Empress Han (1165 – 14 December 1200) was the empress consort of

Emperor Ningzong Emperor Ningzong of Song (19 November 1168 – 17 September 1224), personal name Zhao Kuo, was the 13th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the fourth emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He reigned from 1194 until his death in 1224. He ...

during 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 ...

Biography

Han was born in modern-day

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

, the descendant of a prominent Northern Song official. She became a concubine of Ningzong along with her older sister. She was selected as the primary consort of Ningzong, and appointed his empress after his succession. Empress Han and her family managed to attain influence over the affairs of state, backed by the so called 'War/Militant party', succeed in persuading Ningzong to depose and disgrace senior minister Zhao Ruyu and replaced him with her militarist relative, Han Tuozhou.Justin Wintle:China

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* 1200 deaths Song dynasty empresses 1165 births 12th-century Chinese women 12th-century Chinese people {{China-royal-stub