Empress Dowager Zhenjian (貞簡太后)

Overview

The translated histories identify Empress Dowager Zhenjian as a consort and royal family member. This record brings together 15 passages from 5 chapters across 2 histories, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Empress Dowager Zhenjian	貞簡太后	Zhenjian Taihou
Title	empress dowager	太后
Title	Empress Dowager	太后
Title	Empress Dowager	太后	taihou
Temple name	Empress Dowager Zhenjian	貞簡太后
Personal	Empress Dowager Zhenjian	貞簡太后	Zhenjian taihou
Title	Empress Dowager Zhenjian	貞簡太后

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:050:s0105, jiuwudaishi:072:s0034, jiuwudaishi:143:s0100
Sex: female
Strongly inferred · jiuwudaishi:057:s0011, xinwudaishi:038:s0017

Roles

Consort
Royal Family Member

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 三年十一月 · Lunar Month: 11 · Western Year: AD 925
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:143:s0100
Source Date: Text: 莊宗嗣位後 · Western Year: AD 908
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:050:s0105
Source Date: Text: 貞簡太后…在晉陽 · Western Interval: Start: AD 908 · End: AD 923
Explicit event contextual date · xinwudaishi:038:s0017, xinwudaishi:038:s0028
Source Date: Text: 貞簡太后…晉陽宮 · Western Interval: Start: AD 908 · End: AD 922
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:072:s0034
Source Date: Text: 貞簡太后 · Western Year: AD 917
Explicit event contextual date · jiuwudaishi:057:s0011, jiuwudaishi:057:s0008

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Parent of Emperor Zhuangzong of Later Tang (後唐莊宗)
Kinship Term: empress dowager / 太后 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: mother
Kinship Term: empress dowager / mother / 太后 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Kinship Term: empress dowager / 太后 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Spouse of Prince of Jin (晉王)
Kinship Term: empress dowager / 太后 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Relationship State: widowed

Events and relationships

Kind: ritual · Role: mourner · Action: mourned · Other Person Id: Zhang Chengye (張承業) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 十九年十一月 · Western Year: AD 922
Explicit · jiuwudaishi:072:s0080

References in the histories

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

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 50Volume 50 Book of Later Tang 26: Biographies 2: Imperial Family · 1 passage

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敬鎔告貞簡太后曰：「存顥與管內太保陰圖叛亂，俟嗣王過其第即擒之，並太后子母，欲送於汴州。 Jingrong told Empress Dowager Zhenjian, "Cunhao and the circuit grand guardian are secretly plotting rebellion. They mean to seize the heir when he passes their residence, and send you and your son to Bianzhou as well.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 57Volume 57 Book of Later Tang 33: Biographies 9: Gao Chongtao · 1 passage

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知祥懼，求為外任，妻矞華公主泣請於貞簡太后。 Meng Zhixiang grew fearful and petitioned for a provincial assignment; his wife, Princess Yuhua, tearfully appealed to Empress Dowager Zhenjian.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 72Volume 72 Book of Later Tang 48: Biographies 24: Zhang Chengye, Zhang Juhan, Ma Shaohong, Meng Hangqiong · 7 passages

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時貞簡太后，韓德妃、伊淑妃、諸宅王之貴，洎王之介弟在晉陽宮，或不以其道幹於承業，悉不聽，逾法禁者必懲，由是貴戚斂手，民俗丕變。 At that time the Empress Dowager Zhenjian, the consorts Han Defei and Yi Shufei, the household princes, and the king's younger brothers at the Jinyang palace — some tried to influence Chengye by improper means, but he refused them all and punished anyone who broke the law. The imperial kin held back, and popular customs changed greatly.

莊宗歲時還晉陽宮省太后，須錢蒱博、給伶官，嘗置酒於泉府，莊宗酣飲，命興聖宮使李繼岌為承業起舞，既竟，承業出寶帶幣馬奉之。 Each year when Zhuangzong returned to the Jinyang palace to visit the empress dowager, he needed money for gambling and to pay the entertainers. Once he held a feast at the treasury. Zhuangzong drank heavily and ordered Li Jiya, commissioner of the Xingsheng Palace, to dance for Chengye. When the dance was done, Chengye presented a precious belt, coins, and a horse as gifts.

太后聞莊宗酒失，急召入。 The empress dowager, hearing of Zhuangzong's drunken outburst, urgently summoned him.

莊宗性至孝，聞太后召，叩頭謝阿業曰：「吾杯酒之間，忤於七哥，太后必怪吾。 Zhuangzong was deeply filial. Hearing the empress dowager's summons, he kowtowed and apologized to Aye: "Over a few cups of wine I offended Seventh Elder Brother — the empress dowager is sure to blame me.

莊宗歸宮，太后使人謂承業曰：「小兒忤特進，已笞矣，可歸第。」 When Zhuangzong returned to the palace, the empress dowager sent word to Chengye: "The boy offended the Special Advancement and has already been flogged. You may go home."

翌日，太后與莊宗俱幸其第，慰勞之。 The next day the empress dowager and Zhuangzong both visited his home to comfort him.

貞簡太后聞喪，遽至其第盡哀，為之行服，如兒侄禮。 Empress Dowager Zhenjian, hearing of his death, hurried to his residence to mourn fully, donned mourning garments, and observed the rites as a son or nephew would.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 143Volume 143: Treatises 5 Rites 2 · 1 passage

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伏請自貞簡太后升祔禮畢，應宗廟伎樂及群祀，並準舊施行。」 We respectfully request that from the completion of the enshrinement rites for Empress Dowager Zhenjian, temple music and all group sacrifices should follow the old practice."

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 38Volume 38 Biographies 18: Zhang Chengye, Zhang Juhan · 5 passages