Empress Dowager He (Sun Hao)
Encyclopedia
Empress Dowager He, personal name unknown, was an empress dowager
during the reign of her son Sun Hao
, the fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu
during the Three Kingdoms
period of Chinese history
.
She was from Danyang Commandery (丹楊, roughly modern Xuancheng
, Anhui
). Her father He Sui (何遂) was a cavalry soldier in the army of the Eastern Wu founder Sun Quan
. One day, when Sun Quan was examining the troops, he noticed that she was peeking out and looking at the troops. He found her unusual, and gave her to his son Sun He
as a consort. In 242, the same year that Sun He was created crown prince
, she gave birth to his oldest son, Sun Hao.
Sun He, due to the machinations of many powerful people at court, was deposed in 250 and reduced to commoner status. In 252, he was created the Prince of Nanyang, with his fief at Changsha. However, after Sun Jun became regent for his brother, the emperor Sun Liang
, in 253, Sun Jun forced him to commit suicide. His wife Princess Zhang also committed suicide. When Consort He was offered the opportunity to commit suicide as well, however, she declined—reasoning that someone needed to raise the children, and she was the one who raised Sun Hao and his three younger brothers (by other consorts), Sun De (孫德), Sun Qian (孫謙), and Sun Jun (孫俊—note different character than the regent).
In 264, after the death of the emperor Sun Xiu, a younger brother of Sun He, the officials Puyang Xing (濮陽興) and Zhang Bu (張布) chose Sun Hao to be the emperor. He quickly posthumously honored Sun He as an emperor and honored Consort He as the empress dowager. Her family became exceedingly powerful during his reign. There was no record of when she died, and she probably survived to see the collapse of the empire under her son's violent and incompetent reign in 280 and its conquest
by the Jin Dynasty
, but it is not clear.
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
during the reign of her son Sun Hao
Sun Hao
Sun Hao , style name Yuanzong , originally named Sun Pengzu with the style name Yuanzong , was the fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. He was the son of Sun He, a one-time crown prince of the founding emperor Sun Quan...
, the fourth and last emperor of Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
during the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period of Chinese history
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...
.
She was from Danyang Commandery (丹楊, roughly modern Xuancheng
Xuancheng
Xuancheng is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province of Eastern China. It borders Wuhu to the northwest, Chizhou to the west, Huangshan to the southwest, and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu to the southeast and northeast respectively....
, Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
). Her father He Sui (何遂) was a cavalry soldier in the army of the Eastern Wu founder Sun Quan
Sun Quan
Sun Quan , son of Sun Jian, formally Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He ruled from 222 to 229 as King of Wu and from 229 to 252 as Emperor of Wu....
. One day, when Sun Quan was examining the troops, he noticed that she was peeking out and looking at the troops. He found her unusual, and gave her to his son Sun He
Sun He
Sun He , style name Zixiao , formally known as Emperor Wen , was a son and crown prince of Eastern Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
as a consort. In 242, the same year that Sun He was 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....
, she gave birth to his oldest son, Sun Hao.
Sun He, due to the machinations of many powerful people at court, was deposed in 250 and reduced to commoner status. In 252, he was created the Prince of Nanyang, with his fief at Changsha. However, after Sun Jun became regent for his brother, the emperor Sun Liang
Sun Liang
Sun Liang was the second emperor of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He was the founding emperor Sun Quan's youngest son and heir...
, in 253, Sun Jun forced him to commit suicide. His wife Princess Zhang also committed suicide. When Consort He was offered the opportunity to commit suicide as well, however, she declined—reasoning that someone needed to raise the children, and she was the one who raised Sun Hao and his three younger brothers (by other consorts), Sun De (孫德), Sun Qian (孫謙), and Sun Jun (孫俊—note different character than the regent).
In 264, after the death of the emperor Sun Xiu, a younger brother of Sun He, the officials Puyang Xing (濮陽興) and Zhang Bu (張布) chose Sun Hao to be the emperor. He quickly posthumously honored Sun He as an emperor and honored Consort He as the empress dowager. Her family became exceedingly powerful during his reign. There was no record of when she died, and she probably survived to see the collapse of the empire under her son's violent and incompetent reign in 280 and its conquest
Conquest of Wu by Jin
The conquest of Wu by Jin was a military campaign launched by the Jin Dynasty against the state of Eastern Wu in 280 towards the end of the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
by the Jin Dynasty
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, but it is not clear.