Consort Dugu
Encyclopedia
Consort Dugu, imperial consort rank Guifei (獨孤貴妃, personal name unknown) (died November 3, 775), formally Empress Zhenyi (貞懿皇后, literally "the virtuous and kind empress"), was an imperial consort of the Chinese
Tang Dynasty
, during the reign of Emperor Daizong
(Li Chu). She was Emperor Daizong's favorite concubine and, while she never became empress in her lifetime, she dominated inside the palace. He posthumously honored her as empress after her death in 775.
, in or shortly after 757, when his then-dominant consort Consort Wei died. It was said that she was exceedingly beautiful and drew his favor to the exclusion of all other consorts, and that after her entry into the palace, the other consorts were rarely able to have sexual relations with him.
suggested that the reason was that Emperor Daizong did not want to endanger the position of his oldest son Li Kuo
, who had been created crown prince
.)
Consort Dugu bore Emperor Daizong two children -- Li Jiong (李迥), who was created the Prince of Han in 762 due to the favor that Consort Dugu was enjoying while most of his other brothers were not created imperial princes until 775, and Princess Huayang, who was herself said to be favored by Emperor Daizong greatly due to her intelligence and her ability to discern his likes and dislikes. When Princess Huayang died in 774, he was so greatly saddened that he did not attend imperial meetings for several days until the chancellors asked the eunuch Wu Chengqian (吳承倩) to persuade him to attend to government matters. It was later rumored that the important minister Liu Yan
had tried to persuade Emperor Daizong to create Consort Dugu empress, but failed to convince Emperor Daizong. He honored her family great -- posthumously honoring her father Dugu Ying, and also granting honorific offices to her uncle Dugu Zhuo (獨孤卓) and her brother Dugu Liangzuo (獨孤良佐).
, known for his literary talent, write a lengthy text mourning her.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, during the reign of Emperor Daizong
Emperor Daizong of Tang
Emperor Daizong of Tang , personal name Li Yu , né Li Chu , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty....
(Li Chu). She was Emperor Daizong's favorite concubine and, while she never became empress in her lifetime, she dominated inside the palace. He posthumously honored her as empress after her death in 775.
Background
It is not known when the future Consort Dugu was born, or where her family was from. Her father Dugu Ying (獨孤穎) was an officer in the imperial guard corps. She became a concubine of Li Chu, then the Prince of Guangping under his father Emperor SuzongEmperor Suzong of Tang
Emperor Suzong of Tang , personal name Li Heng , né Li Sisheng , known as Li Jun from 725 to 736, known as Li Yu from 736 to 738, known briefly as Li Shao in 738, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the son of Emperor Xuanzong...
, in or shortly after 757, when his then-dominant consort Consort Wei died. It was said that she was exceedingly beautiful and drew his favor to the exclusion of all other consorts, and that after her entry into the palace, the other consorts were rarely able to have sexual relations with him.
As imperial consort
After Li Chu, whose name had been changed to Li Yu by that point, became emperor in 762 (as Emperor Daizong), Consort Dugu was created the imperial consort rank of Guifei (貴妃) in 768 -- the highest rank among imperial consorts, but was not created empress, and it was said that it was for her that Emperor Daizong never created anyone else empress. (The modern Chinese historian Bo YangBo Yang
This article is about the Chinese writer. His name in Western languages is homonymic with Bó Yáng .Boyang , also sometimes called Baiyang, was a Chinese language writer based in Taiwan...
suggested that the reason was that Emperor Daizong did not want to endanger the position of his oldest son Li Kuo
Emperor Dezong of Tang
Emperor Dezong of Tang , personally name Li Kuo , was an emperor of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and the oldest son of his father Emperor Daizong. His reign of 26 years was the third longest in the Tang dynasty...
, who had been created crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.)
Consort Dugu bore Emperor Daizong two children -- Li Jiong (李迥), who was created the Prince of Han in 762 due to the favor that Consort Dugu was enjoying while most of his other brothers were not created imperial princes until 775, and Princess Huayang, who was herself said to be favored by Emperor Daizong greatly due to her intelligence and her ability to discern his likes and dislikes. When Princess Huayang died in 774, he was so greatly saddened that he did not attend imperial meetings for several days until the chancellors asked the eunuch Wu Chengqian (吳承倩) to persuade him to attend to government matters. It was later rumored that the important minister Liu Yan
Liu Yan (Tang Dynasty)
Liu Yan , courtesy name Shi'an , was an official of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty who served briefly as chancellor during the reign of Emperor Daizong — but who was more known for his reforms in the Tang salt monopoly and food transportation systems, credited with allowing the Tang economy to...
had tried to persuade Emperor Daizong to create Consort Dugu empress, but failed to convince Emperor Daizong. He honored her family great -- posthumously honoring her father Dugu Ying, and also granting honorific offices to her uncle Dugu Zhuo (獨孤卓) and her brother Dugu Liangzuo (獨孤良佐).
Death
Consort Dugu died in 775. The day after her death, Emperor Daizong posthumously honored her as empress. Greatly saddened by her death, he placed her casket within the palace for years, until he finally buried her on September 19, 778, at the imperial tomb where he would eventually be buried himself. As Princess Huayang had previously been buried at a site that was considered to be too low-lying and wet, he also had Princess Huayang disinterred and reburied near Consort Dugu. He had the chancellor Chang GunChang Gun
Chang Gun , formally the Duke of He'nei , was an official of the Chinese dynasty, serving as a chancellor during the reigns of Emperor Daizong and Emperor Dezong.- Background :...
, known for his literary talent, write a lengthy text mourning her.