Wang Zhengjun (王政君)

Overview

Wang Zhengjun was a Western Han empress and regent, wife of Emperor Yuan and mother of Emperor Cheng.

Life and dates

Birth

BC 71 historical identification
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passages 180, 226

Death

AD 13 historical identification
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passages 180, 226
八月丁丑
Directly stated · Book of Han 11, passage 186

Attested activity

BC 71 to AD 13 元后
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 180
AD 1 元始元年
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 165
BC 6 建平元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passage 68
BC 71 to AD 13 皇太后
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 226
BC 7 綏和二年四月
Dated from the passage context · Book of Han 12, passages 27-28

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Emperor Yuan (孝元帝)
Empress Wang 王皇后 · Primary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passage 177
Child of Wang Jin (王禁)
father
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passages 81-82
Sibling of Wang Feng (王鳳)
maternal uncle of the emperor 帝舅 · Full siblings
Strongly inferred · Book of Han 70, passage 81
Parent of Emperor Cheng of Han (漢成帝)
mother 帝舅
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Han 91, passage 177; Book of Han 70, passage 81
Sibling of Sima Junli (司馬君力)
younger sister 女弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · Book of Han 70, passage 98

Key source chapters

Book of Han, Chapter 117 Volume 100a: Afterword and Family History 1 8 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 70 Volume 60: Du Zhou 5 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 91 Volume 80: The Six Sons of Emperors Xuan and Yuan 4 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 12 Volume 11: Annals of Emperor Ai 3 passages
Book of Han, Chapter 11 Volume 10: Annals of Emperor Cheng 2 passages

Career and standing

Empress Dowager 皇太后
Directly stated · Book of Han 11, passage 315
Grand Empress Dowager 太皇太后
Directly stated · Book of Han 11, passage 315

Events and relationships

Authorized restorations
Political · Decision maker · With Wang Mang (王莽)
Directly stated · Book of Han 91, passages 165, 194

Source notes

BC 7 綏和二年四月
From Empress Dowager 皇太后 · To Grand Empress Dowager 太皇太后
Directly stated · Book of Han 12, passage 28

References in the histories

Search passages

History

22 passages

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

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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

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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 70Volume 60: Du Zhou · 5 passages

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自上為太子時，以好色聞，及即位，皇太后詔采良家女。 From the time he was crown prince he was known for love of women. When he took the throne the empress dowager ordered the selection of maidens from reputable families.

鳳白之太后，太后以為故事無有。 When Feng laid the memorial before the empress dowager, she replied that no precedent existed for what he proposed.

會皇太后女弟司馬君力與欽兄子私通，事上聞，欽慚懼，乞骸骨去。 Then it came out that the empress dowager's younger sister Sima Junli had carried on an affair with Qin's nephew. Qin, mortified and terrified, resigned his post.

太后涕泣為不食。 The empress dowager wept and refused her meals for his sake.

語在《元后傳》。 The full story is told in the biography of Empress Yuan.

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

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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

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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.