The consort kin or outer kins () were the kin or a group of people related to an

empress dowager Empress dowager (also dowager empress or empress mother; ) is the English language translation of the title given to the mother or widow of a monarch, especially in regards to Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Vietnamese monarchs in the Chines ...

or a

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

of a monarch or a

warlord Warlords are individuals who exercise military, Economy, economic, and Politics, political control over a region, often one State collapse, without a strong central or national government, typically through informal control over Militia, local ...

in the

Sinosphere The Sinosphere, also known as the Chinese cultural sphere, East Asian cultural sphere, or the Sinic world, encompasses multiple countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia that were historically heavily influenced by Chinese culture. The Sinosph ...

. The leading figure of the clan was either a (usually male)

sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...

cousin A cousin is a relative who is the child of a parent's sibling; this is more specifically referred to as a first cousin. A parent of a first cousin is an aunt or uncle. More generally, in the kinship system used in the English-speaking world, ...

, or

parent A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are First-degree relative, first-degree relatives and have ...

of the empress dowager or consort. While Consort kins can be seen as a manifestation of

nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...

in Sinospheric imperial politics, it is a moot point in a system of where most political positions were inherited via male primogeniture. Majority of the criticism lobbied against consort kins comes from the Confucians gentry class, who were often their political rival. In certain periods of Chinese political history, i.e. Reign of Emperor Wu of Western Jin Dynasty, consort kins were empowered by emperors to create political balance or to garner support for policies or actions unpopular among the Confucian elites. In other cases, emperors at the beginning of their reign, often relied on their consort kins to hold onto power, because they lack of the political network a more established ruler may have. The perception of their outsized role in dynastic decline may be due to a bias in official imperial historical text, mostly written by members of the Confucian gentry class. They considered the political involvement of consort kins(and eunuchs) a disruption/corruption of the proper order, while downplaying their own negative contribution. For example, Fan Ye's Book of the Later Han focuses primarily on court corruption and eunuchs, leaving out social political stagnation caused by the Confucian gentry class as a major factor in the fall of Eastern Han.

Historical examples

China

Zhou dynasty

*The Marquess of Shen – father of the queen of

King You of Zhou King You of Zhou (795–771 BC), personal name Ji Gongsheng, was a king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty and the last from the Western Zhou dynasty. He reigned from 781 to 771 BC. History In 780 BC, a major earthquake struck Guanzhong. A soothsayer n ...

, whose participation in a succession struggle after the king's attempt to depose his grandson in favor of consort Bao Si's son Bofu led to the fall of the

Western Zhou The Western Zhou ( zh, c=西周, p=Xīzhōu; 771 BC) was a period of Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended in 77 ...

and beginning of the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

Han dynasty

* Lü Clan – relatives of the Empress Lü Zhi, consort of

Emperor Gaozu of Han Emperor Gaozu of Han (2561 June 195 BC), also known by his given name Liu Bang, was the founder and first emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 202 to 195 BC. He is considered by traditional Chinese historiography to be one o ...

Wei Qing Wei Qing (died Jun 106 BC?In Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Han'' and volume 21 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'', the record of Wei Qing's death appeared after the 4th month of the 5th year of the ''Yuan'feng'' era. Thus, it is likely (but not certai ...

– a younger paternal half-brother of the Empress Wei Zifu, consort of

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), born Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi ...

, one of the major military leaders of wars against the Xiongnu * Huo Qubing – a nephew of Wei Qing and Wei Zifu, also an important general in the war between Han China and Xiongnu. *

Huo Guang Huo Guang (; died 21 April 68 BC), courtesy name Zimeng (子孟), posthumous name Marquess Xuancheng of Bolu (博陸宣成侯), was a Chinese politician and imperial regent who served as the dominant state official of the Han dynasty#Western Ha ...

