Qin and Han · Consort

Empress Xu 許皇后

Xu Huanghou

Died BC 74

Passages: 4
Chapters: 3
Histories: 1

Overview

Empress Xu was a consort.

Life and dates

Death

Cause Murder plot by Huo clan
Directly stated · Book of Han 85, passage 237
BC 74 即位而許后以殺死
Executed
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 12

Attested activity

BC 74 宣帝微時
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 10, passage 2

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Emperor Yuan (孝元帝)
gave birth to 生
born of 生
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 4
Child of Marquis Dai of Ping'en (平恩戴侯)
daughter 女
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 10, passage 23
Spouse of Emperor Xuan of Han (漢宣帝)
empress 后
empress 皇后 · Primary marriage · Ended
Directly stated · Book of Han 85, passage 237; Book of Han 91, passages 4, 12
Spouse of Emperor Xuan (宣帝)
empress 皇后 · Primary marriage · Ended
Directly stated · Book of Han 10, passage 2
Parent of Emperor Yuan (孝元皇帝)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Han 10, passage 2

Key source chapters

Career and standing

executed 殺死
Suffered
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 12

References in the histories

Book of Han, Chapter 10Volume 9: Annals of Emperor Yuan · 1 passage

母曰共哀許皇后，宣帝微時生民間。 His mother was Empress Xu, honored posthumously as Gongaiai; she gave birth to him while the future Emperor Xuan was still a private man living outside the court.

Book of Han, Chapter 85Volume 74: Wei Xiang and Bing Ji · 1 passage

霍氏殺許后之謀始得上聞。 Only then did the Huo clan’s plot to murder Empress Xu reach the emperor.

Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 2 passages

許皇后生孝元帝，張婕妤生淮陽憲王欽，衛婕妤生楚孝王囂，公孫婕妤生東平思王宇，戎婕妤生中山哀王竟。 Empress Xu gave birth to Emperor Yuan. Lady Zhang the Honored Lady bore Prince Xian of Huaiyang, Qin; Lady Wei the Honored Lady bore Prince Xiao of Chu, Ao; Lady Gongsun the Honored Lady bore Prince Si of Dongping, Yu; and Lady Rong the Honored Lady bore Prince Ai of Zhongshan, Jing.

常有意欲立張婕妤與憲王，然用太子起於微細，上少依倚許氏，及即位而許后以殺死，太子蚤失母，故弗忍也。 He often toyed with making Lady Zhang and the prince his succession, yet the crown prince had come up from nothing: as a young man the emperor had leaned on the Xu clan, and after his accession Empress Xu had been executed, leaving the boy motherless—so he could not bring himself to replace him.