Empress Liu (Li Maozhen)
Encyclopedia
Empress Liu (877–November 8, 943), formally Lady Dowager Xiande of Qin (秦國賢德太夫人), was the wife of Li Maozhen
, the only ruler of the Chinese
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
state Qi
. During Li Maozhen's reign as the independent Prince of Qi, she carried the title of empress (even though he never assumed the title of emperor). After he later submitted as the vassal of the new Later Tang Dynasty
, she became known as the Lady of Qin, and later Lady Dowager of Qin after his death.
. What was mentioned was that after the destruction of the preceding Tang Dynasty
, Li Maozhen continued to use Tang's era name to show refusal to submit to Later Liang Dynasty
and continued to use the Tang-bestowed title of Prince of Qi. However, he took on much of the trappings of an emperor, including creating an Office of the Prince of Qi that had a large staff and many offices that had imperial government-like titles and creating his wife (who was not named) empress. No other reference was made in his biography in the two official histories about his wife.
Lady Liu's tombstone, which referred to her as Lady Dowager Xiande of Qin, gave more information about her, although it gave no personal name. According to her tombstone, she died on November 8, 943 at the age of 66, and that she bore four sons and three daughters for Li Maozhen. The four sons were his oldest Li Congyan, Li Congchang (李從昶), Li Congzhao (李從昭), and Li Jiwei (李繼暐). (The fact that Li Jiwei's name had "Ji" as his generational character rather than "Cong" as his brothers implied that he died before the bestowment of the "Cong" character by Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang in 926.) Her three daughters were not named; the oldest was described as having married a man named Lu (盧) and having died early; the second and third daughters married officers of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
, Shaanxi
), which made up most of the state of Qi, Han Fang (韓昉) and Zhang Juxun (張居遜), respectively. As for Lady Liu's family itself, she was said to be from Qi Prefecture (i.e., Fengxiang Circuit's capital Fengxiang Municipality). Her great-grandfather was named Liu Sichong (劉思沖); her grandfather was named Liu Ao (劉翱); and her father was named Liu Yuehuang (劉岳皇).
Li Maozhen
Li Maozhen , né Song Wentong , courtesy name Zhengchen , formally Prince Zhongjing of Qin , was the only ruler of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Qi...
, the only ruler of the Chinese
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...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was between 907–960/979 AD and an era of political upheaval in China, between the fall of the Tang Dynasty and the founding of the Song Dynasty. During this period, five dynasties quickly succeeded one another in the north, and more than 12 independent states were...
state Qi
Qi (Five Dynasties)
Qi was a Chinese kingdom during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. The kingdom, at its prime, covered parts of modern-day Gansu, Shaanxi, and Sichuan provinces, but eventually shrank to only the immediate area around its capital Fengxiang in Shaanxi. Its only ruler was Li...
. During Li Maozhen's reign as the independent Prince of Qi, she carried the title of empress (even though he never assumed the title of emperor). After he later submitted as the vassal of the new Later Tang Dynasty
Later Tang Dynasty
The Later Tang Dynasty was a short-lived dynasty that lasted from 923 to 937 one of the five dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was also the first in a series of three dynasties ruled by the Shatuo Turks...
, she became known as the Lady of Qin, and later Lady Dowager of Qin after his death.
Lack of records in official histories
Nothing was said about Empress Liu's identity in the official histories of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period — the History of the Five Dynasties and the New History of the Five DynastiesNew History of the Five Dynasties
The New History of the Five Dynasties is a history of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. It was written by the Song Dynasty official Ouyang Xiu and completed in 1053...
. What was mentioned was that after the destruction of the preceding 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...
, Li Maozhen continued to use Tang's era name to show refusal to submit to Later Liang Dynasty
Later Liang Dynasty
The Later Liang was one of the Five Dynasties during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. It was founded by Zhu Wen, posthumously known as Taizu of Later Liang, after he forced the last emperor of the Tang dynasty to abdicate in his favour...
and continued to use the Tang-bestowed title of Prince of Qi. However, he took on much of the trappings of an emperor, including creating an Office of the Prince of Qi that had a large staff and many offices that had imperial government-like titles and creating his wife (who was not named) empress. No other reference was made in his biography in the two official histories about his wife.
Family history, based on Li Maozhen's and her tombstones
What little is known about Empress Liu largely came from the discovery of her and Li Maozhen's tombstones in a 2001 excavation of their joint tomb. Based on the tombstone of Li Maozhen, who died in 924 at the age of 68, he had six sons and four daughters, and, at the time of his death (by which time he was a Later Tang vassal bearing the title of Prince of Qin), his wife Lady Liu was bearing the Later Tang-bestowed title of Lady of Qin.Lady Liu's tombstone, which referred to her as Lady Dowager Xiande of Qin, gave more information about her, although it gave no personal name. According to her tombstone, she died on November 8, 943 at the age of 66, and that she bore four sons and three daughters for Li Maozhen. The four sons were his oldest Li Congyan, Li Congchang (李從昶), Li Congzhao (李從昭), and Li Jiwei (李繼暐). (The fact that Li Jiwei's name had "Ji" as his generational character rather than "Cong" as his brothers implied that he died before the bestowment of the "Cong" character by Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang in 926.) Her three daughters were not named; the oldest was described as having married a man named Lu (盧) and having died early; the second and third daughters married officers of Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), which made up most of the state of Qi, Han Fang (韓昉) and Zhang Juxun (張居遜), respectively. As for Lady Liu's family itself, she was said to be from Qi Prefecture (i.e., Fengxiang Circuit's capital Fengxiang Municipality). Her great-grandfather was named Liu Sichong (劉思沖); her grandfather was named Liu Ao (劉翱); and her father was named Liu Yuehuang (劉岳皇).