– a younger paternal half-brother of Huo Qubing, whose granddaughter became the empress of

Emperor Zhao of Han Emperor Zhao of Han (; 94 – 5 June 74 BC),''guiwei'' day of the 4th month of the 1st year of the ''Yuan'ping'' era, per Emperor Zhao's biography in ''Book of Han'' born Liu Fuling (劉弗陵), was the eighth emperor of the Han dynasty from 87 ...

, and

daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...

became an empress of

Emperor Xuan of Han Emperor Xuan of Han (; 91 BC – 10 January 48 BC), born Liu Bingyi (劉病已), was the tenth emperor of the Han dynasty, reigning from 74 to 48 BC, and was one of the only four Western Han emperors to receive a temple name (along with Empero ...

. He played an extremely important political role in the eras of Emperor Zhao and Emperor Xuan, sometimes overshadowing the power of the emperors. * Shangguan Jie – Paternal grandfather of Emperor Zhao's wife (Huo Guang was the maternal grandfather). He was involved in a power struggle with Huo Guang, and killed in 80 after being accused of plotting a rebellion. *

Wang Mang Wang Mang (45 BCE6 October 23 CE), courtesy name Jujun, officially known as the Shijianguo Emperor (), was the founder and the only emperor of the short-lived Chinese Xin dynasty. He was originally an official and consort kin of the ...

– nephew of Empress Dowager Wang, cousin of

Emperor Cheng of Han Emperor Cheng of Han, personal name Liu Ao (劉驁; 51 BC – 17 April 7 BC), was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty ruling from 33 until 7 BC. He succeeded his father, Emperor Yuan. Under Emperor Cheng, the Han dynasty continued its growing ...

and dynastic usurper. *

Ma Yuan Ma Yuan may refer to: * Ma Yuan (Han dynasty) (馬援; 14 BC – 49 AD), general of the Han dynasty * Ma Yuan (painter) (馬遠; 1160–1225), painter of the Song dynasty * Ma Yuan (judge) (:zh:馬原 (政治人物), 馬原; born 1930), a former V ...

– father of Empress Ma, consort of

Emperor Ming of Han Emperor Ming of Han (15June 28 – 5September 75 AD), born and also known as and as , was the second Emperor of the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty. He was the fourth son and second crown prince of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Empero ...

, a major general of

Emperor Guangwu of Han Emperor Guangwu of Han (; 15 January 5 BC29 March AD 57), born Liu Xiu (), courtesy name Wenshu (), was a Chinese monarch. He served as an emperor of the Han dynasty by restoring the dynasty in AD 25, thus founding the Eastern Han dynasty. He ...

who led the expedition to

Jiaozhi Jiaozhi (standard Chinese, pinyin: ''Jiāozhǐ''), or , was a historical region ruled by various Chinese dynasties, corresponding to present-day northern Vietnam. The kingdom of Nanyue (204–111 BC) set up the Jiaozhi Commandery (; , ch� ...

(today's northern Vietnam). However, Ma Yuan had passed away before Emperor Ming ascended the throne. * Dou Xian – brother of Empress Dowager Dou and brother-in-law of

Emperor Zhang of Han Emperor Zhang of Han (; 56 – 9 April 88''renchen'' day of the 2nd month of the 2nd year of the ''Zhang'he'' era, per Emperor Zhang's biography in ''Book of the Later Han''. The biography also indicate that he was 33 (by East Asian reckoning) ...

. *

Liang Ji Liang Ji (梁冀) (died 9 September 159), courtesy name Bozhuo (伯卓), was a Chinese military general and politician. As a powerful consort kin, he dominated government in the 150s together with his younger sister, Empress Liang Na. After hi ...

– brother of Empress Dowager Liang and Empress Liang, deposed two emperors and later killed in a coup d'etat plotted by eunuchs against him. *

Dou Wu Dou Wu (; died 25 October 168), courtesy name Youping (), was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Eastern Han dynasty. He was known as a Confucian scholar and served as a low-level official during the reign of Emperor Huan until his ...

