Empress Dowager Wenming (文明太后)

Overview

Empress Dowager Wenming was an empress Dowager.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 485 太和九年前
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 39, passage 121
AD 489 to AD 493 恂幼年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 27, passages 9-10
AD 471 to AD 490 文明太后
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passage 57
AD 476 to AD 490 文明太后
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 24, passage 134
AD 471 顯祖崩
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 93, passage 45
AD 386 to AD 534 魏世
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 98, passage 139

Family

Kin of Yuan Xun (元恂)
reared 撫視
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 9

Key source chapters

Events and relationships

Bestowed wife
Domestic · Donor · With Jian (簡)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passage 139
Judged Sun Yide filial
Judgment · Sovereign · With Sun Yide (孫益德)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passage 57
Received court
Ritual · Honoree · With Emperor Xiaowen (孝文皇帝)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passage 134
Visited mansion
Social · Visitor · With Chen Jian (陳建)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 39, passage 121

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

Book of Wei, Chapter 24Volume 20: Emperor Wencheng's Five Princes · 2 passages

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高祖嘗與簡俱朝文明太后於皇信堂，簡居帝之右，行家人禮。 Gaozu once paid court to Empress Dowager Wenming with Jian at Huangxin Hall. Jian sat to the emperor's right, and they observed family rites.

妻常氏，燕郡公常喜女也，文明太后以賜簡。 His wife, Lady Chang, was a daughter of Chang Xi, Duke of Yan Commandery, and Empress Dowager Wenming gave her to Jian.

Book of Wei, Chapter 27Volume 22: Emperor Xiaowen's Five Princes · 2 passages

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生而母死，文明太后撫視之，常置左右。 His mother died when he was born; Empress Dowager Wenming reared him and kept him constantly at her side.

年四歲，太皇太后親為立名恂，字元道，於是大赦。 When he was four the Grand Empress Dowager herself named him Xun, styled Yuandao, and a general amnesty was declared.

Book of Wei, Chapter 39Volume 34: Wang Luo Er, Che Lutou, Lu Luyuan, Chen Jian, Wan Anguo · 1 passage

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高祖與文明太后頻幸建第，賜建妻宴於後庭。 Emperor Xiaowen and Empress Dowager Wenming often visited Jian's mansion, and the empress dowager granted banquets for Jian's wife in the rear palace.

Book of Wei, Chapter 92Volume 86: Filial Piety: Zhao Yan, Zhang Sunlu, Qifu Bao, Sun Yide, Dong Luosheng, Yang Yin · 1 passage

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高祖、文明太后以其幼而孝決。 Emperor Gaozu and Empress Dowager Wenming judged him filial though young.

Book of Wei, Chapter 93Volume 87: Morality and Righteousness: Yu Shenmen, Duan Jin, Shi Wende, Ji Gu, Wang Xuanwei, Lou Ti, Liu Kehou · 1 passage

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文明太后詔賜帛二百匹。 Empress Dowager Wenming issued an edict granting him two hundred bolts of silk.

Book of Wei, Chapter 98Volume 92: Notable Women: Cui Lan's Consort Feng, Feng Zhuo's Consort Liu, Wei Pu's Consort Fang, Hu Changming's Consort Zhang · 1 passage

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及承祖為文明太后所寵貴，親姻皆求利潤，唯楊獨不欲。 When Chengzu won favor and rank from Empress Dowager Wenming, all his kin by marriage sought profit—only Yang refused.