Empress Qin'ai (欽哀皇后)

Overview

Empress Qin'ai was a Liao Empress Dowager and Regent.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Xiao Noujin	蕭耨斤

Life and dates

Death

AD 1057 清寧三年十二月己巳
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 108

Attested activity

AD 1055 清寧元年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 21, passages 28, 50
AD 1031 太平十一年
Directly stated · History of Liao 87, passage 48
AD 1031 太平十一年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 88, passage 113
AD 1057 清寧三年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 21, passages 107-108
AD 1058 清寧四年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 21, passages 120-121
AD 1031 欽哀為皇太后稱制
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 97, passage 79

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AD 1031 聖宗崩
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 112, passage 123
AD 1031 興宗即位
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 62, passage 2
AD 1034 重熙三年
Directly stated · History of Liao 87, passage 54
AD 1032 重熙元年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 62, passages 10, 28
AD 1032 to AD 1034 重熙初
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 48
AD 1044 重熙十三年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 91, passage 52
AD 1018 開泰七年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 65, passage 108
AD 1019 開泰八年
Dated from the passage context · History of Liao 109, passages 41-42

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Yanmuqin (巖母菫)
bore 生
Directly stated · History of Liao 65, passages 108-109
Parent of Shuogu (槊古)
bore 生
Directly stated · History of Liao 65, passages 108, 116
Kin of Emperor Xingzong of Liao (遼興宗)
empress dowager 皇太后
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 97, passage 79
Parent of Emperor Xingzong of Liao (遼興宗)
son 子
Empress Dowager 皇太后
mother and son 母子
Sources vary in certainty · History of Liao 112, passage 123; History of Liao 21, passage 28; History of Liao 109, passages 50-51
Kin of Emperor Shengzong of Liao (遼聖宗)
empress dowager 皇太后
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 97, passage 79
Spouse of Emperor Shengzong of Liao (遼聖宗)
empress 皇后
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 112, passage 123; History of Liao 65, passage 108
Parent of Chongyuan (重元)
younger son 少子
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 48

Kinship Role brothers · 昆弟專權 · Quantity plural
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 2

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Empress Qin'ai 欽哀皇后
Posthumously honored
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 120
Assumed
AD 1032 to AD 1034 重熙初 · Regent
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 48
assumed regency 稱制
Regent · Assumed
Directly stated · History of Liao 97, passage 79
Assumed
Regent
Directly stated · History of Liao 87, passage 50
Entered
Banished
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 7
Fell ill
Ill
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 107

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Honored as
Grand empress dowager
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 28

Places and affiliations

Polity Id liao · Relation Active in
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 2
Polity Id liao · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 48
Polity Id liao · Relation Served
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 120; History of Liao 97, passage 79
Polity Id liao · Relation Subject of
Strongly inferred · History of Liao 65, passage 108
AD 1032 to AD 1034 重熙初
At Qingzhou 慶州 · Relation Exiled to guard tombs
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 49
At Qing Mausoleum 慶陵 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · History of Liao 21, passage 121

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At Qingzhou 慶州 · Relation Banished to
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 7
At Qingzhou 慶州 · Relation Exiled to · From Source Date: Text: 重熙三年 · Western Year: AD 1034
Directly stated · History of Liao 87, passage 56

Works and attributed material

You deserved death a thousand times over, yet I once saved your life. I asked for no reward—why have you driven us mother and son apart! 汝負萬死，我嘗營救。不望汝報，何為離間我母子耶！
Speech · Speaker · With Emperor Xingzong of Liao (遼興宗) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passages 50-51
The former emperor said Jue would surely prove a great man — and so it has come to pass.
Speech · Speaker · With Yelu Jue (耶律玦)
Directly stated · History of Liao 91, passage 74

