For other people with similar names, see Empress Xiao.
Xiao Yanyan
Empress Dowager Chengtian of Liao
from one 1892 print of the novel Legends of Generals of the Yang Family (楊家將傳)[note 1]
Regent of the Liao dynasty
Reign13 October 982 – 23 December 1009
RegentEmperor Shengzong (son)
Born953
Died29 December 1009(1009-12-29) (aged 55–56)
SpouseYelü Xian (Emperor Jingzong)
Issue
  • Yelü Longxu (Emperor Shengzong), son
  • Yelü Longqing (耶律隆慶), son
  • Yelü Longyou (耶律隆祐), son
  • Yelü Guanyinnü (耶律觀音女), daughter
  • Yelü Changshounü (耶律長壽女), daughter
  • Yelü Yanshounü (耶律延壽女), daughter
FatherXiao Siwen
MotherYelü Lübugu

Xiao Chuo, nickname Yanyan (Chinese: 蕭燕燕;[1] 953 – 29 December 1009[2]), also known as Empress Dowager Chengtian (承天皇太后) was a Khitan empress and military leader of imperial China's Liao dynasty.[3][4] She was regent on behalf of her son from 982.[3]

In the first year of Baoning (969 CE), after Emperor Jingzong of Liao, ascended the throne, she was first selected as a consort and in the fifth month was formally made empress. In the third year of Baoning (971 CE), she gave birth to Yelü Longxu, the future Emperor Shengzong of Liao. During Emperor Jingzong’s reign, Xiao Chuo already participated in deciding major state and military affairs. At that time, because Emperor Jingzong was weak and frequently ill, he was sometimes unable to attend court. As recorded in historical sources: “After ascending the throne, he suffered from a chronic wind illness and often did not conduct court affairs.” Therefore, major military and governmental affairs of the court were mostly handled by Empress Xiao Chuo in his stead. This is what Volume 6 of the History of the Khitan State (Kitan Guozhi) records: “Punishments and rewards, political affairs, military campaigns and punitive expeditions were all decided by the empress; the emperor lay in bed, merely folding his hands.” In the eighth year of the Baoning era (975 CE), Emperor Jingzong of Liao instructed the court historians: “When recording the empress’s statements, she should also be referred to using imperial pronouns such as ‘zhen’ (We, the emperor) or ‘yu’ (I).” The emperor was by nature kind but weak, and greatly enjoyed music and musical theory, as well as medical arts, hunting, and wine; therefore, illness alone was not the reason he abandoned affairs of state. During that time, key appointments, major punishments and military expeditions were discussed collectively by the officials of the Khitan and Han systems, but the empress made the final decision, merely informing the emperor afterward. Therefore, Xiao Chuo was able to exercise imperial authority on behalf of the emperor, and many of Emperor Jingzong achievements were attributed to her contributions. Her authority during her husband Emperor Jingzong’s reign was compared to that of Wu Zetian during the reign of Emperor Gaozong.

In the fourth year of the Qianheng era (982 CE), Emperor Jingzong passed away, and Yelü Longxu ascended the throne at the age of eleven as Emperor Shengzong. Xiao Chuo was honored as Empress Dowager and began her 27-year regency. As a widow, her position as regent for her young son provided her with an excellent opportunity to seize the throne, but instead she chose to focus on strengthening and preserving the empire for her son. However, she retained power until the final months of her life, relinquishing it to her son only shortly before her death. In the first year of Tonghe (983 CE), Yelü Longxu and his ministers conferred upon her the honorific title “Chengtian Empress Dowager.” In the fourth year of Tonghe (986 CE), she helped repel Song dynasty forces attacking Liao’s southern capital Nanjing Xijin Prefecture (modern Beijing). In the twenty-second year of Tonghe (1004 CE), Xiao Chuo and Yelü Longxu personally led a campaign against the Song under the pretext of demanding the Guannan region. However, after encountering counterattacks from Song forces, they suffered setbacks and subsequently signed the “Chanyuan Treaty” with the Song. In the twenty-fourth year of Tonghe (1006 CE), Yelü Longxu and his ministers further honored her with the title: Rui De Shen Lue Ying Yun Qi Hua Chengtian Empress Dowager. In the twenty-seventh year of Tonghe (1009 CE), Xiao Chuo returned political power to Yelü Longxu. In the twelfth month of the same year, she died at the palace residence at the age of fifty-seven and was posthumously titled Empress Shengshen Xuanxian. She was buried the following year at Qianling. In the twenty-first year of Chongxi (1052 CE), she was further posthumously honored with the title “Ruizhi”.

Xiao Chuo excelled in administration, which required competency in both Chinese and the Kitan written language as well as organizational skills. She was not a capricious tyrant; rather, she was intelligent and well-versed in governance, skilled at recognizing talent and assigning capable officials. She promoted Han De Rang, Yelü Xiezhen, Yelü Xiuge, and other Han and Khitan officials, pursued reforms with determination, encouraged land reclamation, reduced taxes, developed production, and reorganized the military. These policies allowed the Khitan state to recover from decline and gradually reach its peak. Using the Liao “Five Capitals” as bases, she subdued the Jurchens in the east, attacked the Tanguts and Uyghurs in the west, campaigned against the Zubu in the north, and fought the Song in the south, thereby expanding the territory under Liao control and making a significant contribution to the prosperity and development of the Khitan empire. She ruled the Liao Empire for a total of nearly 37 years, a period that began with the onset of her husband’s illness and continued until her death during the reign of her son. She is placed alongside Empress Dowager Shulu Ping and, among Chinese empresses, Lü Zhi, Wu Zetian, and Liu E, who were her contemporaries.

