Yan Ji facts for kids

Empress Yan Ji was an important empress during the Han dynasty. Her husband was Emperor An. She was known for trying to control things behind the scenes and helping her family members gain power. However, her plans to stay in power for a long time did not work out, and it led to the downfall of her family.

Early Life and Becoming Empress

Yan Ji's family was well-known. Her grandfather, Yan Zhang, was an official under Emperor Ming.

When Yan Ji was young, people said she was smart and beautiful. In 107 CE, she was chosen to be a special companion for Emperor An, who was 13 years old. She quickly became his favorite. In 108 CE, Emperor An made her his empress. Empress Yan Ji was known for being very jealous. Sadly, Consort Li, who had a son with the emperor named Liu Bao, faced difficulties and was no longer part of the court.

Empress Yan Ji's Influence

For most of Emperor An's rule, he was guided by his regent, Empress Dowager Deng Sui. But after Empress Dowager Deng passed away in 121 CE, Emperor An took more control. He put people he trusted in important positions, including Empress Yan Ji's brothers: Yan Xian, Yan Jing, Yan Yao, and Yan Yan. Yan Xian was especially powerful.

Empress Yan Ji had a lot of influence over her husband's decisions, and this often caused problems for the empire. In 124 CE, she made false accusations against Prince Bao, who was nine years old. Prince Bao was the emperor's only son and had been named the crown prince, meaning he would be the next emperor. Because of Empress Yan Ji's accusations, Emperor An removed Prince Bao from his position as crown prince. Prince Bao was then given a different title, Prince of Jiyin.

Empress Dowager and the Struggle for Power

In 125 CE, Emperor An suddenly died while traveling. Empress Yan Ji was with him. She and her brothers, along with powerful palace officials called eunuchs (Jiang Jing and Fan Feng), decided not to announce the emperor's death right away. They wanted to choose a new emperor who would be easy to control, instead of Prince Bao. They picked a young cousin of Emperor An's, Liu Yi, who was the Marquess of Beixiang. Marquess Yi was then made emperor.

The Yan family, working with Jiang Jing, quickly tried to get even more power. They made false accusations against other people Emperor An had trusted, like his step-uncle Geng Bao, his childhood caretaker Wang Sheng, and the eunuch Fan Feng. Fan Feng faced severe consequences, while Geng and Wang were sent away from the capital with their families. The Yan family thought they were completely in charge.

However, their plans were ruined when the young Emperor Liu Yi became very ill.

A eunuch named Sun Cheng believed that Prince Bao should be the rightful emperor. He knew the young emperor was sick, so he secretly planned with Prince Bao's assistant and other eunuchs to bring Prince Bao back to power. When the young emperor died later that year, Empress Yan Ji and her brothers again kept it a secret. They called the sons of other royal princes to the capital, planning to choose another new emperor and avoid Prince Bao once more.

But a few days later, Sun Cheng and 18 other eunuchs launched a surprise attack on the palace. They defeated Jiang Jing and his group, and forced another eunuch, Li Run, to help them. They brought Prince Bao to the palace and declared him the new emperor, known as Emperor Shun. For several days, the eunuchs' forces fought against the empress dowager's forces. Finally, Empress Yan Ji and her brothers were defeated. The Yan family was removed from power, and Empress Dowager Yan Ji was kept in her palace.

Some officials suggested that Emperor Shun should take away Empress Dowager Yan Ji's title. But after thinking about it, Emperor Shun decided not to. He continued to treat her with the respect due to an empress dowager. However, perhaps feeling sad and worried about her family, she passed away in early 126 CE. She was buried with her husband, Emperor An.