Empress Dugu (Northern Zhou)

Empress Dugu[1] or Queen Dugu (536?[2] – 14 May 558[3]), posthumously Empress Mingjing (明敬皇后), was the wife of the Emperor Ming (Yuwen Yu) of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China.

She was the eldest daughter of Dugu Xin, a major general under Yuwen Tai, Yuwen Yu's father and paramount general of Western Wei. It is not known when she married Yuwen Yu, although historical texts imply that it was after he became the Duke of Ningdu in 548.[4]

In 557, after Yuwen Tai's death, his cousin Yuwen Hu, the guardian of his younger brother and Yuwen Tai's heir, Yuwen Jue, forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue (Emperor Xiaomin), ending Western Wei and starting Northern Zhou.

A month later, Duchess Dugu's father Dugu Xin, then the Duke of Wei, was implicated in a plot to kill Yuwen Hu with another high-level official, Zhao Gui (趙貴), the Duke of Chu, even though he tried to stop Zhao. Zhao was executed, while Dugu Xin was relieved of his posts and subsequently forced to commit suicide.

Later that year, Emperor Xiaomin himself plotted against Yuwen Hu, and when Yuwen Hu discovered the plot, he deposed and killed Emperor Xiaomin and enthroned Yuwen Yu.

On 22 February 558, Emperor Ming created Duchess Dugu "Heavenly Queen".[5] About three months later, she died childless at the age of 22. Historian Bo Yang suspected she was murdered by Yuwen Hu, because her father also died at his hands, but had no solid evidence. She was buried with honors due to an empress, and when Emperor Ming himself died in 560, he was buried with her.

  1. ^ During her husband's reign, her title was "Heavenly Queen" since he used the alternative title "Heavenly King", but she was posthumously conferred the title of empress in 559 after her husband started using the imperial title.
  2. ^ Lady Dugu's age when she died was not recorded. However, she should be born before 544 as her younger sister Dugu Qieluo was born in that year.
  3. ^ According to Yuwen Yu's biography in Book of Zhou, Lady Dugu died on the jiaxu day of the 4th month of the 2nd year of his reign. This corresponds to 14 May 558 in the Julian calendar. ([二年夏四月]甲戌，王后独孤氏崩。) Zhou Shu, vol.04
  4. ^ (太保、卫国公信之长女。帝之在藩也，纳为夫人。) Zhou Shu, vol.09
  5. ^ According to Yuwen Yu's biography in Book of Zhou, Lady Dugu was made Heavenly Queen on the guichou day of the 1st month of the 2nd year of his reign. The date corresponds to 22 Feb 558 in the Julian calendar. ([二年春正月]癸丑，立王后独孤氏。) Zhou Shu, vol.04