Qin and Han · Mother of Emperor He of Han

Empress Gonghuai 恭怀皇后

Gōnghuái huánghòu

Attested AD 79 - AD 105

Passages: 6
Chapters: 5
Histories: 3

Overview

Empress Gonghuai was a Mother of Emperor He of Han.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Lady Liang	梁貴人

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 79 to AD 83 mother of Emperor He (born AD 79); died AD 83
Strongly inferred · Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 18
AD 100 十二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 116, passage 20
AD 88 和帝即位
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 125, passage 85
AD 88 to AD 105 恭懷皇后
Directly stated · Book of Song 55, passage 10
AD 89 to AD 105 永元中
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 110, passage 121
AD 82 章帝七八年间
Dated from the passage context · Book of Later Han 117, passages 176-177

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Emperor He (和帝)
mother 母 · maternal line
mother 母
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Later Han 116, passage 20; Book of Later Han 125, passage 85; Book of Later Han 110, passage 121; Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 18
Sibling of Dou Xian (竇憲)
sibling 兄/弟 · Full siblings · maternal line
Strongly inferred · Book of Later Han 125, passage 85

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Empress Gonghuai 恭怀皇后
Posthumously bestowed
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 110, passage 121

Places and affiliations

At Xiling 西陵 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · Book of Later Han 116, passage 20

Events and relationships

Cited as a mother reinterred and posthumously honored by her imperial son
AD 222 章武二年追尊議論中引 · Historical precedent · Honoree
Directly stated · Records of the Three Kingdoms 34, passage 18

References in the histories

Book of Later Han, Chapter 110Volume 99: Rituals and Worship Part Three · 2 passages

永元中，和帝追尊其母梁贵人曰恭怀皇后，陵曰西陵。 In Yongyuan, Hedi posthumously raised his mother, Lady Liang, to Empress Gonghuai; her tomb was Xiling.

以窦后配食章帝，恭怀后别就陵寝祭之。 Empress Dou shared Zhangdi’s cult, but Empress Gonghuai was worshipped separately at her tomb lodge.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 116Volume 105: Five Elements Part Three · 1 passage

一曰，先是恭怀皇后葬礼有阙，窦太后崩后，乃改殡梁后，葬西陵，征舅三人皆为列侯，位特进，赏赐累千金。 Another gloss ties the flood to the shabby obsequies for Empress Gonghuai, the belated reinterment of Empress Liang at Xiling after Dou's death, and the sudden enrichment of three uncles at the highest noble rank.

Book of Later Han, Chapter 117Volume 106: Five Elements Part Four · 1 passage

是时，章帝用窦皇后谗，害宋、梁二贵人，废皇太子。 Zhang believed Dou's lies, destroyed the Song and Liang ladies, and cast down the crown prince.

Records of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 34Volume 34: Book of Shu 4: Biographies of Concubines and Sons of the Two Lords · 1 passage

昔高皇帝追尊太上昭靈夫人為昭靈皇后，孝和皇帝改葬其母梁貴人，尊號曰恭懷皇后，孝愍皇帝亦改葬其母王夫人，尊號曰靈懷皇后。 Gaozu of Han raised his mother to Empress Zhaoling; He-di reinterred Lady Liang as Empress Gonghuai; Min-di did the same for Lady Wang as Empress Linghuai.

Book of Song, Chapter 55Volume 55 Biographies 15: Zang Dao, Xu Guang, F Long · 1 passage

後漢和帝之母曰恭懷皇所，安帝祖母曰敬隱皇后，順帝之母曰恭湣皇后，雖不系子為號，亦祭於陵寢。 In Later Han, Emperor He's mother was known as Empress Gonghuai, Emperor An's grandmother as Empress Jingyin, and Emperor Shun's mother as Empress Gongmin; although their titles were not framed through their sons' reign names, they likewise received sacrifice at the tomb shrines.