Yin (He)

Empress Yin ( Chinese  陰 皇后 , Pinyin Yīn Huánghòu , birth name unknown; † probably 102 ) was an empress of the Han dynasty . She was the first wife of Emperor He .

She was the daughter of Yin Gang, the grandson of Emperor Guangwu's brother 's wife, Empress Yin Lihua , Yin Shi. Yin was made an imperial concubine in 92 and became one of Emperor He's favorite wives. It is described as beautiful but gruff and awkward. Often she is said to have been unable to perform the imperial ceremonies with due grace. She is also said to have been very arrogant because of her noble parentage.

In 96 Emperor He made her empress. In 97 he made her father Yin Gang Marquis of Wufang .

Over the years, Empress Yin lost her husband's affection because she was violently jealous of his concubine Deng Sui , who in turn was of noble parentage. Unlike the empress, Deng Sui is described as submissive and peaceful.

Once when Emperor He fell ill, Empress Yin dropped the remark that as Empress Dowager she would one day wipe out the Deng clan. When Deng Sui heard this, she wanted to kill herself, but one of her servants told her that the emperor had already recovered, even if that was a lie at the time. Soon this really happened and Deng Sui and her family escaped a cruel fate.

In 102, Empress Yin and her grandmother, Deng Zhu, were charged with witchcraft against the concubines. Deng Zhu and Empress Yin's brother Yin Fu died under interrogation and torture. Empress Yin was deposed, and her father, Yin Gang, killed himself. The rest of her clan were banished. She probably died of grief later that year. After her removal, Deng Sui was made empress.

predecessor	Office	successor
Dou	Empress of China 96–102	Deng Sui