– father of Empress Dowager Dou Miao and killed in his abortive coup d'etat against

eunuch A eunuch ( , ) is a male who has been castration, castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2 ...

s. * He Jin – brother of Empress Dowager He and killed after his plot against eunuchs was exposed * Dong Cheng – father of Consort Dong of

Emperor Xian of Han Emperor Xian of Han (2 April 181 – 21 April 234), personal name Liu Xie (劉協), courtesy name Bohe, was the 14th and last Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty#Eastern Han (25–220 AD), Eastern Han dynasty of China. He reigned from ...

and known for his abortive

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

with

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

against

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

. *

— father of Cao Jie, consort of Emperor Xian.

Three Kingdoms

* Mi Fang, a brother of Lady Mi (Mi Furen) served under

, the future Emperor Zhaolie of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

. His betrayal of Liu Bei partially led to its loss of

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in early Chinese texts such as the ''Yu Gong, Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'', and ''Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of E ...

and the death of general Guan Yu. However, in this case, Lady Mi likely died several decades before Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor. Mi Fang also defected from Liu Bei's army about a year before he became emperor. * Mi Zhu, another brother of Lady Mi, also served under Liu Bei and (briefly) Shu Han. * Wu Yi was a general of Shu Han. He was the brother of Empress Wu of Shu Han. *

Cao Pi Cao Pi () (late 187 – 29 June 226), courtesy name Zihuan, was the first emperor of the state of Cao Wei in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Cao Cao, a warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty, but the ...

deposed Emperor Xian of Han and declared himself emperor of

Cao Wei Wei () was one of the major Dynasties in Chinese history, dynastic states in China during the Three Kingdoms period. The state was established in 220 by Cao Pi based upon the foundations laid by his father Cao Cao during the end of the Han dy ...

. Two of Emperor Xian's daughters became consorts of Cao Pi, although it is unclear which one of them was emperor at the time this occurred. Cao Pi was himself the half-brother of Emperor Xian's consort Empress Cao. * Lady Xie's brother Xie Cheng and some of her other relatives held positions in the government of

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

, although Lady Xie died long before her husband

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

became emperor. Some of Lady Xu's relatives were also officials but Lady Xu herself was both a blood relative and a concubine of Sun Quan. *Eastern Wu official Bu Zhi was a relative of Empress Bu and in-law of Sun Quan.

Jin dynasty (266–420)

* Yang Jun – father-in-law of Emperor Wu of Jin China * Yu Liang – brother of Empress Dowager Yu * Chu Pou – father of Chu Suanzi Sixteen Kingdoms * Jin Zhun – father of Jin Yueguang and Jin Yuehua and known for his violent coup d'etat against

Liu Can Liu Can (died September 318( ��兴元年��月，粲治兵于上林，谋讨石勒。以丞相曜为相国、都督中外诸军事，仍镇长安；靳准为大将军、录尚书事。粲常游宴后宫。军国之事，一决于准。准矫诏� ...

of the Han-Zhao dynasty. * Cheng Xia – brother-in-law of

Shi Le Shi Le (; 274 –17 August 333), courtesy name Shilong, also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Ming of Later Zhao, was the founding emperor of the Jie-led Later Zhao dynasty of China. He was initially sold as a slave by Western Jin ...

of the Later Zhao dynasty. * Lan Han – father-in-law of Murong Sheng of the Later Yan dynasty.

Northern and Southern dynasties

Dugu Xin Dugu Xin ( Chinese: 獨孤信; 503 – 24 April 557), Xianbei name Qimitou (期彌頭), known as Dugu Ruyuan (獨孤如願) before 540, was a general and official during the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties period of imperial China ...

, father of Empress Dugu, Empress Dugu Qieluo and Lady Dugu, respectively consorts of Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou,

Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Wen of Sui (; 21 July 541 – 13 August 604), personal name Yang Jian (), Xianbei name Puliuru Jian (), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Sui dynasty. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through ...

and Li Bing (father of

Emperor Gaozu of Tang Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626 CE. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in t ...

