Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Consort and Royal Family Member

Empress Dowager Wuming 武明皇太后

Wǔmíng huángtàihòu

Attested AD 538 - AD 561

Passages: 11
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Empress Dowager Wuming was a consort and Royal Family Member.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 560 乾明元年
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passages 54, 64
AD 561 皇建二年
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passage 149
AD 538 魏元象元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 6, passages 2-3

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Gao Huan (高歡)
empress 后 · Primary marriage
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 6, passages 1-2
Parent of Emperor Xiaozhao (孝昭帝)
son 子
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passages 1-2
Parent of Emperor Wenxuan of Northern Qi (文宣帝)
son 子
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passage 1
Parent of Emperor Wucheng (武成帝)
son 子
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passage 102

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passages 150-151

Events and relationships

Deposed young ruler and ordered Xiaozhao to succeed
AD 560 乾明元年 · Political · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passage 64

Source notes

AD 560 皇建元年
From Grand Empress Dowager 太皇太后 · To Empress Dowager 皇太后
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 6, passage 66

References in the histories

Search passages

History

11 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 6Volume 6 Annals 6: Emperor Xiaozhao · 11 passages

幼而英特，早有大成之量，武明皇太后早所愛重。 Even as a boy he was remarkable, showing early promise of greatness, and Empress Dowager Wuming had cherished him from the start.

皇太后日夜啼泣，文宣不知所為。 The Empress Dowager wept day and night, and Emperor Wenxuan did not know what to do.

帝入至昭陽殿，幼主、太皇太后、皇太后並出臨御坐。 The prince entered Zhaoyang Hall. The young emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager all came out to the throne.

太皇太后又為皇后誓，言帝無異志，唯去逼而已。 The Grand Empress Dowager also swore on the empress's behalf that the prince harbored no treasonous design and had acted only to remove those who had been coercing the throne.

太皇太后尋下令廢少主，命帝統大業。 The Grand Empress Dowager soon issued an order deposing the young emperor and commanding him to take up the imperial succession.

詔奉太皇太后還稱皇太后，皇太后稱文宣皇后，宮曰昭信。 An edict restored the Grand Empress Dowager to the title of Empress Dowager, gave the former empress dowager the title Empress Wenxuan, and named her residence Zhaoxin Palace.

性至孝，太后不豫，出居南宮，帝行不正履，容色貶悴，衣不解帶，殆將四旬。 He was deeply filial. When the empress dowager fell ill and moved to the Southern Palace, the emperor walked unsteadily, his face gaunt and drawn; he slept in his clothes without removing his belt for nearly forty days.

太后所苦小增，便即寢伏閤外，食飲藥物盡皆躬親。 Whenever the empress dowager's illness worsened even slightly, he would immediately bed down outside her chamber and personally attend to all her food, drink, and medicine.

太后常心痛不自堪忍，帝立侍帷前，以爪掐手心，血流出袖。 When the empress dowager was often racked with unbearable heart pain, the emperor would stand in attendance before her curtain, digging his nails into his palms until blood ran down his sleeves.

太后視疾，問濟南所在者三，帝不對。 The empress dowager came to see him in his illness and three times asked where the Prince of Jinan was; the emperor did not reply.

太后怒曰：「殺之耶？ The empress dowager said angrily, "Did you kill him?