Empress Liang (Fu Sheng)
Encyclopedia
Empress Liang (died 355) was briefly an empress of the Chinese
/Di
state Former Qin
. Her husband was the violent and arbitrary Fu Sheng
.
In 355, after Fu Sheng succeeded his father Fu Jiàn
, the founding emperor of Former Qin, he created her empress. (Presumably, she had been Fu Sheng's wife earlier during his stints as the Prince of Huainan and as crown prince, and carried a princess title.) Her uncle Mao Gui (毛貴) and father Liang An (梁安) were both officials that, under Fu Jiàn's will, served as major officials of the state. Another such official, Liang Leng (梁楞), was likely her father's brother or cousin.
Just three months after she became empress, however, disaster came. Fu Sheng's astrologers warned him that the stars showed that a great funeral and deaths of major officials would come within three years, and that he therefore should reform his ways to avoid such disasters. Instead, Fu Sheng declared that the empress' death and the deaths of some major officials would be sufficient to satisfy the signs, and he executed Empress Liang, Mao, Liang An, and Liang Leng.
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...
/Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
state Former Qin
Former Qin
The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
. Her husband was the violent and arbitrary Fu Sheng
Fu Sheng
Fu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
.
In 355, after Fu Sheng succeeded his father Fu Jiàn
Fu Jiàn
Fú Jiàn , originally named Pú Jiàn , courtesy name Jianye , formally Emperor Jingming of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin....
, the founding emperor of Former Qin, he created her empress. (Presumably, she had been Fu Sheng's wife earlier during his stints as the Prince of Huainan and as crown prince, and carried a princess title.) Her uncle Mao Gui (毛貴) and father Liang An (梁安) were both officials that, under Fu Jiàn's will, served as major officials of the state. Another such official, Liang Leng (梁楞), was likely her father's brother or cousin.
Just three months after she became empress, however, disaster came. Fu Sheng's astrologers warned him that the stars showed that a great funeral and deaths of major officials would come within three years, and that he therefore should reform his ways to avoid such disasters. Instead, Fu Sheng declared that the empress' death and the deaths of some major officials would be sufficient to satisfy the signs, and he executed Empress Liang, Mao, Liang An, and Liang Leng.