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| Empress Gongsheng 恭聖仁烈皇后 | |||||
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| Empress consort of the Southern Song dynasty | |||||
| Tenure | 29 December 1202 – 17 September 1224 (22 years) | ||||
| Predecessor | Empress Gongshu | ||||
| Successor | Empress Xie Daoqing | ||||
| Empress dowager and regent of the Southern Song dynasty | |||||
| Regency | 17 September 1224 – 18 January 1233 (8 years) | ||||
| Born | 30 June 1162 Kuaiji, Zhejiang, China | ||||
| Died | 18 January 1233 (aged 71) Ciming Palace Lin'an, Zhejiang, China | ||||
| Burial | Yongmaoling (永茂陵) mausoleum Shaoxing, Zhejiang | ||||
| Spouse | Emperor Ningzong | ||||
| Issue | Zhao Zeng (biological) Zhao Jiong (biological) Zhao Xun (adopted) Zhao Hong (adopted) Zhao Yun (adopted) | ||||
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| Father | Unknown | ||||
| Mother | Zhang Shansheng Yang Cairen | ||||
Empress Yang (30 June 1162 – 18 January 1233), formally titled Empress Gongsheng, was a Chinese empress consort whose political acumen allowed her to become de facto empress regnant for a period of 30 years.[1] Also known by the name Yang Meizi, she is considered "one of the most powerful empresses of the Song dynasty and...[possibly] the Southern Song dynasty's most powerful Empress."[2]
Yang is generally asserted to have been intelligent, ruthless and, at times, malicious, while outwardly maintaining a saintly and liberal image. She was the second Song empress after Empress Dowager Liu to come from a humble background, and, like Liu, was an astute wielder of power both at court and in the palace. Her later claim to be from a distinguished military family is believed by modern historians to be a fabrication for political reasons..[2]
Recent historiography uncovered a connection between Empress Yang and an artist named Yang Meizi, who were believed for centuries to have been two different people. This discovery has led to the reappraisal of previous narratives involving both names. Yang Meizi, hitherto dismissed as concerned chiefly with romance and beauty, was granted a dimension of leadership and political acumen. Empress Yang, already respected, gained an aspect of humanity which was formerly foreign to her image.[2]
- ^ Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Wiles, Sue (28 January 2015). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618-1644. Taylor & Francis. pp. 789–790. ISBN 978-1-317-51561-6.
- ^ a b c Lee, Hui-shu (2010). Empresses, art, & agency in Song dynasty China. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-98963-1. OCLC 435628931.