Five Dynasties · Imperial Consort

Honored Consort Zhang 貴妃張氏

Zhang

First attested AD 921; died AD 950

Passages: 19
Chapters: 4
Histories: 2

Overview

Honored Consort Zhang was an Imperial Consort.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Lady Zhang	張氏	Zhang shi
Posthumous name	Ruigong	睿恭	Ruigong

Life and dates

Death

Executed · Authority Liu Zhu (劉銖) · At capital household 京師第
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passages 28, 47
AD 950 漢隱帝末
At Eastern Capital old residence 東京舊第 · Cause Killed in palace purge
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 62
AD 950 漢末
Executed · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Ouyang Xiu (歐陽修)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 122, passage 9

Attested activity

AD 921 天祐末
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passages 57-58
AD 936 to AD 944 天福中
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passages 14, 26
AD 950 to AD 951 太祖以兵入京師
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 28
AD 951 廣順元年五月
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 11, passage 76
AD 950 漢末
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 122, passage 9
AD 950 漢隱帝末
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 62

Show 1 more source-backed claim

AD 923 to AD 926 莊宗遣…討張文禮
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 25

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Zhang Ji (張記)
grandfather 祖 · paternal line · 2 generations
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 23; Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 55
Spouse of Guo Jing (郭璟)
ancestress 祖妣 · Marriage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 11, passage 76
Spouse of Son of Wu Congjian (武從諫之子)
daughter-in-law 子婦 · Marriage · Widowed
Marriage
husband 子婦之夫 · Ended
Sources vary in certainty · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passages 25-26; Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passages 58, 60
Child of Zhang Tongzhi (張同芝)
father 父
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 24; Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 56
Spouse of Guo Wei (郭威)
honored consort 貴妃 · Secondary marriage
successor consort 繼室
successor wife 繼室 · Primary marriage
Sources vary in certainty · Old History of the Five Dynasties 122, passage 9; Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 60; New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 26
Betrothed to Son of Wu Congjian (武從諫之子)
Betrothal
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 58

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Lady of the State of Wu 吳國夫人
Repeatedly enfeoffed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 27
Honored Consort 貴妃
Posthumously granted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 63
Posthumously honored
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 11, passage 76
Imperial Consort Gui 貴妃
Posthumously installed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 29
Lady of the State of Wu 吳國夫人
Granted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 61
Put to death
Executed · Authority Liu Zhu (劉銖)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 47

Places and affiliations

At Zhending in Zhen Prefecture 鎮州真定
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 19, passage 22
At Zhending, Hengzhou 恒州真定
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 54

Events and relationships

Executed
AD 950 漢末 · Political · Victim · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Ouyang Xiu (歐陽修)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 122, passage 9

Assessments and attributes

Item Huangjian monastery 皇建僧院 · Relation Death place converted
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 121, passage 64

References in the histories

Search passages

History

19 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 121Volume 121 Book of Later Zhou 23: Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 9 passages

貴妃張氏，恒州真定人也。 Honored Consort Zhang was a native of Zhending in Hengzhou.

時妃年尚幼，有幽州偏將武從諫者，駐騑於家，見妃韶令，乃為其子聘之。 She was still young when a subordinate commander from Youzhou named Wu Congjian was billeted at her home; struck by her grace, he betrothed her to his son.

太祖從漢祖鎮並門，屬楊夫人以疾終，無何武氏子卒，太祖素聞妃之賢，遂納為繼室。 When the Emperor followed the Han founder to garrison Bingmen, Lady Yang died of illness; soon afterward the Wu son died as well. Having long heard of the lady's virtue, he took her as his successor consort.

太祖貴，累封至吳國夫人。 As he rose in rank she was repeatedly ennobled, eventually to Lady of the State of Wu.

漢隱帝末，蕭墻變起，屠害大臣，太祖在鄴都被讒，妃與諸皇屬同日遇害於東京舊第。 At the end of Han Yindi's reign palace intrigue erupted and ministers were slaughtered; slandered while in Ye, the Emperor could not save her—she and the imperial kin were killed on the same day at his old residence in the Eastern Capital.

