Empress Li Chunyan
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Li Chunyan (; died August 29, 939?''
Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...
'', vol. 282.
Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, ; zh, t=中央研究院) is the national academy of the Taiwan, Republic of China. It is headquartered in Nangang District, Taipei, Nangang, Taipei. Founded in Nanjing, the academy supports research activities in mathemat ...
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) was an empress of the
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state
Min Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Am ...
. Her husband was
Wang Jipeng Wang Jipeng () (died August 29, 939), used the name Wang Chang () from 935 to 939, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Kangzong of Min (), was an emperor of Min during China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He inherited the ...
(also known as Wang Chang during his reign, Emperor Kangzong).


Background

It is not known when or where Li Chunyan was born, and the traditional histories also gave no indication as to her family background. It is known that she became a
lady in waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but ...
in the palace of Wang Jipeng's father Wang Lin (né Wang Yanjun). She was said to be very beautiful, and at one point, Wang Jipeng, then the Prince of Fu, started an affair with her. In 935, he went to Wang Lin's wife (his stepmother),
Empress Chen Jinfeng Chen Jinfeng (陳金鳳) (893''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'' (十國春秋)vol. 94 – 17 November 935''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 279.
, asking for her help. Empress Chen spoke on his behalf, and Wang Lin gave Li Chunyan to him, albeit reluctantly.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 279.''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', vol. 94. Wang Jipeng's younger brother Wang Jitao became displeased, and considered killing him — suggesting that Wang Jitao might have also had designs on her. Later in 935, Wang Lin, Empress Chen, and Wang Jitao were killed in a coup that was led by the officer Li Fang (李倣) and Wang Jipeng. Wang Jipeng took the throne and changed his name to Wang Chang. He created Li Chunyan the imperial consort title ''Xianfei'' (賢妃), while his wife
Lady Li Lady Li(, died between 104 and 101 BC) was a Han dynasty concubine of Emperor Wu. Civil unrest broke out between her family and Wei Zifu's family. Moreover, her siblings defected to the Xiongnu and became traitors to China. As a result, Empero ...
only carried the title of Lady of Liang. He spent day and night with her, riding the same wagon and sitting on the same couch. His
chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...
Ye Qiao Ye Qiao () was an official of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period state Min, serving as a chancellor during the reign of its fourth ruler Wang Chang (né Wang Jipeng). Background It is not known when Ye Qiao was born, and other ...
tried to remind him that Lady Li was his wife and was of an honorable birth (as the daughter of his aunt and her husband, the chancellor Li Min (李敏)). Wang Chang did not listen, however, and eventually forced Ye into retirement.


As empress

In 936, Wang Chang created Consort Li empress, at the same time that he honored his grandmother (Wang Lin's mother)
Empress Dowager Huang Empress Dowager Huang (, personal name unknown), referred to semi-formally as Empress Dowager Longqi () after her son Wang Yanjun (Emperor Huizong)'s ''Longqi'' era name, was an empress dowager of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period ...
grand empress dowager.''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 280. In 937, Wang built a new Ziwei Palace (紫微宮), adorned with crystals, with far greater effort going into its construction than even his father Wang Lin's opulent Baohuang Palace (寶皇宮).''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 281. It became the palace where Empress Li would stay. Meanwhile, Wang's favoring of a new elite corps of the imperial guard troops, the Chenwei Corps (宸衛), over two corps that his father Wang Lin had favored — the Gongchen (拱宸) and the Anhe (按鶴) — had caused much fear and anger among the ranks of those two corps, and he had also suspected one of their commanders,
Lian Chongyu Lian Chongyu () (died February 14, 945''Zizhi Tongjian'', vol. 284.) was a general of the Chinese Min state. In 944, he and another general, Zhu Wenjin, assassinated the emperor Wang Yanxi (Emperor Jingzong). He then supported Zhu as the new emper ...
, of being complicit in the arson of the northern palace in 939, and thus considered killing Lian. Hearing of this, Lian started a coup later in 939, declared Wang Chang's uncle (Wang Lin's brother)
Wang Yanxi Wang Yanxi () (died April 8, 944), known as Wang Xi () during his reign, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Jingzong of Min (), was an emperor of Min during China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. He became Min's ruler after a ...
emperor, forcing Wang Chang to flee. Wang Chang was captured in his flight, however, and killed by strangulation. It was said that Empress Li, his sons (it is not known whether they were by Empress Li, Lady Li, or other women), and his younger brother Wang Jigong (王繼恭) were also killed.


Notes and references

* ''
Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms The ''Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese title ''Shiguo Chunqiu'' (), is a history of the Ten Kingdoms that existed in southern China after the fall of the Tang dynasty and before the reunification of China ...
''
vol. 94
* ''
Zizhi Tongjian The ''Zizhi Tongjian'' (1084) is a chronicle published during the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) that provides a record of Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynasties and spanning almost 1400 years. The main text is ...
'', vols.
279 __NOTOC__ Year 279 ( CCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Paternus (or, less frequently, year 1032 ''Ab urbe condita''). The den ...
,
280 __NOTOC__ Year 280 ( CCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Messalla and Gratus (or, less frequently, year 1033 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 280 ...
,
282 Year 282 ( CCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Probus and Victorinus (or, less frequently, year 1035 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 282 for th ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Chunyan 930s deaths Min (Ten Kingdoms) empresses People executed by Min (Ten Kingdoms) Year of birth unknown Murdered Chinese royalty