Events and relationships

Escorted back to court
Political · Subject
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 8
Murdered
Political · Perpetrator · With Ren'ade (仁德皇后)
Directly stated · History of Liao 87, passage 49
Pleaded to spare
Political · Intercessor · With Zhao Anren (趙安仁)
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 44
Plotted deposition
Political · Actor
Directly stated · History of Liao 62, passage 7
Sought to depose emperor and enthrone younger son
AD 1032 to AD 1034 重熙初 · Political · Plotter · With Emperor Xingzong of Liao (遼興宗)
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 48
Spoke so that Paizhe was beaten and released
Legal · Intercessor · With Xiao Paizhe (蕭朮哲)
Directly stated · History of Liao 91, passage 52

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Relation Rival of · Person Ren'ade (仁德皇后)
Directly stated · History of Liao 109, passage 42

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · History of Liao 65, passage 108

References in the histories

Search passages

History

29 passages

History of Liao, Chapter 21Volume 21 Annals 21: Daozong 1 · 5 passages

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庚午，尊皇太后為太皇太后。 On gengwu day the Empress Dowager was honored as Grand Empress Dowager.

戊子，應聖節，上太皇太后壽，宴群臣、命婦，冊妃蕭氏為皇后。 On wuzi day, the Responding Sage Festival, longevity was wished for the Grand Empress Dowager; ministers and titled wives were feasted; consort Xiao was invested Empress.

戊辰，太皇太后不豫，曲赦行在五百里內囚。 On wuchen day the Grand Empress Dowager fell ill; partial amnesty for prisoners within five hundred li of the imperial halt.

己巳，太皇太后崩。 On jisi day the Grand Empress Dowager died.

五月庚午朔，上大行太皇太后尊謚曰欽哀皇后。 On the gengwu new moon of the fifth month the posthumous honorific for the late Grand Empress Dowager was Empress Qin'ai.

History of Liao, Chapter 62Volume 62 Treatises 32: Punishment and Law 2 · 5 passages

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興宗即位，欽哀皇后始得志，昆弟專權。 When Xingzong came to the throne, Empress Dowager Qin'ai finally had her way, and her brothers seized control of the government.

馮家奴等希欽哀意，誣蕭浞卜等謀反，連及嫡後仁德皇后。 Feng Jianu and others, eager to please Qin'ai, framed Xiao Hubu and his associates for treason and dragged in the legitimate empress, Ren'ade.

欽哀後謀廢立，遷於慶州。 When Qin'ai plotted to depose the emperor and enthrone another, she was banished to Qingzhou.

郡王貼不家奴彌裏吉告其主言涉怨望，鞫之無驗，當反坐，以欽哀皇后裏言，竟不加罪，亦不斷付其主，僅籍沒焉。 Miliji, a slave of Prince Junwang Tiebu, accused his master of disloyal speech; the charge could not be proved and the accuser should have been punished in turn, but at Qin'ai's private word he escaped punishment, was not returned to his master, and only had his property confiscated.

寧遠軍節度使蕭白強掠烏古敵烈都詳穩敵魯之女為妻，亦以後言免死，杖而奪其官。 Xiao Bai, commissioner of Ningyuan Army, forcibly took Dile's daughter as his wife; he too was spared death on the empress's word, beaten, and dismissed from office.

History of Liao, Chapter 65Volume 65 Tables 3: Princesses · 1 passage

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欽哀皇后生二女： Born to Empress Qin'ai, two daughters:

History of Liao, Chapter 87Volume 87 Biographies 17: · 7 passages

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十一年，帝不豫，欽哀召孝先總禁衛事。 In the eleventh year, when the emperor fell ill, Empress Qin'ai summoned Xiaoxian to take overall charge of the palace guard.

興宗諒陰，欽哀弒仁德皇后，孝先與蕭浞卜、蕭匹敵等謀居多。 While Emperor Xingzong was in mourning, Qin'ai murdered Empress Rende; Xiaoxian, together with Xiao Fubu, Xiao Pidi, and others, played the leading part in the plot.

及欽哀攝政，遙授天平軍節度使，加守司徒，兼政事令。 When Qin'ai took the regency, he received a remote appointment as Military Commissioner of the Tianping Army, was made Acting Minister of Education, and served concurrently as Chief Councilor.