). The only recorded consort kin of three imperial clans. * Yang Jian, father of Empress

Yang Lihua Yang Lihua (; 561–609) was an empress of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Zhou dynasty, and later a princess of the Sui dynasty. Background Yang Lihua was born in 561, as the eldest daughter of Yang Jian, then the heir apparent to Yang ...

. He later usurped the throne and founded the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...

Tang dynasty

* Zhangsun Wuji — elder brother of Tang Taizong's

empress The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

. He was one official entrusted by Taizong to assist the young Tang Gaozong in governing the state. * Wu Chengsi and

Wu Sansi Wu Sansi (died August 7, 707), known posthumously as Prince Xuan of Liang (), was a Chinese prince and politician of the Tang and Wu Zhou dynasties. Wu Sansi served as a chancellor and imperial prince during the reign of his aunt, Empress Wu Zetia ...

— nephews of Empress

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...

* Yang Guozhong — cousin of

Yang Guifei Yang Yuhuan (; 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bing'shen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the ''Zhi'de'' era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on the ...

, implicated in the

An Lushan rebellion The An Lushan rebellion was a civil war in China that lasted from 755 to 763, at the approximate midpoint of the Tang dynasty (618–907). It began as a commandery rebellion attempting to overthrow and replace the Tang government with the rogue ...

Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

* Fu Yanqing — influential military leader of

Later Zhou Zhou, known as the Later Zhou (; ) in historiography, was a short-lived Chinese imperial dynasty and the last of the Five Dynasties that controlled most of northern China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Founded by Guo Wei ...

, father of Empress Fu the Elder and Empress Fu the Younger, empresses consort of Chai Rong (Emperor Shizong of Later Zhou), and Princess Fu, consort of then–prince Zhao Guangyi (later

Emperor Taizong of Song Zhao Jiong (20 November 939 – 8 May 997), known as Zhao Guangyi from 960 to 977 and Zhao Kuangyi before 960, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizong of Song, was the second emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 9 ...

Song dynasty

* Jia Sidao – younger brother of Consort Jia, a favourite of Emperor Lizong

Yuan dynasty

Khongirad The Khongirad (; ; ; ) was one of the major divisions of the Mongol tribes. Their homeland was located in the vicinity of Hulun Lake, Lake Hulun in Inner Mongolia and Khalkha River in Mongolia,M. Sanjdorj, History of the Mongolian People's Repub ...

— the clan of

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

's wife Börte and

Kublai Khan Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...

's wife Chabi

Qing dynasty

* Songgotu — the paternal uncle of Empress Xiaochengren,

Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 165420 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, personal name Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper. His reign of 61 ...

's consort.

Ancient Japan

Asuka period

* * Ōmiwa clan *

Mononobe clan The was a Japanese aristocratic kin group (''uji'') of the Kofun period, known for its military opposition to the Soga clan. The Mononobe were opposed to the spread of Buddhism, partly on religious grounds, claiming that the local deities wo ...

* Owari clan * Katsuragi clan * Ōtomo clan *

Soga clan The was one of the most powerful aristocratic kin groups Uji (clan), (''uji'') of the Asuka period of the early Japanese state—the Yamato period, Yamato polity—and played a major role in the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Through the 5th and ...

— consort kin in the reigns of Emperor Suiko and Emperor Sushun **

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...

and — assassinated Emperor Sushun

Heian period

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

— consort kin in the reigns of emperors Kanmu,

Saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

, Montoku, Seiwa, Murakami, Reizei, En'yū, Ichijō, Sanjō, Go-Ichijō, Go-Suzaku, and Go-Reizei ** Fujiwara no Yoshifusa — father-in-law of Emperor Montoku ** Fujiwara no Kaneie — son-in-law of

Emperor Murakami The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother/grandmother ( empress dowager/ grand empress dowager), or a woman who rul ...

