unlikely that their marriage was consummated; in any case, they had no children. Later that year, after Emperor Xiaowu was killed by his

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal relationship, interpersonal and Intimate relationship, sexual relationship between two people in which the couple does not want to, or cannot, enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarde ...

Honoured Lady Zhang for humiliating her, Emperor An became emperor. On 3 May 397, she was created empress. Very little is known about Empress Wang's life as empress. In 403, after Emperor An's throne was usurped by the warlord

Huan Xuan Huan Xuan () (369 – 19 June 404), courtesy name Jingdao (敬道), nickname Lingbao (靈寶), formally Emperor Wudao of Chu (楚武悼帝), was a Jin Dynasty warlord who briefly took over the imperial throne from Emperor An of Jin and declared ...

, she was effectively put under house arrest with her husband. In 404, after Liu Yu started a rebellion to reestablish Jin, Huan Xuan had her and her husband transported west with him after he resolved to flee west from the capital

Jiankang Jiankang (), or Jianye (), as it was originally called, was the capital city of the Eastern Wu (229–265 and 266–280 CE), the Jin dynasty (265–420), Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420 CE) and the Southern Dynasties (420–552), including the Ch ...

, but on the way, Huan Xuan's brother-in-law Yin Zhongwen (殷仲文) rebelled against him and transported her and Emperor Mu's empress

He Fani Empress He Fani (; 339 – 13 September 404), formally Empress Muzhang (穆章皇后, literally "the solemn and polite empress"), semi-formally Empress Yong'an (永安皇后), was an empress of the Eastern Jin dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Mu ...

back to Jiankang. Later that year, after Huan Xuan was killed and Emperor An was seized back from Huan Xuan's nephew Huan Zhen (桓振), he was reunited with her. She died in October 412 and was buried with honors due an empress on 26 October''gui'you'' day of the 9th month of the 8th year of the ''Yi'xi'' era, per vol.10 of ''Jin Shu'' at Xiuping Mausoleum; Emperor An was also buried there after his death in January 419.

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Wang Shen'ai, Empress 384 births 412 deaths Jin dynasty (266–420) empresses 4th-century Chinese women 5th-century Chinese women Huan Chu people 4th-century Chinese people 5th-century Chinese people