Shangguan Wan'er

Shangguan Wan'er

Shangguan Wan'er (* 664 (?); † July 21, 710 in Chang'an ; Chinese  上官 婉兒  /  上官 婉儿 , Pinyin Shàngguān Wǎn'ér , W.-G. Shang-kuan Wan-erh ) was one Politician, concubine and imperial wife of two emperors of the Tang Dynasty . Although entangled in court intrigues and 710 executed, she is praised for her talent as a poet, writer and politician.

When Wan'er was 13 years old, she became one of Wu Zetian's secretaries , who then became the imperial consort of Tang Gaozong and later the sole ruling empress. At the age of 42, when Wan'er became the imperial wife of Wu Zetian's son Li Xian, who later became Tang Zhongzhong, she received the imperial consort rank of Zhaorong ( Chinese 昭容 ).

childhood

Shangguan Wan'er's grandfather, Shangguan Yi , became a well-known official at the beginning of Tang Gaozong's reign and became Chancellor in 662. In 664, Emperor Gaozong was upset by the magnitude of the influence of his second wife, Empress Wu (later known as Wu Zetian), who broke laws. He consulted Shangguan Yi, who recommended that Empress Wu be deposed. When Empress Wu discovered this, Emperor Gaozong changed his mind and instead blamed Shangguan Yi. At the instigation of Empress Wu, her ally, Chancellor Xu Jingzong , falsely accused Shangguan Yi of a plot against Emperor Gaozong with Emperor Gaozong's son Li Zhong , whose servant Shangguan had once been. The eunuch Wang Fusheng ( Chinese 王伏勝 ), who had previously reported Empress Wu's crime to Emperor Gaozong, was also accused . Li Zhong was forced to commit suicide while Wang, Shangguan Yi, and Shangguan Wan'er's father, Shangguan Tingzhi ( Chinese 上官 庭芝 ) were executed on January 3, 665.

After the deaths of Shangguan Yi and Shangguan Tingzhi, Shangguan Wan'er and her mother Lady Zheng - a sister of the official Zheng Xiuyuan ( Chinese 鄭 休 遠 ) - were spared, but made slaves in the inner imperial palace. As Shangguan Wan'er got older, she learned to read and write from her mother. She read a lot and at a young age showed a talent for writing prose and poetry, as well as for civil service regulations. After Empress Wu stumbled upon poems written by thirteen-year-old Shangguan Wan'er in the Crown Prince's study, Empress Wu summoned the young Shangguan Wan'er and asked her to write an essay on a given topic in front of her. Shangguan Wan'er excelled, and the Empress was so impressed that she appointed Wan'er her personal secretary.

As Wu Zetian's secretary

After Emperor Gaozong's death in 683, Empress Wu became empress mother and subsequently dethroned her two sons, Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong . In 690 she assumed the title of "Empress" herself, ended the Tang Dynasty and began her own Zhou Dynasty. Especially after the Wansuitongtian era (696–697), Shangguan Wan'er was Wu Zetian's secretary in charge of drafting imperial edicts, and her writing style was called extremely beautiful. She once disobeyed Wu Zetian's instructions and was about to be executed. Wu Zetiang pardoned her for her talent, but had her face tattooed. After that, Wu Zetian usually consulted with her about submissions from officials and important state matters.

As an imperial wife

In 705, a coup led by Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan and Yuan Shuji led to the deposition of Wu Zetian and the return of Emperor Zhongzong to the throne. At the same time, Shangguan Wan'er became an imperial wife as a concubine of Emperor Zhongzong with the rank of Jieyu ( Chinese 婕妤 ), the 14th rank for an imperial wife. It is not known whether she became his concubine before or after his return to the throne. Emperor Zhongzong charged them with drafting edicts and other imperial orders. She also had an affair with Emperor Zhongzong's cousin and Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi , Prince of Liang. Through her, Wu Sansi became a trusted advisor to Emperor Zhongzong as well as a lover of Zhongzong's wife, Empress Wei. As a result, Zhang and his wives soon lost their power and died or were killed in exile. Empress Wei then submitted formal submissions to Emperor Zhongzong at her suggestion. First, the people should be commanded to observe three-year periods of mourning for their mothers who were divorced from their fathers. On the other hand, the periods in which a man was viewed as an adult and thus became the subject of military service and duty to work should be reduced, from 20 to 59 to 22 to 58 years, in order to gain the gratitude of the people. Emperor Zhongzong confirmed these drafts.

