Qin and Han · Consort

Grand Empress Dowager Wang 太皇太后王氏

Tài Huángtàihòu

Attested BC 7 - AD 1

Passages: 17
Chapters: 4
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Grand Empress Dowager Wang as a consort, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 17 passages from 4 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Grand Empress Dowager Wang	太皇太后王氏	Tài Huángtàihòu
Title	Dowager	太后
Title	Empress Dowager	皇太后	Huángtàihòu
Title	Empress Dowager	皇太后
Title	Empress Dowager	太后
Title	Empress Wang	王皇后	Wang Huanghou
Title	Empress Yuan	元后	Yuan hou
Title	Grand Empress Dowager	太皇太后	Tài Huángtàihòu
Title	Grand Empress Dowager	太皇太后
Title	Grand Empress Dowager	太皇太后	Taihuang taihou
Title	Grand Empress Dowager Wang	太皇太后王氏	Tàihuáng Tàihòu Wáng Shì

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Title only
Sex: Female

Sex: female
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0315, hanshu:091:s0177
Value: female
Strongly inferred · hanshu:012:s0028

Roles

Consort
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Death

Date Text: 八月丁丑
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0186

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 元始元年 · Western Year: AD 1
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0165
Source Date: Text: 建平元年 · Western Year: BC 6
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:012:s0068
Source Date: Text: 綏和二年四月 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit event contextual date · hanshu:012:s0027, hanshu:012:s0028

Family

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

Spouse of Emperor Yuan (孝元帝)
Kinship Term: Empress Wang / 王皇后 · Union Category: primary-marriage
Parent of Emperor Xiaocheng (孝成皇帝)
Parentage: biological
Parentage: biological

Career and standing

Title: Empress Dowager / 皇太后
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0315
Title: Grand Empress Dowager / 太皇太后
Explicit · hanshu:011:s0315

Events and relationships

Kind: political · Role: decision-maker · Action: authorized-restorations · Other Person Id: Wang Mang (王莽)
Explicit · hanshu:091:s0165, hanshu:091:s0194

Source notes

From: Empress Dowager / 皇太后 · To: Grand Empress Dowager / 太皇太后 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 綏和二年四月 · Western Year: BC 7
Explicit · hanshu:012:s0028

References in the histories

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

Book of Han, Chapter 11Volume 10: Annals of Emperor Cheng · 2 passages

尊皇太后曰太皇太后，皇后曰皇太后。 He honored the Empress Dowager with the title Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress with the title Empress Dowager.

八月丁丑，太皇太后王氏崩。 On dingchou day of the eighth month, Grand Empress Dowager Wang died.

Book of Han, Chapter 12Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai · 3 passages

尊皇太后曰太皇太后，皇后曰皇太后。 He elevated the Empress Dowager to Grand Empress Dowager, and the Empress to Empress Dowager.

太皇太后詔尊定陶恭王為恭皇。 By edict of the Grand Empress Dowager, King Gong of Dingtao was honored with the posthumous title Emperor Gong.

太皇太后詔外家王氏田非冢塋，皆以賦貧民。 By edict of the Grand Empress Dowager, all Wang family lands not used for ancestral tombs shall be distributed to the poor.

Book of Han, Chapter 91Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan · 4 passages

元始元年，王莽欲反哀帝政，白太皇太后，立雲太子開明為東平王，又立思王孫成都為中山王。 In Yuanshi 1, Wang Mang, undoing Ai’s policies, persuaded the grand empress dowager to make Yun’s heir Kai Ming king of Dongping and to enfeoff Chengdu, grandson of the Prince of Dongping, as king of Zhongshan.

王皇后生孝成帝，傅昭儀生定陶共王康，馮昭儀生中山孝王興。 Empress Wang gave birth to Emperor Cheng. Lady Fu the Brilliant Companion bore Prince Gong of Dingtao, Kang; Lady Feng the Brilliant Companion bore Prince Xiao of Zhongshan, Xing.

語在《元后》及《史丹傳》。 The story is told in the biographies of Empress Yuan and Shi Dan.

太皇太后以帝為成帝後，故立東平思王孫桃鄉頃侯子成都為中山王，奉孝王後。 The grand empress dowager, treating Ping as Cheng’s heir, enfeoffed Chengdu—son of Marquis Qing of Taoxiang and grandson of Prince Si of Dongping—as king of Zhongshan to carry on Xing’s line.

Book of Han, Chapter 117Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 · 8 passages

會許皇后廢，班婕妤供養東宮，進侍者李平為婕妤，而趙飛燕為皇后，伯遂稱篤。 After Empress Xu fell, Lady Ban withdrew to serve the Dowager in the eastern palace, a maid named Li Ping rose to an honored lady, and Zhao Feiyan took the empress's seal; Ban Bo promptly claimed serious illness.

後上朝東宮，太后泣曰：「帝間顏色瘦黑，班侍中本大將軍所舉，宜寵異之，益求其比，以輔聖德。 Later, when the emperor came to court at the Eastern Palace, the Empress Dowager wept and said, "The emperor's complexion has lately grown thin and dark. Palace Attendant Ban was first recommended by the Grand General; he should receive exceptional favor. Seek out more men like him, so they may support your sagely virtue.

後復徵入，太后與上書曰：「前所道尚未效，富平侯反復來，其能默虖？」 Later, when he was summoned back again, the Empress Dowager wrote to the emperor, saying, "What I spoke of before has still not taken effect, and now the Marquis of Fuping has come back again. How can I remain silent?"

每朝東宮，常從； Ban Bo routinely escorted the emperor to the Dowager's audiences;

上亦稍厭游宴，復修經書之業，太后甚悅。 Cheng slowly lost his taste for pleasure trips and turned again to classical study, which delighted the Dowager.

平帝即位，太后臨朝，莽秉政，方欲文致太平，使使者分行風俗，采頌聲，而穉無所上。 After Emperor Ping took the throne, the Dowager regent and Wang Mang in power sought to polish the age into Great Peace, dispatching envoys to survey local customs and collect praise songs, but Ban Zhi sent nothing up.

太后曰：「不宣德美，宜與言災害者異罰。 The Dowager said, "Failing to proclaim virtue deserves a different penalty from reporting disasters.

穉懼，上書陳恩謝罪，願歸相印，入補延陵園郎，太后許焉。 Ban Zhi, afraid, memorialized his gratitude and apology, asked to surrender the chancellor seal, and sought appointment as a gentleman of Yanling Park; the Dowager agreed.