太祖踐阼，追冊為貴妃，發哀，故世宗有起復之命。 After he took the throne he posthumously invested her as Honored Consort and proclaimed mourning; therefore there was an order for Shizong to leave mourning and resume office.

世宗嗣位，以太祖舊宅即妃遇禍之地，因施為僧院，以皇建為名焉。 After Shizong succeeded, the Emperor's old residence—where she had met her end—was converted into a Buddhist monastery called Huangjian.

鼎命初建，張貴妃遇禍，中宮虛位，乃冊為德妃。 When the dynasty was first founded, Honored Consort Zhang had been killed and the inner palace stood empty; she was invested as Virtuous Consort.

漢末李業等作亂，後與貴妃張氏及諸皇族同日遇禍。 At the end of Han, when Li Ye and others rose in revolt, she, Honored Consort Zhang, and the imperial kin were killed on the same day.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 122Volume 122 Book of Later Zhou 24: Biographies 2: Imperial Family · 1 passage

原本過於簡略，疑有刪節，今據《歐陽史·家人傳》云：初，帝舉兵於魏，漢以兵圍帝第，時張貴妃與諸子青哥、意哥，侄守筠、奉超、定哥皆被誅。 The base text is so terse that passages may have been cut; the following is drawn from Ouyang Xiu's family biographies. When the future Taizu first took up arms in Wei, the Later Han besieged his household. The honored consort Zhang, the boys Qingge and Yige, and the nephews Shoujun, Fengchao, and Dingge were all put to death.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 11Volume 11 Later Zhou Annals 2: Taizu · 1 passage

五月辛未，追尊祖考為皇帝，妣為皇后：高祖璟謚曰睿和，廟號信祖，祖妣張氏謚曰睿恭； On xinwei in the fifth month he posthumously honored his ancestors as emperors and ancestresses as empresses: great-great-grandfather Jing, posthumous title Ruihe, temple name Xinzu; great-great-grandmother Lady Zhang, posthumous title Ruigong;

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 19Volume 19: Taizu of Later Zhou's Family · 8 passages

貴妃張氏 Imperial Consort Gui of the Zhang clan

貴妃張氏，鎮州真定人也。 Imperial Consort Gui of the Zhang clan was from Zhending in Zhen Prefecture.

熔死，鎮州亂，莊宗遣幽州符存審以兵討張文禮，裨將武從諫館於妃家，見妃尚幼，憐之，而從諫家在太原，遂以妃歸，為其子婦。 After Rong's death threw Zhen Prefecture into chaos, Zhuangzong sent Fu Cunjian from Youzhou against Zhang Wenli. The subordinate commander Wu Congjian was quartered at her family's house, took pity on the girl still in her youth, and—his own family being in Taiyuan—brought her home as a daughter-in-law.

久之，太祖事漢高祖於太原，楊夫人卒，而武氏子亦卒，乃納妃為繼室。 Years later, while Taizu was in Gaozu of Later Han's service at Taiyuan, Lady Yang died and Wu's son died as well; Taizu then took the consort as his next wife.

太祖貴，累封吳國夫人。 As Taizu rose in stature she was repeatedly promoted, eventually to Lady of Wu.

太祖以兵入京師，漢遣劉銖戮其家，妃與諸子皆死。 When Taizu marched into the capital with his army, Later Han sent Liu Zhu to massacre his household; the consort and all his sons were killed.

太祖即位，追冊為貴妃。 After Taizu became emperor he posthumously installed her as Imperial Consort Gui.

初，帝舉兵於魏，漢以兵圍帝第，時張貴妃與諸子青哥、意哥，侄守筠、奉超、定哥，皆被誅。 Earlier, when the emperor raised his army in Wei, Later Han besieged his residence. Imperial Consort Zhang, the sons Qingge and Yige, and the nephews Shoujun, Fengchao, and Dingge were all executed.