Empress Fu (符皇后, given name unknown, c. 932–993) was an empress consort and

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 ...

during the

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 ...

dynasty. She was a daughter of general

Fu Yanqing Fu Yanqing () (898'' History of Song'', vol. 251.-July 31, 975''Xu Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 8.Academia Sinicabr>Chinese-Western Calendar Converter), né Li Yanqing (), courtesy name Guanhou (), formally the Prince of Wei (), nicknamed Fu Disi ( ...

and a younger sister of Empress Xuanyi (

Empress Fu the Elder Empress Fu (surname), Fu (符皇后; given name unknown) ( 931 – 29 August 956), posthumously Empress Xuanyi (宣懿皇后) was an empress consort of the Chinese Later Zhou, Later Zhou dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. S ...

), who was married to the Later Zhou emperor Guo Rong (Chai Rong) from 951 or so (before he became the emperor in 954) to 956. Guo Rong had been without a wife ever since Empress Xuanyi's death in 956, and he married the younger Fu in July 959 when he fell critically ill. The marriage was clearly political and most likely not consummated: Guo Rong died 10 days later and was succeeded by his 6-year-old son

Guo Zongxun Guo Zongxun () (14 September 953 – 973) or Chai Zongxun (), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Gong of Later Zhou (), was the third and last emperor of the Chinese Later Zhou dynasty, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms pe ...

. Empress Dowager Fu as his guardian became the regent. During her reign, she relied heavily on the advice of chief ministers

Fan Zhi Fàn Zhi () ( 911 – 5 November 964), formally the Duke of Lu (), was a Chinese essayist, historian, jurist, and politician who served under 12 emperors of 6 dynasties during imperial China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and the subs ...

, Wang Pu, and Wei Renpu. Half a year later, general

Zhao Kuangyin Emperor Taizu of Song (21 March 927 – 14 November 976), personal name Zhao Kuangyin, courtesy name Yuanlang, was the founding emperor of the Song dynasty of China. He reigned from 960 until his death in 976. Formerly a distinguished milita ...

staged a coup and usurped the Later Zhou throne, establishing the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

. The empress dowager and the child emperor were exiled to the Western Capital (

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

) where they lived out the rest of their lives. After Guo Zongxun's death in 973, she became a

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

nun with the title Master Yuqing (玉清仙師). She died in 993, during the reign of

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 ...

, who was married to another sister of hers before 975.

Notes and references

Sources

* * * 930s births 993 deaths Later Zhou empresses Later Zhou empresses dowager Chinese Taoists History of Luoyang Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms regents Taoist nuns Song dynasty Taoists Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Taoists 10th-century women regents 10th-century regents {{China-royal-stub