Consort Yang (Wenzong)

Consort Yang (Wenzong)

Consort Yang, imperial consort rank Xianfei (楊賢妃, personal name unknown) (died February 12, 840[1][2]), was an imperial consort of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty. She was a concubine of Emperor Wenzong who became involved in the selection process of his heir and who died as a result of her involvement.

Contents

Background

Little is known about Consort Yang's background, as there was no biography of her among the biographies of the empresses and imperial consorts in either the Book of Tang or the New Book of Tang.[3][4] However, in an allegation that Emperor Wenzong's brother Emperor Wuzong later made against her (posthumously) and the chancellor Yang Sifu, Emperor Wuzong stated that Yang Sifu had written a letter to her urging her to assume regency as an empress dowager in which Yang Sifu referred to her as an aunt.[2] This allegation, if true, would suggest that she was a daughter of Yang Sifu's grandfather Yang Taiqing (楊太清), who served as a county magistrate, and a sister to Yang Sifu's father Yang Yuling (楊於陵), who was an honored official during the reign of Emperor Wenzong's father Emperor Muzong.[5] (However, it should also be noted that Emperor Wuzong also referred to a younger brother of Consort Yang as Yang Xuansi (楊玄思), and it would have been somewhat unusual, although not highly so, for Yang Xuansi and Yang Yuling to be brothers but not share a character in their personal names.)[2]

As imperial consort

It is not known when Consort Yang became Emperor Wenzong's concubine, but it is known that as of 837, she was an imperial consort with the rank of Zhaorong (昭容), the sixth highest rank possible for imperial consorts.[6] In 837, she was promoted to the rank of Xianfei (賢妃), the fourth highest rank for imperial consorts, while fellow imperial consort Consort Wang, the mother of Emperor Wenzong's oldest son Li Yong, was promoted from the rank of Zhaoyi (昭儀) (fifth highest rank) to Defei (德妃) (third highest rank).[6][7] There was no indication as to whether she was involved in Yang Sifu's becoming chancellor in 838.[2]

By 838, it was said that Consort Wang, who was not favored by Emperor Wenzong, had been killed at Consort Yang's instigation after Consort Yang made false accusations against her. It was further said that Li Yong, who was then Crown Prince, himself favored games and feasting and had become close to scoundrels, leading to Consort Yang's continually making accusations against him. As a result, in 838, Emperor Wenzong put Li Yong under arrest and convened a group of high level officials, announcing that he was intending to depose Li Yong from his position as Crown Prince. The officials and eunuchs largely opposed the move, and Li Yong was at that time spared, although a large number of his associates were executed.[2] (Li Yong himself died later that year, and some historians, include the modern Chinese historian Bo Yang, believed that he was assassinated at the implicit approval of Emperor Wenzong and Consort Yang.)[8]

After Li Yong's death, Consort Yang repeatedly recommended Emperor Wenzong's younger brother Li Rong the Prince of An as the new crown prince. (As Emperor Wuzong later would allege, he believed that Li Rong flattered Consort Yang in order to receive her favor.) When Emperor Wenzong asked for the chancellors' opinions, however, Li Jue opposed this, so Emperor Wenzong instead created Li Chengmei the Prince of Chen, the son of his older brother Emperor Jingzong, as Crown Prince.[2]

Death

In spring 840, Emperor Wenzong grew seriously ill, and he had Yang Sifu and Li Jue summoned to the palace, intending to entrust Li Chengmei to them. However, the powerful eunuchs Qiu Shiliang and Yu Hongzhi (魚弘志), who had no input in Li Chengmei's being made crown prince, opposed Li Chengmei. They forged an edict in Emperor Wenzong's name deposing Li Chengmei (on the excuse that LI Chengmei was too young) and naming another younger brother of Emperor Wenzong's, Li Chan the Prince of Ying, crown prince. After Emperor Wenzong died soon thereafter, Qiu persuaded Li Chan, then still carrying the title of Crown Prince, to issue an order that Consort Yang, Li Rong, and Li Chengmei commit suicide.[2]

Notes and references

  1. ^ Academia Sinica Chinese-Western Calendar Converter.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 246.
  3. ^ Book of Tang, vol. 52.
  4. ^ New Book of Tang, vol. 77.
  5. ^ Book of Tang, vol. 164.
  6. ^ a b Book of Tang, vol. 51.
  7. ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 245.
  8. ^ Bo Yang Edition of the Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 59 [838].

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Empress Yang Yan — (楊艷) (238 274), courtesy name Qiongzhi (瓊芝), formally Empress Wuyuan (武元皇后, formally the martial and discerning empress ) was an empress of Jin Dynasty (265 420). She was the first wife of Emperor Wu. Early life and marriage to Sima Yan Yang Yan… …   Wikipedia

  • Niu-Li Factional Struggles — (Chinese: 牛李黨爭; pinyin: Níu Lǐ Dǎngzhēng) referred to the phenomenon that persisted at court in the middle late Tang Dynasty of China largely viewed to have started during the reign of Emperor Muzong, circa 821, but having its seeds in the events …   Wikipedia

  • china — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. a translucent ceramic material, biscuit fired at a high temperature, its glaze fired at a low temperature. 2. any porcelain ware. 3. plates, cups, saucers, etc., collectively. 4. figurines made of porcelain or ceramic material …   Universalium

  • China — /chuy neuh/, n. 1. People s Republic of, a country in E Asia. 1,221,591,778; 3,691,502 sq. mi. (9,560,990 sq. km). Cap.: Beijing. 2. Republic of. Also called Nationalist China. a republic consisting mainly of the island of Taiwan off the SE coast …   Universalium

  • Du Cong — (杜悰) (794? 873?[1][2][3]), courtesy name Yongyu (永裕), formally the Duke of Bin (邠公), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving two terms as chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Wuzong s cousin Emperor… …   Wikipedia

  • Timeline of Chinese history — History of China ANCIENT …   Wikipedia

  • Emperor Dezong of Tang — Birth and death: May 27, 742(742 05 27) …   Wikipedia

  • Tang Dynasty — For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). Tang 唐 ← …   Wikipedia

  • Cui Qun — (崔群) (772 – August 30, 832[1][2]), courtesy name Dunshi (敦詩), was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Xianzong. Contents 1 Background …   Wikipedia

  • Ögedei Khan — Khagan of the Mongol Empire (Supreme Khan of the Mongols) King of Kings Emperor of China A portrait of Ögedei durin …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”