| Empress Zhangxian Mingsu 章獻明肅皇后 | |
|---|---|
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| Regent of the Song dynasty | |
| Regency | 1020 – 1033 |
| Monarchs | |
| Empress dowager of the Song dynasty | |
| Tenure | 1022 – 1033 |
| Empress consort of the Song dynasty | |
| Tenure | 1012 – 1022 |
| Born | 969 probably Jiaozhou, Song Empire (modern Leshan, Sichuan, China) |
| Died | 1033 (aged 63–64) Kaifeng, Song Empire (modern Kaifeng, Henan, China) |
| Burial | Yongding Mausoleum (永定陵) |
| Spouse | Gong Mei Emperor Zhenzong of Song |
| Father | Liu Tong (劉通) |
| Mother | Lady Pang (龐) |
Empress Zhangxian Mingsu (希章獻明肅皇后, translated as "The orderly, worthy, wise and solemn empress"), more commonly known as Empress Liu (劉皇后), was an empress of the Song dynasty, married to the Emperor Zhenzong in 1012 and quickly gained the emperor's trust to discuss government matters. She ruled unofficially as the regent of China during the illness of Emperor Zhenzong from 1020 until 1022, and then officially as regent during the minority of Emperor Renzong from 1022 until her own death on 30 April 1033.[1] As a regent, she commanded in her own name, not the name of the young emperor; she became the second woman in Chinese history to wear the imperial robe, after Wu Zetian, the only empress regnant in Chinese history. In a 2001 study, John Chaffee argued that Empress Liu's rise from an humble entertainer to a de facto ruler was a great success story in China's history, and that she made regency a "safe option" at times when "normal imperial rule was impossible."[2]