Meanwhile, in addition to Empress Wei and Emperor's ring consort Shangguan, Empress Wei's daughter Li Guo'er, Princess Anle had also become very powerful because she was Emperor Zhongzong's favorite daughter and she had married Wu Sansi's son Wu Chongxun ( Chinese 武 崇 訓 ). She often humiliated her brother Li Chongjun , the Crown Prince , by pointing out that he was not the son of Empress Wei. Sometimes she even called him a "slave". She often suggested to Emperor Zhongzong that he remove Li Chongjun and make her crown princess. In the summer of 707, Li Chongjun's patience broke and he started a rebellion with Mohe General Li Duozuo and Emperor Zhongzong's cousin Li Qianli ( Chinese 李 千里 ), the prince of Cheng. The first to be killed were Wu Sansi and Wu Chongxun. He then attacked the palace to arrest her consort of Shangguan. Shangguan, Empress Wei, Li Guo'er, and Emperor Zhongzong were protected by the Imperial Guards. When Li Chongjun hesitated to decide what to do next, his strength collapsed, and he and his troops were killed.

Meanwhile, Emperor Wife Shangguan's nephew Wang Yu ( Chinese 王昱 ) had warned her through her mother, Dame Zheng, that her continued collaboration with the Wus and Empress Wei would ultimately bring bad luck to her and her clan. Emperor's consort Shangguan initially took no notice of her. But after Li Chongjun directly requested her capture during the coup attempt of 707, she became cautious and began to distance herself from Li Guo'er and Empress Wei. She turned more to Emperor Zhongzong's sister Princess Taiping. Regardless of this, she and her mother became Lady Zheng along with Li Guo'er, Empress Wei, the court ladies Chai and Helou, the sorceress Diwu Ying'er ( Chinese 第五 英 兒 ) and Dame Zhao von Longxi is described as a powerful and corrupt lady at court who sold government offices at their own discretion. Emperor Consort Shangguan and the other Emperor Consort even are said to have built villas outside the palace against the rules.

In 708, Emperor Zhongzong established an imperial academy with four imperial scholars, eight assistant scholars and twelve associate scholars with the aim of selecting officials with literary talent to serve as imperial scholars. He often held festivals that also served as literary competitions, and he appointed Emperor Wife Shangguan as a judge at these competitions. Later that year he promoted her to the rank of Zhaorong , the sixth rank among the imperial ring consorts . In addition to the poems she wrote under her own name, she is said to have written poems on behalf of Emperor Zhongzong, Empress Weis, Li Guo'er's and Li Guo'er's sister, Princess Changnings. The poems are said to have been recited beautifully and often by the people who heard them.

In the spring of 709, Emperor's wife Shangguan had an affair with officials Cui Shi and recommended him as Chancellor because of this relationship. Emperor Zhongzong agreed. During the summer, Cui and another Chancellor, Zheng Yin , were charged with corruption. As a result, Cui was transferred to Jiang Prefecture ( Chinese 江州 , roughly today's Jiujiang , Jiangxi ) as a military advisor to the prefect . Emperor's consort Shangguan, Li Guo'er and Li Guo'er's new husband Wu Yanxiu ( Chinese 武延秀 ) secretly advocated him and Emperor Zhongzong instead appointed Cui prefect of Xiang Prefecture ( Chinese 襄州 , roughly today's Xiangfan , Hubei ). Zheng, who had been demoted and sentenced to Ji Prefecture ( Chinese 吉 州 , roughly today's Ji'an , Jiangxi), instead became military adviser to the prefectural Jiang Prefecture.

death

In the fall of 710, Emperor Zhongzong died suddenly - a death that historians traditionally claim was poisoning by Empress Wei and Li Guo'er in order to allow Empress Wei to expand her power and soon ascend the throne and Li Guo ' to make him crown princess. After Emperor Zhongzong's death, Empress Wei, who initially kept the death secret, tried to consolidate her power, while Emperor Wife Shangguan and Princess Taiping conferred to posthumously write a will for Emperor Zhongzong. According to their plan, Emperor Zhongzong's youngest son Li Chongmao , Prince of Wen, would inherit the throne; Empress Wei was to serve as empress mother and imperial administrator , assisted by Li Dan, Prince of Xiang (the former Emperor Ruizong). When this was proclaimed, two chancellors allied closely with Empress Wei, her cousin Wei Wen and Zong Chuke , contested the will and requested a revision. The imperial widow Wei became sole administrator for Li Chongmao (Emperor Shang), without Li Dan participating in her government.

