Empress Dowager Feng facts for kids

Empress Feng (馮皇后) (442–490) was a powerful empress and regent of the Northern Wei dynasty in China. Her husband was Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei. After he passed away in 465, she became a regent, guiding her stepson Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei and later her grandson Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei. Empress Feng was known for her intelligence and for introducing important changes that helped the Northern Wei dynasty become stronger and more organized. Her actions had a lasting impact on future Chinese empires.

Becoming Empress

Empress Feng was born in 442. Her grandfather, Feng Hong, was the last emperor of a kingdom called Northern Yan. Her father, Feng Lang, was a duke and governor. Sadly, her father was later accused of crimes and executed. Because of this, young Feng was brought to serve in the palace.

She was raised by her aunt, who was a concubine of Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei. In 452, Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei became emperor. In 455, Feng became one of his concubines, holding the rank of Guiren. The very next year, in 456, she was made empress.

In 465, Emperor Wencheng died. His son, Tuoba Hong, who was only 11 years old, became the new emperor, known as Emperor Xianwen. Empress Feng was then given the title of empress dowager. During the emperor's funeral ceremony, Empress Feng was so sad that she tried to jump into the fire, but guards quickly saved her. After the emperor's death, a powerful official named Yifu Hun took control of the government.

Leading as Regent for Emperor Xianwen

In the spring of 466, Empress Dowager Feng decided to take action. She organized a plan with other officials, and Yifu Hun was arrested and executed. Empress Dowager Feng then took over as regent, meaning she ruled the empire for the young Emperor Xianwen. She chose trusted advisors to help her. Her own brother, Feng Xi, also became part of her inner circle.

During this time, a rival kingdom called Liu Song was having problems with its own leaders. Some of their generals decided to surrender to Northern Wei. Empress Dowager Feng saw this as a great chance to expand her empire's land. She sent generals to accept these surrenders and protect the new territories. By 469, Northern Wei had gained control of many new areas, expanding its borders significantly.

In 467, Emperor Xianwen had a son, Tuoba Hong, who would later become Emperor Xiaowen. Empress Dowager Feng personally took care of and raised the young prince. Soon after, she decided to give back the full power to Emperor Xianwen, who was then 13 years old.

A Time of Change and Power Shifts

Even after giving up her role as regent, Empress Dowager Feng still had a lot of influence over Emperor Xianwen's rule. However, their relationship became difficult.

In 471, Emperor Xianwen decided to give up his title as emperor to his four-year-old son, Tuoba Hong (Emperor Xiaowen). Emperor Xianwen then became a "retired emperor," but he still held much of the real power. In 476, Empress Dowager Feng took control again. She became the grand empress dowager and once more became regent for the nine-year-old Emperor Xiaowen.

Guiding Emperor Xiaowen as Regent

As regent for Emperor Xiaowen, Grand Empress Dowager Feng introduced many important changes. She was known for being very smart and careful with money. She was good at reading and even at math!

One of her most important changes was the "equal-field system" in 485. This system aimed to help farmers and increase food production. The government owned all the land and then gave it out fairly to farmers. Each adult man received a certain amount of land for growing crops, and women received half that amount. There was also land for growing mulberry trees (for silk) or hemp (for cloth). This system helped the government collect more taxes and made the empire stronger.

Another important policy she introduced was the "Three Elders" system in 486. This system helped the government keep track of all the people living in the empire. Groups of households were organized into neighborhoods, villages, and wards, each led by an elder. These elders helped make sure everyone was registered, paid their taxes, and that the poor and orphaned were cared for. This policy greatly increased the government's control and organization.

Grand Empress Dowager Feng's reforms helped increase farm production and tax money. They also weakened the power of rich local families who used to control many people and avoid taxes. Thanks to these changes, the Northern Wei dynasty's registered population doubled to over 5 million households.

These important systems created by Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen continued to be used even after the Northern Wei dynasty ended. They helped lay the groundwork for China's future unification under the Sui dynasty in 589 AD.

As Emperor Xiaowen grew older, he gradually took on more power. However, Grand Empress Dowager Feng remained very influential until her death. In 489, an event showed how they shared power. Two of Emperor Wencheng's younger brothers were accused of serious crimes. Grand Empress Dowager Feng and Emperor Xiaowen held a meeting to decide their punishment. The officials asked for mercy. Emperor Xiaowen then decided that the princes would be spared from death, but they would lose their positions and titles.

In 490, Grand Empress Dowager Feng passed away. She was buried with great honors. Emperor Xiaowen was deeply saddened and mourned her for a long time, showing how much he respected her.