孝先以椒房親，為太后所重。 As a kinsman of the empress's clan, Xiaoxian enjoyed the Empress Dowager's special favor.

三年，太后與孝先謀廢立事，帝知之，勒衛兵出宮，召孝先至，諭以廢太后意。 In the third year the Empress Dowager and Xiaoxian plotted to depose the emperor and enthrone another. When the emperor learned of it, he ordered the palace guards out of the palace, summoned Xiaoxian, and told him of his plan to depose the Empress Dowager.

遷太后於慶州。 The Empress Dowager was sent away to Qingzhou.

會伐夏，孝友與樞密使蕭惠失利河南，帝欲誅之，太后救免。 During a campaign against Xia, Xiaoyou and Commissioner Xiao Hui were defeated south of the Yellow River. The emperor wished to put them to death, but the Empress Dowager intervened and spared them.

History of Liao, Chapter 88Volume 88 Biographies 18: Xiao Dilie, Yelu Pennu, Xiao Paiya, Yelu Zizhong, Yelu Yaozhi, Yelu Honggu, Gao Zheng, Yelu Delu, Da Kangyi · 2 passages

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先是，欽哀與仁德皇后有隙，以匹敵嘗為後所愛，忌之。 Earlier, Qinai and Empress Rendé had been at odds. Because Pike had once been favored by the empress, Qinai resented him.

及欽哀攝政，殺之。 When Qinai took the regency, she had him killed.

History of Liao, Chapter 91Volume 91 Biographies 21: Yelu Hanba, Yelu Tanggu, Xiao Paizhe, Yelu Jue, Yelu Pulidu · 2 passages

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稍遷西南面招討都監，坐事下獄，以太后言，杖而釋之。 He was gradually promoted to southwest pacification superintendent; for an offense he was imprisoned, but at the empress dowager's word he was beaten with the staff and released.

入見太后，後顧左右曰：「先皇謂玦必為偉人，果然。」 On audience with the empress dowager, she looked back at those beside her and said, "The former emperor said Jue would surely prove a great man — and so it has come to pass."

History of Liao, Chapter 97Volume 97 Biographies 27: Yelu Wotela, Hai Li, Dou Jingyong, Yelu Yinji, Yang Ji, Zhao Hui, Wang Guan, Yelu Xisun · 1 passage

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及欽哀為皇太后稱制，喜孫尤見寵任。 When Empress Dowager Qin'ai assumed regency, Xisun was especially favored and trusted.

History of Liao, Chapter 109Volume 109 Biographies 39: Music and Imperial Officials · 5 passages

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初，仁德皇后與欽哀有隙，欽哀密令安仁伺皇后動靜，無不知者。 Earlier Empress Rende and Empress Dowager Qin'ai were estranged; Qin'ai secretly set Anren to spy on the empress's every move, and nothing escaped him.

仁德欲誅之，欽哀以言營救。 Rende sought to have him executed, but Qin'ai interceded for him.

重熙初，欽哀攝政，欲廢帝，立少子重元。 Early in the Chongxi era Empress Dowager Qin'ai served as regent, sought to depose the emperor, and planned to enthrone her younger son Chongyuan.

帝與安仁謀，遷太后慶州守陵，授安仁左承宣、監門衛大將軍，充契丹漢人渤海內侍都知，兼都提點。 The emperor conspired with Anren, sent the empress dowager to Qingzhou to tend the imperial tombs, and appointed Anren Left Commissioner of Announcement and Grand General of the Gate Guards, making him superintendent of Khitan, Han, and Bohai inner attendants and chief intendant as well.

會上思太后，親馭奉迎，太后責曰：「汝負萬死，我嘗營救。 When the emperor missed his mother and went in person to escort her back, the empress dowager reproached him: "You deserved death a thousand times over, yet I once saved your life.

History of Liao, Chapter 112Volume 112 Biographies 42: Rebellious Officials 1 · 1 passage

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聖宗崩，欽哀皇后稱制，密謀立重元。 After Shengzong's death, Empress Dowager Qin'ai ruled as regent and secretly plotted to set Chongyuan on the throne.