The following is a list of empresses and queens of China, who formed the highest tier of the imperial Chinese harem system. China has periodically been divided into kingdoms as well as united under empires, resulting in consorts titled both queen and empress. The empress title could also be given posthumously, as to the mothers and grandmothers of the founders of dynasties. The posthumous empresses are listed separately by the year they were given the title.
Contents
Empresses and queens
Northern and Southern dynasties ( 420 - 589 A.D.)
493–494: He Jingying
494: Wang Shaoming
498–501: Chu Lingqu
501–502: Wang Shunhua
400–409: Empress Murong
432–452: Empress Helian
456–465: Empress Feng
493–497: Empress Feng Qing
497–499: Empress Feng Run
501–507: Empress Yu
508–515: Empress Gao
5??–528: Empress Hu
528–530: Empress Erzhu Ying'e
530–531: Empress Erzhu
532: Empress Erzhu
533–534: Empress Gao
535–538: Empress Yifu
538–540: Empress Yujiulü
553–554: Empress Yuwen
554–556: Empress Ruogan
550–559: Empress Li Zu'e
560–561: Empress Yuan
561–565: Empress Hu
565–572: Empress Hulü
572–573: Empress Hu
Tang dynasty (618 - 907 A.D.)
Qin
Empress Ju
Han (Dingyang)
Empress Ju
Xia (619 - 621 A.D.)
Yan (755 - 763 A.D.)
Qi (881 - 884 A.D.)
Empresses dowager
The title of Empress dowager (皇太后, húangtàihòu) was automatically given to a former Empress consort and widow of an Emperor. The title, Empress dowager, could be granted a widow of an Emperor even when she had not been the Empress consort during the reign of her spouse. Therefore, a separate list is given of the Empresses dowager, which, in some cases, equals the list of Empresses consort, and in other cases, not.
Qin Dynasty
Empress Dowager Zhao (Posthumously) (帝太后), wife of King Zhaoxiang and mother of Qin Shi Huang
Han dynasty
Empress Dowager Lü,
Empress Dowager Bo
Empress Dowager Dou
Empress Dowager Wang
Empress Dowager Shangguan
Empress Dowager Wang
Empress Dowager Wang
Empress Dowager Zhao
Grand Empress Dowager Fu
Empress Dowager Ding (帝太后)
Empress Dowager Wang
Empress Dowager Yin
Empress Dowager Ma
Empress Dowager Dou
Empress Dowager Deng
Empress Dowager Yan
Empress Dowager Liang
Empress Dowager Dou
Empress Dowager He
Northern Dynasties
Princess Dowager Helan
Empress Dowager Helian
Nurse empress dowager
Empress Dowager Feng(Empress Dowager Wenming)
Empress Dowager Gao
Empress Dowager Hu
Tang dynasty
683–690: Empress Dowager Wu
710: Empress Dowager Wei
805–816: Empress Dowager Wang
820–848: Empress Dowager Guo
824–845: Empress Dowager Wang
826–847: Empress Dowager Xiao
846–865: Empress Dowager Zheng
904–906: Empress Dowager He
Song dynasty
Empress Dowager Du
Empress Dowager Li
Empress Dowager Liu
Empress Dowager Yang
Empress Dowager Cao
Empress Dowager Gao
Empress Dowager Xiang
Empress Dowager Meng
Empress Dowager Liu
Empress Dowager Wei
Empress Dowager Wu
Empress Dowager Xie
Empress Dowager Li
Empress Dowager Yang
Empress Dowager Xie
Empress Dowager Quan
Empress Dowager Yang
Yuan dynasty
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Empress Dowager Naimans
Empress Dowager Oirats
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Empress Dowager Khongirad
Ming dynasty
Empress Dowager Lü
1425 - 1435; Empress Dowager Zhang, wife of the Hongxi Emperor and mother of the Xuande Emperor
1435 -1462; Empress Dowager Sun, second wife of the Xuande Emperor and mother of Emperor Yingzong