History

Xiao Yanyan was the third child of Xiao Siwen (蕭思溫), Liao's chancellor.[5] Also referred to by the name Xiao Chuo, Xiao's original Khitan family name was Bali (拔裏氏).[6] She was the youngest of the Xiao sisters, after Xiao Hunian and Lady Xiao.[3]

Xiao married Emperor Jingzong of Liao and gave birth to crown Prince Yelü Longxu.[7][5] As Empress, Xiao was influential during her husband's reign.[8][4]

She became regent for her son in 982 when he ascended the throne as Emperor Shengzong, aged 12, after Emperor Jingzong of Liao died while returning from a hunting trip.[4][9][10]

Khitan culture permitted women to take part in military action and to be military commanders; Xiao became a military commander of great renown.[11] In 986, the Song dynasty to the south under the leadership of Emperor Taizong invaded the Liao Empire, but was defeated by Liao forces under Xiao's command; she commanded the troops herself on the front line of the battle.[7] They routed the Song soldiers and captured thousands, who Xiao pardoned as it was her birthday.[4] A further invasion by the Song in 989 was again defeated by Liao forces and resulted in the death of Song general Yang Ye.

In her personal life, Empress Dowager Chengtian had an accepted, spouse-like relationship with Han Derang, her advisor and commander of the Northern Chancellery.[12][13] She had originally been betrothed to Han before the imperial clan's interference, and had had a child with him. Song ambassador Lu Zhen said Chengtian appeared to be about 50 years old, wore a kingfisher feather cap and jade pendants in her ears, and sat on a stack of cushions on a chair. She had a dozen or so female Khitan attendants tending to her. Lu also saw a boy about 10 years old playing in front of her who resembled Han Derang. Lu speculated this was their son. The History of the Khitan Kingdom states that while serving as regent, Chengtian asked Han to resume their relationship and they copulated many times, had Han's wife poisoned, and produced a son.[14]

As Empress Dowager Chengtian, Xiao commanded her own army of 10,000 cavalry and personally lead the Liao army in battle against the Song in 1005, despite being over 50 years old.[4]

Known for her skills in civil administration, Empress Dowager Chengtian retained influence until her death at age 57 in 1009.[15][4] Chinese chronicles, such as The History of the Liao, credit most of the success of Emperor Shengzong's reign to his mother, Chengtian.[13][16]

She was instrumental in arranging a marriage between her son and her court lady, Xiao Noujin.[citation needed] She had a poor relationship with her two older sisters, and poisoned or murdered them both.[citation needed]

Modern references

Film and television

  • Portrayed by Mu Qing in the 1995 Chinese movie Great Liao's Empress Dowager.
  • Portrayed by Shim Hye-jin in the 2009 Korean TV series Empress Cheonchu.
  • Portrayed by Mei Lier in the 2019 Chinese movie Battle Between Song and Liao Dynasties (大破天门阵).[17]
  • Portrayed by Tiffany Tang in the 2020 Chinese TV series The Legend of Xiao Chuo.

Literature

Notes

  1. ^ Essentially the same novel, with slight modifications by publishers and editors, as the second half of the Records of the Two Songs, South and North (兩宋南北志傳) written by Xiong Damu (熊大木) in the late 16th century.

References

Citations

  1. ^ (景宗睿智皇后萧氏，讳绰，小字燕燕，...) Liao Shi, vol.71
  2. ^ ([统和二十七年十二月]辛卯，皇太后崩于行宫.) Liao Shi, vol.14
  3. ^ a b c Snodgrass, Mary Ellen (2023-12-20). Women Warriors in History: 1,622 Biographies Worldwide from the Bronze Age to the Present. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-5032-6.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lee, Lily Xiao Hong; Wiles, Sue (2015-01-28). Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming 618 - 1644. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-51562-3.
  5. ^ a b Shang, Xizhi; Liang, Liangxing (1994). Tales of Empresses and Imperial Consorts in China. Hai Feng Publishing Company. ISBN 978-962-238-218-3.
  6. ^ 遼史.卷七十一.后妃傳:"後族唯乙室、拔裏氏，而世任其國事。太祖慕漢高皇帝，故耶律兼稱劉氏；以乙室、拔裏比蕭相國，遂為蕭氏。...景宗睿智皇后蕭氏，諱綽，小字燕燕，北府宰相思溫女。"
  7. ^ a b Zhu, Ruixi; Zhang, Bangwei; Liu, Fusheng; Cai, Chongbang; Wang, Zengyu (2016-12-22). A Social History of Medieval China. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-16786-5.
  8. ^ The Chalice and the Blade in Chinese Culture: Gender Relations and Social Models. China Social Sciences Publishing House. 1995. ISBN 978-7-5004-1741-5.
  9. ^ SK, Lim (2018-11-12). Chinese Imperial Women (2010 Edition - EPUB). Asiapac Books Pte Ltd. ISBN 978-981-229-994-9.
  10. ^ Zhang, Shiwei (2021-11-16). The Logical Deduction of Chinese Traditional Political Philosophy. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-16-4376-7.
  11. ^ Hinsch, Bret (2020-12-16). Women in Song and Yuan China. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-4492-3.
  12. ^ Wanton Women in Late-Imperial Chinese Literature: Models, Genres, Subversions and Traditions. BRILL. 2017-04-18. ISBN 978-90-04-34062-6.
  13. ^ a b McMahon, Keith (2013-06-06). Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4422-2290-8.
  14. ^ McMahon 2013, p. 262.
  15. ^ " Women in power 750-1000" from Guide2womenleaders.com, last accessed January 13, 2007
  16. ^ Kuhn, Dieter (2011-10-15). The Age of Confucian Rule. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-24434-4.
  17. ^ chinesemov. "Battle Between Song and Liao Dynasties (2019)".

Sources