Empress Dowager Wenming (文明太后)

Overview

The translated histories identify Empress Dowager Wenming as a consort, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 8 passages from 6 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后	Wénmíng tàihòu
Title	Empress Dowager	太后	tàihòu
Title	Empress Dowager	太后
Title	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后	Wénmíng tàihòu
Title	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后	Wenming taihou
Title	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后
Title	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后	Wenming Taihou
Title	Empress Dowager Wenming	文明太后	Wénmíng Tàihòu
Title	Grand Empress Dowager	太皇太后	Taihuang taihou

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Title only
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · weishu:024:s0134, weishu:027:s0009, weishu:092:s0057, weishu:093:s0056, weishu:098:s0139
Sex: female
Strongly inferred · weishu:039:s0121

Roles

Consort
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 太和九年前 · Western Year: AD 485
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:039:s0121
Source Date: Text: 恂幼年 · Western Interval: Start: AD 489 · End: AD 493
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:027:s0009, weishu:027:s0010
Source Date: Text: 文明太后 · Western Interval: Start: AD 471 · End: AD 490
Explicit · weishu:092:s0057
Source Date: Text: 文明太后 · Western Interval: Start: AD 476 · End: AD 490
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:024:s0134
Source Date: Text: 顯祖崩 · Western Year: AD 471
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:093:s0045
Source Date: Text: 魏世 · Western Interval: Start: AD 386 · End: AD 534
Explicit event contextual date · weishu:098:s0139

Family

Kin of Yuan Xun (元恂)
Kinship Term: reared / 撫視 · Subject Role: empress-dowager · Object Role: ward

Events and relationships

Kind: domestic · Role: donor · Action: bestowed-wife · Other Person Id: Jian (簡)
Explicit · weishu:024:s0139
Kind: judgment · Role: sovereign · Action: judged-Sun-Yide-filial · Other Person Id: Sun Yide (孫益德)
Explicit · weishu:092:s0057
Kind: ritual · Role: honoree · Action: received-court · Other Person Id: Emperor Xiaowen (孝文皇帝)
Explicit · weishu:024:s0134
Kind: social · Role: visitor · Action: visited-mansion · Other Person Id: Chen Jian (陳建)
Explicit · weishu:039:s0121

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Wei, Chapter 24Volume 20: Emperor Wencheng's Five Princes · 2 passages

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高祖嘗與簡俱朝文明太后於皇信堂，簡居帝之右，行家人禮。 Gaozu once paid court to Empress Dowager Wenming with Jian at Huangxin Hall. Jian sat to the emperor's right, and they observed family rites.

妻常氏，燕郡公常喜女也，文明太后以賜簡。 His wife, Lady Chang, was a daughter of Chang Xi, Duke of Yan Commandery, and Empress Dowager Wenming gave her to Jian.

Book of Wei, Chapter 27Volume 22: Emperor Xiaowen's Five Princes · 2 passages

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生而母死，文明太后撫視之，常置左右。 His mother died when he was born; Empress Dowager Wenming reared him and kept him constantly at her side.

年四歲，太皇太后親為立名恂，字元道，於是大赦。 When he was four the Grand Empress Dowager herself named him Xun, styled Yuandao, and a general amnesty was declared.

Book of Wei, Chapter 39Volume 34: Wang Luo Er, Che Lutou, Lu Luyuan, Chen Jian, Wan Anguo · 1 passage

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高祖與文明太后頻幸建第，賜建妻宴於後庭。 Emperor Xiaowen and Empress Dowager Wenming often visited Jian's mansion, and the empress dowager granted banquets for Jian's wife in the rear palace.

Book of Wei, Chapter 92Volume 86: Filial Piety: Zhao Yan, Zhang Sunlu, Qifu Bao, Sun Yide, Dong Luosheng, Yang Yin · 1 passage

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高祖、文明太后以其幼而孝決。 Emperor Gaozu and Empress Dowager Wenming judged him filial though young.

Book of Wei, Chapter 93Volume 87: Morality and Righteousness: Yu Shenmen, Duan Jin, Shi Wende, Ji Gu, Wang Xuanwei, Lou Ti, Liu Kehou · 1 passage

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文明太后詔賜帛二百匹。 Empress Dowager Wenming issued an edict granting him two hundred bolts of silk.

Book of Wei, Chapter 98Volume 92: Notable Women: Cui Lan's Consort Feng, Feng Zhuo's Consort Liu, Wei Pu's Consort Fang, Hu Changming's Consort Zhang · 1 passage

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及承祖為文明太后所寵貴，親姻皆求利潤，唯楊獨不欲。 When Chengzu won favor and rank from Empress Dowager Wenming, all his kin by marriage sought profit—only Yang refused.