1449 -1457; Empress Dowager Wu, concubine of the Xuande Emperor and mother of the Jingtai Emperor
1464 -1468; Empress Dowager Qian, wife of Emperor Yingzong and stepmother of the Chenghua Emperor
1464 -1487; Empress Dowager Zhou, concubine of Emperor Yingzong and mother of the Chenghua Emperor
1487-1505; Empress Dowager Wang, wife of the Chenghua Emperor and stepmother of the Hongzhi Emperor
1505 - 1541; Empress Dowager Zhang, wife of the Hongzhi Emperor and mother of the Zhengde Emperor
1521 - 1538; Empress Dowager Jiang, wife of Emperor Ruizong and mother of the Jiajing Emperor
1521 - 1522; Empress Dowager Xiaohui, consort of the Chenghua Emperor and paternal grandmother of the Jiajing Emperor
Empress Dowager Du (Posthumously), concubine of the Jiajing Emperor and mother of the Longqing Emperor
1572 - 1596; Empress Dowager Chen, second wife of the Longqing Emperor and stepmother of the Wanli Emperor
1572 - 1614; Empress Dowager Li, concubine of the Longqing Emperor and mother of the Wanli Emperor
Qing dynasty
1643–1688: Empress Dowager Zhaosheng, concubine of Hong Taiji and mother of the Shunzhi Emperor
1661–1663: Empress Dowager Cihe, concubine of the Shunzhi Emperor and mother of the Kangxi Emperor
1661–1718: Empress Dowager Renxian, second wife of the Shunzhi Emperor and stepmother of the Kangxi Emperor
1722–1723: Empress Dowager Renshou, concubine of the Kangxi Emperor and mother of the Yongzheng Emperor
1735–1777: Empress Dowager Chongqing, concubine of the Yongzheng Emperor and mother of the Qianlong Emperor
1820–1850: Empress Dowager Gongci, second wife of the Jiaqing Emperor and stepmother of the Daoguang Emperor
1855: Empress Dowager Kangci, concubine of the Daoguang Emperor and stepmother of the Xianfeng Emperor, the only Qing dynasty empress dowager who was neither the previous emperor's empress consort nor the current emperor's mother
1861–1881: Empress Dowager Ci'an, wife of the Xianfeng Emperor and stepmother of the Tongzhi Emperor
1861–1908: Empress Dowager Cixi, concubine of the Xianfeng Emperor and mother of the Tongzhi Emperor
1908–1913: Empress Dowager Longyu, wife of the Guangxu Emperor and adoptive mother of the Xuantong Emperor
Empresses whose titles were granted posthumously
Sui dynasty
581: Empress Lü Gutao, mother of Emperor Wen of Sui
Tang dynasty
618: Empress Dugu (Empress Yuanzhen, mother of Emperor Gaozu of Tang),
618: Duchess Dou (Empress Taimu), wife of Li Yuan, Emperor Gaozu of Tang before Li Yuan's ascension
Crown Princess Zhao (Empress Hesi), Crown Princess and first wife of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang
716: Consort Dou (Empress Zhaocheng), Consort of Emperor Ruizong of Tang and mother of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
738: Wu Huifei (Empress Zhenshun), favoured consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang
c.756: Noble Concubine Yang (Empress Yuanxian), concubine of Emperor Xuanzong of tang and mother of Emperor Suzong of Tang
775: Noble Consort Dugu (Empress Zhenyi), concubine of Emperor Daizong of Tang
806: Consort Shen (Empress Ruizhen), concubine of Emperor Daizong of Tang and mother of Emperor Dezong of Tang
816: Empress Dowager Wang (Empress Zhuangxian), concubine of Emperor Shunzong of Tang and mother of Emperor Xianzong of Tang
