Empress Yu Daolian
Encyclopedia
Empress Yu Daolian (died 366), formally Empress Xiao (孝皇后, literally "the filial empress"), was an empress of Jin Dynasty (265-420)
. Her husband was Emperor Fei of Jin
.
Yu Daolian was the daughter of Yu Bing (庾冰), one of the co-prime ministers during the reigns of Emperor Cheng
and Emperor Kang
-- both his nephews and sons of his sister Empress Yu Wenjun
, making her an aunt to her husband, who was Empress Yu Wenjun's grandson. Little is known about her. She was already Emperor Fei's wife when he was Prince of Donghai during the reign of his cousin Emperor Mu
, and she then carried the title of Princess of Donghai. Presumably, after he was given the greater title of Prince of Langye after his brother Emperor Ai
became emperor in 361, she carried the title of Princess of Langye, but there was no record of her using that title. After her husband became emperor in 365 after his brother's death, he created her empress. She died a year later in 366, without having had any children, and was given the posthumous name
Empress Xiao and buried with honors due an empress. (The reason why her posthumous name was one character rather than two, as was customary for empresses of the period, was that typically one character came from her husband's posthumous name, but her husband, who was later deposed, did not have a posthumoust name and therefore had no character to add to her posthumous name.)
Emperor Fei was deposed by the powerful general Huan Wen
in 371. After he was then demoted to the title of Duke of Haixi, Empress Yu was also posthumously demoted to the title of Duchess of Haixi. After he died in 386, she was disinterred and reburied with her husband at his place of exile, Wu (吳縣, in modern Suzhou
, Jiangsu
).
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...
. Her husband was Emperor Fei of Jin
Emperor Fei of Jin
Emperor Fei of Jin , personal name Sima Yi , courtesy name Yanling , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty in China. He was the younger brother of Emperor Ai and later deposed by military leader Huan Wen...
.
Yu Daolian was the daughter of Yu Bing (庾冰), one of the co-prime ministers during the reigns of Emperor Cheng
Emperor Cheng of Jin
Emperor Cheng of Jin , personal name Sima Yan , courtesy name Shigen , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . He was the eldest son of Emperor Ming and became the crown prince on April 1, 325...
and Emperor Kang
Emperor Kang of Jin
Emperor Kang of Jin , personal name Sima Yue , courtesy name Shitong , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . He was a son of Emperor Ming and younger brother of Emperor Cheng...
-- both his nephews and sons of his sister Empress Yu Wenjun
Empress Yu Wenjun
Empress Yu Wenjun , formally Empress Mingmu was an empress of Jin Dynasty...
, making her an aunt to her husband, who was Empress Yu Wenjun's grandson. Little is known about her. She was already Emperor Fei's wife when he was Prince of Donghai during the reign of his cousin Emperor Mu
Emperor Mu of Jin
Emperor Mu of Jin , personal name Sima Dan , courtesy name Pengzi , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
, and she then carried the title of Princess of Donghai. Presumably, after he was given the greater title of Prince of Langye after his brother Emperor Ai
Emperor Ai of Jin
Emperor Ai of Jin , personal name Sima Pi , courtesy name Qianling , was an emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty . During his brief reign, the actual powers were largely in the hands of his granduncle Sima Yu the Prince of Kuaiji, and the paramount general Huan Wen...
became emperor in 361, she carried the title of Princess of Langye, but there was no record of her using that title. After her husband became emperor in 365 after his brother's death, he created her empress. She died a year later in 366, without having had any children, and was given the 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...
Empress Xiao and buried with honors due an empress. (The reason why her posthumous name was one character rather than two, as was customary for empresses of the period, was that typically one character came from her husband's posthumous name, but her husband, who was later deposed, did not have a posthumoust name and therefore had no character to add to her posthumous name.)
Emperor Fei was deposed by the powerful general Huan Wen
Huan Wen
Huan Wen , courtesy name Yuanzi , formally Duke Xuanwu of Nan Commandery , was a general of the Jin Dynasty...
in 371. After he was then demoted to the title of Duke of Haixi, Empress Yu was also posthumously demoted to the title of Duchess of Haixi. After he died in 386, she was disinterred and reburied with her husband at his place of exile, Wu (吳縣, in modern Suzhou
Suzhou
Suzhou , previously transliterated as Su-chou, Suchow, and Soochow, is a major city located in the southeast of Jiangsu Province in Eastern China, located adjacent to Shanghai Municipality. The city is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores of Taihu Lake and is a part...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
).