Duan Yuanfei (段元妃) (died 396), formally Empress Cheng'ai (成哀皇后, literally "the successful and lamentable empress"), was an

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 ...

of the

Xianbei The Xianbei (; ) were an ancient nomadic people that once resided in the eastern Eurasian steppes in what is today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Northeastern China. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multiling ...

-led Chinese Later Yan dynasty. Her husband was the state's founding emperor,

Murong Chui Murong Chui (; 326 – 2 June 396), courtesy name Daoming (道明), Xianbei name Altun (阿六敦), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Chengwu of Later Yan (後燕成武帝), was the founding emperor of China's Later Yan dynasty ...

(Emperor Wucheng). Her given name is lost to history, but her

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

Yuanfei was recorded. She was the niece of two of Murong Chui's prior wives, who were daughters of the Xianbei chief

Duan Mopei Duan may refer to: * Duan (surname), a Chinese surname ** Duan dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Dali Kingdom * Duan tribe, pre-state tribe during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China * Duan language, spoken on the Laotian–Vietnamese border * ...

(段末怌). Her father Duan Yi (段儀) was a brother of the Princesses Duan.

Life

Murong Chui married Duan Yuanfei in or slightly earlier than 388. His younger brother

Murong De Murong De (; 336–405), name changed in 400 to Murong Beide (慕容備德), courtesy name Xuanming (玄明), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Xianwu of Southern Yan (南燕獻武帝), was the founding emperor of the Xianbei-led ...

married her sister

Duan Jifei Duan Jifei () was an empress of the Xianbei-led Chinese Southern Yan dynasty. Her husband was the founding emperor Murong De (Emperor Xianwu). Her given name is lost to history, but her courtesy name Jifei was recorded and used by historians. Her ...

around the same time. He created her empress in 388 and favored her greatly. They had two sons, Murong Lang (慕容朗) the Prince of Bohai and Murong Jian (慕容鑒) the Prince of Boling. Empress Duan was described as being intelligent and a good judge of character. As she saw that Murong Chui's

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent. ''Crown prince ...

Murong Bao Murong Bao (; 355–398), courtesy name Daoyou (道佑), Xianbei name Kugou (庫勾), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Huimin of Later Yan (後燕惠愍帝), was an Emperor of China, emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Later Yan, La ...

lacked governing talents, she tried to persuade him to make one of his more capable sons,

Murong Nong Murong Nong () (died 398), formally Prince Huanlie of Liaoxi (遼西桓烈王), was a general and imperial prince of China's Xianbei-led Later Yan, Later Yan dynasty. He was a son of the founding emperor Murong Chui (Emperor Wucheng) and a brother ...

the Prince of

Liaoxi Liaoxi () was a former province in Northeast China, located in what is now part of Liaoning and Jilin ) , image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg , image_alt = , image_caption = View of Heaven La ...

Murong Long Murong Long () (died 397), formally Prince Kang of Gaoyang (高陽康王), was a general and imperial prince of China's Xianbei-led Later Yan dynasty. He was a son of the founding emperor Murong Chui (Emperor Wucheng) and a brother of Murong Bao ...

the Prince of Gaoyang, crown prince, but Murong Chui, believing in the flattery that Murong Bao's associates had given him, disbelieved Empress Duan and kept Murong Bao as crown prince. She had also advised him to put his treacherous son

Murong Lin Murong Lin (; died 398), Xianbei name Halin or Helin (賀驎), was a general and imperial prince of the Xianbei-led Later Yan dynasty of China. He was a son of the founding emperor Murong Chui (Emperor Wucheng) and a brother of Murong Bao (Emperor ...

the Prince of Zhao to death. As a result, Murong Bao and Murong Lin greatly resented her. After Murong Chui died in 396, Murong Bao sent Murong Lin to threaten her and force her to commit suicide—stating that if she did not, he would do harm to her clan. In anger, she stated that Murong Bao would soon cause the empire's destruction, and then committed suicide. Initially, Murong Bao refused to give her an empress' burial honors, but after his official Sui Sui (眭邃) publicly articulated reasons why she should be honored, Murong Bao relented and buried her with imperial honors.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duan, Yuanfei Later Yan empresses 396 deaths Former Yan people Former Qin people Year of birth unknown 4th-century births Suicides in Later Yan