Consort Wei (Empress Xuanyi), Concubine of Emperor Muzong of Tang and mother of Emperor Wuzong of Tang
845: Empress Dowager Wang (Empress Gongxi),Concubine of Emperor Muzong of Tang and mother of Emperor Jingzong of Tang
847: Empress Dowager Xiao (Empress Zhenxian), Concubine of Emperor Muzong of Tang and mother of Emperor Wenzong of Tang
Wu Zhou Dynasty
Lady Pei (Empress Chengzhuang), Great-Great-Great-Grandmother of Wu Zetian
Lady Liu (Empress Zhangjing), Great-Great-Grandmother of Wu Zetian
Lady Song (Empress Zhao'an), Great-grandmother of Wu Zetian
Lady Zhao (Empress Wenmu), Grandmother of Wu Zetian
Lady Yang (Empress Xiaominggao), Mother of Wu Zetian
Song dynasty
961: Empress Dowager Du, mother of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong
960: Empress He, married to Emperor Taizu
976: Empress Yin, married to Emperor Taizong
976: Empress Fu, married to Emperor Taizong
997: Empress Li, mother of Emperor Zhenzong
997: Princess Pan, married to Emperor Zhenzong
1033: Consort Li, mother of Emperor Renzong
1036: Empress Yang, married to Emperor Zhenzong
1054: Empress Zhang, married to Emperor Renzong
1101: Empress Chen, mother of Emperor Huizong
1102: Empress Zhu, mother of Emperor Zhezong
1113: Empress Mingda, married to Emperor Huizong
1121: Empress Mingzhe, married to Emperor Huizong
1159: Empress Xianren, mother of Emperor Gaozong
1162: Empress Chengmu, married to Emperor Xiaozong
Yuan dynasty
Sorghaghtani Beki (Empress Xianyi Zhuangsheng), mother of Emperor Shizu
1300: Kökejin (Empress Huiren Yusheng), mother of Emperor Chengzong
1322: Dagi Khatun (Empress Zhaoxian Yuansheng), mother of Emperor Wuzong and Emperor Renzong
1329: Empress Wenxianzhaosheng, mother of Emperor Wenzong
1336: Mailaiti, mother of Emperor Huizong
Ming dynasty and Southern Ming dynasty
1368: Empress Yu, paternal grandmother of the Hongwu Emperor
1368: Empress Chun, mother of the Hongwu Emperor
1487: Empress Ji, mother of the Hongzhi Emperor
1504: Empress Xiaosu, mother of the Chenghua Emperor
1566: Empress Xiaoke, mother of the Longqing Emperor
1566: Empress Xiaoyizhuang, married to the Longqing Emperor
1614: Empress Xiaoding, mother of the Wanli Emperor
1620: Empress Xiaojing, mother of the Taichang Emperor
1644: Empress Xiaozhejian
1644: Empress Xiaoyi, mother of the Jingtai Emperor
1644: Empress Xiaoxu
Qing dynasty
1626: Empress Xiaoliewu, married to Nurhaci
1636: Empress Xiaocigao, mother of Hong Taiji
1660: Empress Xiaoxian, married to the Shunzhi Emperor
1663: Empress Xiaokangzhang, concubine of the Shunzhi Emperor and mother of the Kangxi Emperor
1688: Empress Xiaozhuangwen, mother of the Shunzhi Emperor and grandmother of the Kangxi Emperor
1723: Empress Xiaogongren, concubine of the Kangxi Emperor and mother of the Yongzheng Emperor
1777: Empress Xiaoshengxian, mother of the Qianlong Emperor
1796: Empress Xiaoyichun, concubine of the Qianlong Emperor and mother of the Jiaqing Emperor
1820: Empress Xiaomucheng, married to the Daoguang Emperor
1850: Empress Xiaodexian, married to the Xianfeng Emperor
1855: Empress Xiaojingcheng, concubine to the Daoguang Emperor and step-mother of the Xianfeng Emperor, the only Qing dynasty empress who was neither the previous emperor's empress consort nor the current emperor's mother
1908: Xingzhen, Empress Xiaoqinxian, married to Xianfeng Emperor, mother of Tongzhi Emperor