Empress Xiaodexian

Empress Xiaodexian
Born	(1831-04-12)12 April 1831 (道みち光こう十じゅう一いち年ねん 三さん月がつ 一いち日にち)
Died	24 January 1850(1850-01-24) (aged 18) (道みち光こう二に十じゅう九きゅう年ねん 十二月じゅうにがつ 十じゅう二に日にち)
Burial	Ding Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs
Spouse	Xianfeng Emperor ​ ​ (m. 1848⁠–⁠1850)​
Posthumous name Empress Xiaode Wenhui Chengshun Cizhuang Keshen Huiyi Gongtian Zansheng Xian (孝德たかのり溫ぬる惠めぐみ誠まこと順じゅん慈莊恪つとむ慎まき徽懿恭きょう天てん贊さん聖きよし顯あらわ皇后こうごう)
House	Sakda (薩克達たち; by birth) Aisin Gioro (by marriage)
Father	Futai (富とみ泰やすし)
Mother	Lady Aisin Gioro

Empress Xiaodexian
Traditional Chinese	孝德たかのり顯あきら皇后こうごう
Simplified Chinese	孝德たかのり显皇后こうごう
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiàodéxiǎn Huánghòu

Empress Xiaodexian (12 April 1831 – 24 January 1850), of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Sakda clan, was a consort of the Xianfeng Emperor.

Life

Family background

Empress Xiaodexian's personal name was not recorded in history. Her family originally belonged to the Bordered Blue Banner.

• Father: Futai (富とみ泰やすし), served as a fourth rank literary official (少しょう卿きょう) in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and held the title of a duke (公おおやけ)
  • Paternal grandfather: Qichang (祺昌)
  • Paternal grandmother: Lady Nara
• Mother: Lady Aisin Gioro
  • Maternal grandfather: Ulgungga (烏がらす爾しか恭きょう阿おもね; 1778–1846), held the title Prince Zheng of the First Rank from 1794–1846, Jirgalang's great great great great grandson
  • Maternal uncle: Duanhua (1807–1861), held the title Prince Zheng of the First Rank from 1846–1861, the maternal grandfather of Empress Xiaozheyi (1854–1875)
• One sister
• One younger brother

Daoguang era

The future Empress Xiaodexian was born on the first day of the third lunar month in the 11th year of the reign of the Daoguang Emperor, which translates to 12 April 1831 in the Gregorian calendar.

In 1847, Lady Sakda married Yizhu, the fourth son of the Daoguang Emperor, and became Yizhu's primary consort. She died in January 1850.

Xianfeng era

About a month after her death, the Daoguang Emperor died and was succeeded by Yizhu, who became the Xianfeng Emperor. As the Xianfeng Emperor's primary consort, Lady Sakda was posthumously honoured as Empress, and was interred in the Ding Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs.

Titles

• During the reign of the Daoguang Emperor (r. 1820–1850):
  • Lady Sakda (from 12 April 1831)
  • Primary consort (嫡福晉すすむ; from 31 March 1848)
• During the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1850–1861):
  • Empress Xiaode (孝德たかのり皇后こうごう; from 30 November 1850)
• During the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor (r. 1861–1875):
  • Empress Xiaodexian (孝德たかのり顯あきら皇后こうごう; from December 1861 or January 1862)

See also

• Ranks of imperial consorts in China#Qing
• Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty

References

• Seagrave, Sterling; Seagrave, Peggy (1992). Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Illustrated ed.). Knopf. ISBN 9780679402305.
• Wan, Yi; Shuqing, Wang; Yanzhen, Lu; Scott, Rosemary E. (1988). Daily Life in the Forbidden City: The Qing Dynasty, 1644-1912 (Illustrated ed.). Viking. ISBN 0670811645.
• Zhao, Erxun (1928). Draft History of Qing (Qing Shi Gao) (in Chinese).