Five Dynasties · Consort

Empress Liu 劉皇后

Liu Huanghou

Attested AD 926

Passages: 6
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Empress Liu was a consort.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 926 劉皇后涕泣請保全繼岌
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passages 210, 214

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Zhuangzong (莊宗)
empress 皇后 · Primary marriage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passages 210, 213
Parent of Jiji (繼岌)
mother 母
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passages 210, 214

Places and affiliations

Polity Later Tang 後唐 · Relation Consort of ruler
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 210

Events and relationships

Begged to preserve
Political · Petitioner · With Jiji (繼岌)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 210
Wrote secret order to kill
Political · Issuer · With Chongtao (崇韜)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 214

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 14, passage 210

References in the histories

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 14Volume 14: Taizu of Later Tang's Family · 6 passages

劉皇后涕泣請保全繼岌，莊宗遣宦官馬彥珪往視崇韜去就。 The empress wept for Jiji; Zhuangzong sent Ma Yan’gui to watch Chongtao.

而彥珪將行，見劉皇后曰：「臣見延嗣言蜀中事勢已不可，禍機之作，間不容發，安能三千里往復廩命乎！」 Yan’gui told the empress: “Shu is lost—disaster is instant—no time for orders from home!”

劉皇后以彥珪語告莊宗，莊宗曰：「傳言未審，豈可便令果決？」 She told Zhuangzong; he said: “The rumor is unverified—how can we decide at once?”

皇后不得請，因自為教與繼岌，使殺崇韜。 She wrote her own order to Jiji to kill Chongtao.

彥珪至蜀，出皇后教示繼岌，繼岌曰：「今大軍將發，未有釁端，豈可作此負心事！」 Yan’gui showed the order; Jiji said: “We are marching—how can we murder our marshal!”

繼岌曰：「上無詔書，徒以皇后手教，安能殺招討使？」 Jiji said: “There is no imperial edict—only her note.”