Lady Zhang (Yin)
Encyclopedia
Lady Zhang (born 386) was the wife of Lü Shao
(Prince Yin), who briefly reigned (less than a month) as emperor
of the Chinese
/Di
state Later Liang
.
Very little is known about her, but she was described as virtuous. Her age is known at the time of her husband's death (around the new year 400, when he was described as less than 20 years old and she was 13) by suicide, as he was threatened by the troops of his brother Lü Zuan
(Emperor Ling), who overthrew him and took over as emperor. After Lü Shao's death, she became a Buddhist nun. Later, either during Lü Zuan's reign or the succeeding reign of his cousin Lü Long
, Lü Long wanted to take her as a wife or a concubine; she refused, and committed suicide by jumping off a tower.
It was possible, but unlikely, that Lü Shao created her empress during his brief reign, because there was no historical reference to the event.
Lü Shao
Lü Shao , courtesy name Yongye , formally Prince Yin of Liang , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Later Liang. He was a son of the founding emperor Lü Guang , but not his oldest son...
(Prince Yin), who briefly reigned (less than a month) as emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
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...
/Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
state Later Liang
Later Liang
The Later Liang was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Lü family of the Di ethnicity.All rulers of the Later Liang proclaimed themselves "Heavenly Prince" ....
.
Very little is known about her, but she was described as virtuous. Her age is known at the time of her husband's death (around the new year 400, when he was described as less than 20 years old and she was 13) by suicide, as he was threatened by the troops of his brother Lü Zuan
Lü Zuan
Lü Zuan , courtesy name Yongxu , formally Emperor Ling of Liang , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Later Liang. He was the oldest son of the founding emperor Lü Guang , but was not Lü Guang's rightful heir, as he was not born of Lü Guang's wife Princess Shi...
(Emperor Ling), who overthrew him and took over as emperor. After Lü Shao's death, she became a Buddhist nun. Later, either during Lü Zuan's reign or the succeeding reign of his cousin Lü Long
Lü Long
Lü Long , courtesy name Yongji , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Di state Later Liang. He was the nephew of the founding emperor Lü Guang , and he took the throne after his brother Lü Chao assassinated the emperor Lü Zuan in 401 and offered the throne to him...
, Lü Long wanted to take her as a wife or a concubine; she refused, and committed suicide by jumping off a tower.
It was possible, but unlikely, that Lü Shao created her empress during his brief reign, because there was no historical reference to the event.