, father-in-law of three emperors, maternal grandfather of two emperors ** Fujiwara no Michinaga — father-in-law of four emperors ** Fujiwara no Yorimichi — married one granddaughter and one great-granddaughter of

, father-in-law of Emperor Go-Suzaku and

Emperor Go-Reizei was the 70th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 後冷泉天皇 (70)/ref> according to the traditional List of emperors of Japan, order of succession. Go-Reizei's reign spanned the years Heian period, 1045–1068. This ...

Taira clan The was one of the four most important Japanese clans, clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian period, Heian period of History of Japan, Japanese history – the others being the Minamoto clan, Minamoto, the Fujiwara clan, Fuji ...

— consort kin in the reigns of emperors Takakura and Antoku ** Taira no Kiyomori — father of Kenreimon'in

Ancient Korea

* — during the reigns of Kings Jungjong, Injong, & Myeongjong of Joseon * — father of of King

Jungjong of Joseon Jungjong (; 25 April 1488 – 9 December 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (), was the 11th monarch of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. He succeeded to the throne after the deposition of his elder half-brother ...

* Andong Kim clan — especially during the latter

Joseon dynasty Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

* Pungyang Jo clan * Yeoheung Min clan — there is a Korean saying that "Joseon was founded with a Yeoheung Min clan member ( Queen Wongyeong's family), and Joseon was destroyed by a Yeoheung Min clan member ( Empress Myeongseong's family)"

Ancient Vietnam

Dương Tam Kha Dương Tam Kha (wikt:楊, 楊wikt:三, 三wikt:哥, 哥), formally King Bình of Dương (wikt:楊, 楊wikt:平, 平wikt:王, 王), later known as the Duke of Chương Dương (章陽公) (died 10 August 980), was king of the Ngô dynasty from 9 ...

—

Ngô Quyền Ngô Quyền ( vi-hantu, 吳權) (April 17, 898 – February 14, 944), often referred to as Tiền Ngô Vương (前吳王; "First King of Ngô"), was a warlord who later became the founding king of the Ngô dynasty of Vietnam. He reigned fro ...

's brother-in-law *

Lý Công Uẩn LY or ly may refer to: Government and politics * Libya (ISO 3166-1 country code LY) * Lý dynasty, a Vietnamese dynasty * Labour Youth of Ireland * Legislative Yuan, the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Science and tech ...

—

Lê Hoàn Lê Hoàn (10 August 941 – 18 March 1005), posthumously title Lê Đại Hành, was the third ruler of Đại Việt kingdom, ruling from 981 to 1005, and founder of the Early Lê dynasty. He first served as the generalissimo commanding ...

's son-in-law * Trần family —

Lý Chiêu Hoàng Lý Chiêu Hoàng ( vi-hantu, 李昭皇, September 1218 – 1278), personal name Lý Phật Kim (李佛金) later renamed to Lý Thiên Hinh (李天馨), was the ninth and last sovereign of the Lý dynasty, empress of Đại Việt f ...

's spousal family *

Hồ Quý Ly Hồ Quý Ly ( vi-hantu, 胡季犛, 1336 – 1407?) ruled Đại Ngu (Vietnam) from 1400 to 1401 as the founding emperor of the short-lived Hồ dynasty. Quý Ly rose from a post as an official served the court of the ruling Trần dynasty and ...

— maternal grandfather of Trần Thiếu Đế *

Mạc Đăng Dung Mạc Đăng Dung (chữ Hán : 莫登庸; 23 November 1483 – 22 August 1541), also known by his temple name Mạc Thái Tổ (), was an emperor of Vietnam and the founder of the Mạc dynasty. Previously a captain of the imperial guard (Pra ...

— had his adopted daughter marry

Lê Chiêu Tông Lê Chiêu Tông ( 黎昭宗, 4 October 1506 – 18 December 1526; also called Lê Y, 黎椅 or 黎譓) was an emperor of the Lê dynasty of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the ...

Trịnh lords Trịnh is a Vietnamese family name In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full na ...

— consort kin of several Lê emperors