Empress He (Han dynasty) facts for kids

Empress He (died 189) was an important woman in ancient China during the Han dynasty. Her personal name is not known, but after she died, she was given the special name Empress Lingsi. She was the second empress of Emperor Ling and the mother of Emperor Shao.

When Emperor Ling passed away in 189, her young son, Liu Bian, became the new emperor. This meant Empress He became the empress dowager, a powerful position. She found herself in a big struggle for power between her brother, General-in-Chief He Jin, and a group of palace officials called eunuchs. Both groups wanted to control the Han government. After He Jin was killed and the eunuchs were removed, a powerful military leader named Dong Zhuo took advantage of the situation. He marched his army into the capital city and took control. He then removed Emperor Shao from the throne and replaced him with Liu Xie (Emperor Xian). Sadly, Empress Dowager He was later killed by Dong Zhuo.

Empress He's Early Life and Family

Lady He came from a place called Wan County, which is now in Nanyang, Henan province. Unlike many empresses who came from rich or powerful families, Lady He's family was not noble. Her father, He Zhen, worked as a butcher. Her mother's first name was Xing. Lady He had two half-brothers, He Jin and He Miao. She also had a younger sister who married the adopted son of a powerful eunuch named Zhang Rang.

Stories say that Lady He joined Emperor Ling's palace because her family paid money to the eunuchs who chose women for the emperor. She was quite tall for her time. In 176, she gave birth to Emperor Ling's son, Liu Bian. He was the emperor's oldest son who survived, as other sons had died very young. Emperor Ling was worried about bad luck, so he asked a Taoist priest to raise Liu Bian. Lady He became a favorite of Emperor Ling and was given the important title of "Honoured Lady". She was known for being very determined and strong-willed.

Becoming Empress

In 180, Emperor Ling made Honoured Lady He his empress. She replaced Empress Song, who had been removed from her position in 178. The next year, Emperor Ling honored Empress He's parents. Her father, He Zhen, who had passed away, was given a special title and a noble rank. Her mother was given the title "Lady of Wuyang".

Around this time, another of Emperor Ling's consorts, Beautiful Lady Wang, became pregnant. In 181, after Beautiful Lady Wang gave birth to a son, Liu Xie, Empress He was involved in her death. Emperor Ling was very angry when he found out and wanted to remove Empress He from her position. However, the eunuchs convinced him not to. Liu Xie, who no longer had a mother, was raised by his grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong.

Emperor Ling had two sons who were still alive: Liu Bian and Liu Xie. He had to decide which one would become the next emperor. He felt that Liu Bian was not serious enough to be emperor. He preferred Liu Xie. But Emperor Ling was also worried that if he chose Liu Xie, Empress He would ask her half-brother, He Jin, for help. He Jin was a very powerful general. Because of this, Emperor Ling did not officially name either of his sons as the next emperor.

Empress Dowager and Power Struggles

When Emperor Ling became very sick in 189, he secretly told his close eunuch, Jian Shuo, to make his eight-year-old son Liu Xie the next emperor. After Emperor Ling died, Jian Shuo tried to trick He Jin into a trap to kill him and then make Liu Xie emperor. But another eunuch, Pan Yin, warned He Jin. So, He Jin went back to his army camp and pretended to be sick. Jian Shuo's plan failed, and 13-year-old Liu Bian became the new emperor, known as Emperor Shao.

As the emperor's mother, Empress He became the empress dowager. She helped her young son rule by attending court meetings. Since Emperor Shao was so young, General-in-Chief He Jin and Grand Tutor Yuan Wei helped him govern the country.

In the summer of 189, Jian Shuo learned that He Jin wanted to get rid of him. He tried to convince other eunuchs to help him kill He Jin. But a eunuch named Guo Sheng, who was close to Empress Dowager He, convinced them not to. He Jin then had Jian Shuo arrested and executed. He Jin took control of the army units that Jian Shuo used to command. Later that year, Yuan Shao suggested to He Jin that they should get rid of all the eunuchs to gain more power. Empress Dowager He immediately said no. She felt it was wrong for her to deal with so many men. Also, her mother and He Miao had been paid by the eunuchs to protect them. They also strongly disagreed with He Jin's plan, reminding him that the eunuchs had helped Empress Dowager He become Emperor Ling's consort in the first place.

He Jin then tried a different plan. He secretly told several military leaders from other parts of the country, like Dong Zhuo, to bring their armies close to Luoyang, the capital city. He hoped this would pressure Empress Dowager He to act against the eunuchs. At first, Empress Dowager He still refused to harm the eunuchs. But as Dong Zhuo's army got closer to Luoyang, she ordered the eunuchs to leave the palace. However, Empress Dowager He's younger sister was married to the adopted son of Zhang Rang, the eunuch leader. Zhang Rang begged her for help. She told her mother, who then spoke to Empress Dowager He. The empress dowager changed her mind and called the eunuchs back to the palace.

Around late August or September 189, the eunuchs planned to kill He Jin. They sent a fake order from Empress Dowager He, telling He Jin to come to the palace. He Jin walked into a trap and was killed by the eunuchs, who accused him of treason. After He Jin's death, his followers, including Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, stormed the palace to get revenge. They killed anyone who looked like a eunuch. Some young men who didn't have beards even had to show their legs to prove they weren't eunuchs. During the attack, the eunuchs took Empress Dowager He, Emperor Shao, and the Prince of Chenliu (Liu Xie) as hostages and tried to escape. Lu Zhi stopped a eunuch named Duan Gui and saved the empress dowager. He Miao, who had supported the eunuchs, was killed by He Jin's followers. Over 2,000 people died in this attack. Emperor Shao and the Prince of Chenliu were taken out of the palace by the eunuchs during the chaos. They were later found near a river and brought back safely.

Empress He's Death

The powerful military leader Dong Zhuo eventually led his army into Luoyang, the capital. He took advantage of the chaos to seize control of the Han government. In 190, he removed Emperor Shao from the throne and made him the "Prince of Hongnong." Dong Zhuo then replaced him with Liu Xie (the Prince of Chenliu), who became Emperor Xian. Empress Dowager He watched sadly as her son was forced from his throne. No officials dared to speak up against Dong Zhuo.

Dong Zhuo then moved Empress Dowager He to Yong'an Palace. There, he arranged for her to be killed. Dong Zhuo then forced Emperor Xian to attend Empress Dowager He's funeral. The officials at the funeral wore simple clothes, not proper mourning clothes. The ceremony did not show the respect due to an empress dowager. She was buried in the Wenzhao Mausoleum with Emperor Ling. She was honored after her death with the name "Empress Lingsi."

See also

In Spanish: Emperatriz He (dinastía Han) para niños