Meanwhile, Zong, Wu Yanxiu and other officials such as Zhao Lüwen ( Chinese 趙 履 溫 ) and Ye Jingneng ( Chinese 葉靜 能 ) campaigned for the widow Emperor Wei to ascend the throne. They also believed that Li Dan and Princess Taiping were in the way and should be eliminated. The official Cui Riyong betrayed their plans to Li Dan's son Li Longji , Prince of Linzi, and Li Longji worked with Princess Taiping and her son Xue Chongjian ( Chinese 薛崇簡 ) immediately a plan to retain the reins in his hand. Less than a month after Emperor Zhongzong's death, they launched a coup d'état, quickly killing Empress Wei, Li Guo'er, and Empress Wei's family members. When Li Longji's soldiers, under the command of his ally Liu Youqiu, arrived at the pavilion where Empress Shangguan was living, she came out to greet Liu and Li Longji. She presented them with the original will of Emperor Zhongzong that she had drafted and asked for mercy. However, Li Longji refused her grace, and she was dragged out and beheaded.

Posthumous recognition

Soon after, Emperor Shang was driven from the throne on the recommendation of Princess Taiping, Li Longji and Li Longji's brother Li Chengqi, Prince of Song, and Li Dan ascended the throne again. In 711, he restored Shangguan's title as Zhaorong and awarded her the posthumous title of Wenhui ("polite and kind"). Some time later, Emperor Ruizong passed the throne to Li Longji, who ascended him as Emperor Xuanzong. Emperor Xuanzong ordered that the Emperor's wife of Shangguan's works should be combined in a 20-volume collection and had Chancellor Zhang Yue write the introduction to this collection.

tomb

In September 2013, it was announced that archaeologists in China had discovered the Shangguan Wan'er Tomb near Xianyang Airport , Shaanxi . The crypt was badly damaged, probably deliberately, as the Chinese archaeologists put it. Few grave goods were discovered inside, including some equestrian sculptures. The identity of the person buried was determined by means of an epitaph from the inside of the grave. It bears the inscription "Epitaph of the later Emperor's Consort (Zhaorong) Madam Shangguan of the Great Tang Dynasty" ( Chinese 大唐 故 昭容 上官 氏 銘 ) on its cover.

Notes and individual references

1. ↑ Historical sources suggest that Shangguan Wan'er was a child when her grandfather Shangguan Yi and father Shangguan Tingzhi were killed in the winter of 664. This may, but does not have to mean, she was born in 664. See the Old Book of Tang . tape 51 , 945 (Chinese, original title: 旧 唐 书 .). and New Book by Tang . tape 76 , 1044 (Chinese, original title: 新唐书 .). in Shanzhou
2. ↑ “ Far more influential in her day than any of these [Xue Tao, Yu Xuanji, Li Ye], though barely two dozen of her poems are now preserved, what the elegant Shangguan Wan'er (approx. 664-710), granddaughter of the executed courtier and poet Shangguan Yi (? –665) who had paid the ultimate price for opposing empress Wu Zhao's (625–705) usurpation of imperial privileges. ”(Paul W. Kroll: The Life and Writings of Xu Hui (627-650), Worthy Consort, at the Early Tang Court . In: Asia Major. Third Series . Band 22 , no. 2 , 2009 (English). , German: “Much more influential in her time than one of the others [Xue Tao, Yu Xuanji, Li Ye], although only two dozen of her poems have survived, was the elegant Shangguan Wan'er (approx. 664–710), granddaughter of executed courtier and poet Shangguan Yi (? -665), who paid the ultimate price for resisting Empress Wu Zhao's (625-705) wrongful appropriation of imperial privileges. ")
3. ^ Paul W. Kroll: The Life and Writings of Xu Hui (627-650), Worthy Consort, at the Early Tang Court . In: Asia Major. Third Series . tape 22 , no. 2 , 2009, p. 35 (English).
4. ↑ ARCHEOLOGY: From the slave to the confidante of the empress. In: DER SPIEGEL 39/2013. September 21, 2013, accessed November 20, 2015 . 
5. ↑ Tomb discovered by Empress Wu's secretary. In: german.china.org.cn. September 13, 2013, accessed November 20, 2015 . 

Web links

Wikisource: Shangguan Wan'er  - Sources and full texts (Chinese)

Note: This article places the family name before the person's first name. This is the usual order in Chinese. Shangguan is the family name here, Wan'er is the first name.