Empress Huyan (Zhaowu)
Encyclopedia
Empress Huyan (died 312), formally Empress Wuyuan (武元皇后, literally "the martial and discerning empress") was an empress of the Chinese
/Xiongnu
state Han Zhao
. She was Liu Cong (Emperor Zhaowu)'s first wife.
Her clan, the Huyans, were probably a noble clan of Xiongnu, as a large number of Han Zhao officials were named Huyan. She was created empress in 310 after Liu Cong seized the throne from his brother Liu He
(after Liu He had tried to have him and the other brothers killed and successfully killed two). She was the cousin of the first empress
of Liu Cong's father Liu Yuan
. She bore Liu Cong at least one son -- Liu Can
, whom Liu Cong created the Prince of He'nei and commissioned as a major general. However, he did not create Liu Can crown prince
because he had promised to make Liu Ai (劉乂), son of Liu Yuan's second wife Empress Dan
, who had yielded the throne to him after Liu He's death, crown prince. (He also had an affair with Liu Ai's mother Empress Dan, and this affair was part of the reason.)
When Empress Dowager Dan died in 310, Empress Huyan began to try to secure the crown prince position for her son, telling him, "You inherited the throne from your father. What does the Crown Prince have to do with it? After you die, Liu Can and his brothers will not even get to live." Liu Cong did not follow her suggestion at this point, but the seeds were sown, and eventually in 317, long after her death, he would depose Crown Prince Ai and make Liu Can crown prince.
Empress Huyan died in 312 and was given a posthumous name, appropriate for an empress.
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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...
/Xiongnu
Xiongnu
The Xiongnu were ancient nomadic-based people that formed a state or confederation north of the agriculture-based empire of the Han Dynasty. Most of the information on the Xiongnu comes from Chinese sources...
state Han Zhao
Han Zhao
The Han Zhao , or Former Zhao, or Northern Han , was a Southern Xiongnu state during Sixteen Kingdoms period coeval with the Chinese Jin Dynasty...
. She was Liu Cong (Emperor Zhaowu)'s first wife.
Her clan, the Huyans, were probably a noble clan of Xiongnu, as a large number of Han Zhao officials were named Huyan. She was created empress in 310 after Liu Cong seized the throne from his brother Liu He
Liu He
Liu He , courtesy name Xuantai , was for seven days an emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao in 310.-Biography:...
(after Liu He had tried to have him and the other brothers killed and successfully killed two). She was the cousin of the first empress
Empress Huyan (Guangwen)
Empress Huyan was an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. She was the founding emperor Liu Yuan 's first wife....
of Liu Cong's father Liu Yuan
Liu Yuan (Han Zhao)
Liu Yuan , courtesy name Yuanhai , formally Emperor Guangwen of Han was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao.-Family background:...
. She bore Liu Cong at least one son -- Liu Can
Liu Can
Liu Can , courtesy name Shiguang , Posthumous name Emperor Yin of Han , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao, who reigned briefly in 318 before being killed by his trusted father-in-law Jin Zhun.-As Prince of He'nei and then Prince of Jin:Liu Can was Liu Cong's son by his first...
, whom Liu Cong created the Prince of He'nei and commissioned as a major general. However, he did not create Liu Can 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....
because he had promised to make Liu Ai (劉乂), son of Liu Yuan's second wife Empress Dan
Empress Dan
Empress Dan was an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. She was the founding emperor Liu Yuan 's second wife....
, who had yielded the throne to him after Liu He's death, crown prince. (He also had an affair with Liu Ai's mother Empress Dan, and this affair was part of the reason.)
When Empress Dowager Dan died in 310, Empress Huyan began to try to secure the crown prince position for her son, telling him, "You inherited the throne from your father. What does the Crown Prince have to do with it? After you die, Liu Can and his brothers will not even get to live." Liu Cong did not follow her suggestion at this point, but the seeds were sown, and eventually in 317, long after her death, he would depose Crown Prince Ai and make Liu Can crown prince.
Empress Huyan died in 312 and was given a posthumous name, appropriate for an empress.
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