Empress Yu (于皇后, personal name unknown) (488[1]– 1 December 507[2]), formally Empress Shun (顺皇后), was an empress of the Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty of China. She was Emperor Xuanwu's first empress.
She was the daughter of Yu Jing (于勁), the younger brother of the powerful general Yu Lie (于烈). It was said that when Emperor Xuanwu first assumed imperial powers — which probably referred to his relieving his uncle Yuan Xie of authorities in 501 — Yu Lie believed that the emperor lacked sufficient consorts, and so persuaded Emperor Xuanwu's attendants to praise her beauty and virtues. Emperor Xuanwu took her as an imperial consort with the rank of guiren.[3] Emperor Xuanwu greatly favored her and on 5 October 501[4] created her empress. She was said to be quiet, tolerant, and not jealous. The Empress and the Emperor had one son, Yuan Chang (元昌), in 506. By that point, however, she was said to have lost his favor, as he favored his cousin Consort Gao, and their uncle Gao Zhao became exceedingly powerful. When Empress Yu suddenly died in 507, it was believed that Consort Gao poisoned her, but historians concede that there is no conclusive evidence. When her son Yuan Chang died the following year (508), it was also alleged that Gao Zhao had him poisoned.
Notes edit
- ^ Lady Yu's biography in Book of Wei indicated that she was 14 (by East Asian reckoning) when she was made empress. (时年十四，甚见宠爱，立为皇后，...) Wei Shu, vol.13. Thus by calculation, her birth year should be 488.
- ^ dingmao day of the 10th month of the 4th year of the Zhengshi era, per Emperor Xuanwu's biography in Book of Wei
- ^ (世宗始亲政事，烈时为领军，总心膂之任，以嫔御未备，因左右讽谕，称后有容德，世宗乃迎入为贵人。) Wei Shu, vol.13
- ^ jihai day of the 9th month of the 2nd year of the Jingming era, per Emperor Xuanwu's biography in Book of Wei