Empress Xie Fanjing was an empress 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...

 dynasty Liu Song. Her husband was the last emperor of the dynasty Emperor Shun

Emperor Shun of Liu Song

Emperor Shun of Liu Song , personal name Liu Zhun , courtesy name Zhongmou , nickname Zhiguan , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...

.

Xie Fanjing came from a noble family—her father Xie Yang (謝颺) was a mid-low level official in the imperial administration, but her grandfather Xie Zhuang (謝莊) was a highly-ranked, albeit not particularly powerful, official in the administrations of Emperor Xiaowu

Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song

Emperor Xiaowu of Liu Song , personal name Liu Jun , courtesy name Xiulong , nickname Daomin , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He was a son of Emperor Wen. After his older brother Liu Shao assassinated their father in 453 and took the throne, he rose in rebellion and overthrew Liu...

 and Emperor Ming

Emperor Ming of Liu Song

Emperor Ming of Liu Song , personal name Liu Yu , courtesy name Xiubing , nickname Rongqi , was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song...

, and was a descendant of Xie Wan (謝萬), the younger brother of the famed Jin

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...

 prime minister Xie An

Xie An

200px|right|thumb|Statue of xie anXie An , courtesy name Anshi , formally Duke Wenjing of Luling , was a Jin Dynasty statesman who, despite his lack of military ability, led Jin through a major crisis—attacks by Former Qin...

. (Xie Zhuang's father Xie Hongwei (謝弘微) was adopted into Xie An's line, and so could also be considered a descendant of Xie An.) She married Emperor Shun as his empress in 478, when he was 11 and effectively a puppet emperor under the general Xiao Daocheng

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi

Emperor Gao of Southern Qi , personal name Xiao Daocheng , courtesy name Shaobo , nickname Doujiang , was the founding emperor of the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi...

; her age at that time was not known. Emperor Shun was forced to yield the throne to Xiao in 479, ending Liu Song and starting Southern Qi

Southern Qi

The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...

. As Xiao created Emperor Shun the Prince of Ruyin, she carried the title of Princess of Ruyin. Later that year, Emperor Shun was killed by soldiers who were supposed to protect him, and Xiao followed by ordering the execution of the Liu clan. It appears probable that she survived the slaughter, as the slaughter targeted male members of the clan, although it is not known conclusively. It is also not known when she died, and there was no record of a posthumous name

Posthumous name

A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life...

 given to her. This resulted in her children's execution.
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