Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Consort

Zhang Yao'er 章要兒

c. AD 506 - AD 570

Passages: 9
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Zhang Yao'er was a consort.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Empress Dowager Xuan	宣太后
Alternate name	Niu	鈕

Life and dates

Death

AD 570 太建二年三月景申
At Hall of Purple Apex 紫極殿 · Age Value: 65
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 37

Age

65
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 37

Attested activity

AD 557 永定元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 7, passage 28
AD 568 光大二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 7, passage 35
AD 570 太建二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 7, passage 37

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Chen Baxian (陳霸先)
betrothed/married 聘 · Marriage
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passages 23, 28
Child of Jingming (景明)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 18
Child of Su (蘇)
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 20

Career and standing

empress 皇后
AD 557 永定元年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 28
Honored
AD 560 世祖即位 · Empress dowager
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 33
Honored
Grand empress dowager
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 34

Places and affiliations

Polity Chen 陳 · Relation Associated with
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 28
At Wucheng in Wuxing 吳興烏程
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 17
At Wan'an Mausoleum 萬安陵 · Relation Buried at
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 39

Events and relationships

Deposed
AD 568 光大二年 · Political · Actor · With Chen Bozong (陳伯宗)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 35
Installed
AD 568 光大二年 · Political · Actor · With Chen Xu (陳頊)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 35
Captivity · Prisoner · With Hou Jing (侯景) · At during Hou Jing rebellion 侯景之亂
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 26

Assessments and attributes

Assessment paired with Heaven's norm and aided royal transformation · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 173
fingernails five inches long, reddish white
Physical description
Directly stated · Book of Chen 7, passage 22

References in the histories

Search passages

History

9 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses and Consorts · 9 passages

高祖章皇后世祖沈皇后廢帝王皇后高宗柳皇后 Founder Empress Zhang; Emperor Wen Empress Shen; Deposed Emperor Empress Wang; Emperor Xuan Empress Liu

高祖皇后章要兒 Founder Empress Zhang Yao'er

高祖宣皇后章氏，諱要兒，吳興烏程人也。 Lady Xuan, empress of the Founder, of the Zhang clan, was named Yao'er and came from Wucheng in Wuxing.

本姓鈕，父景明為章氏所養，因改焉。 Her family had borne the surname Niu; her father Jingming was adopted by the Zhang clan and took their name.

世祖即位，尊后為皇太后，宮曰慈訓。 When Emperor Wen succeeded, the empress was honored as empress dowager; her palace was called Cixun.

廢帝即位，尊后為太皇太后。 When the Deposed Emperor came to the throne, she was honored as grand empress dowager.

太建元年，尊后為皇太后。 In the first year of Taijian (569) she was again honored as empress dowager.

其年四月，羣臣上謚曰宣太后，祔葬萬安陵。 That fourth month the ministers gave her the posthumous title Empress Dowager Xuan; she was buried with the Founder at Wan'an Mausoleum.

若夫作儷天則，燮贊王化，則宣太后有其懿焉。 To pair with Heaven's norm and aid royal transformation—Queen Dowager Xuan had that excellence.