empress dowager

Empress Dowager (Chinese and Japanese: 皇太后; Chinese pinyin Hang Ti Hu, Japanese pronunciation: Kōtaigō) was title given to the mother of a Chinese emperor. The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand Empress Dowager. Numerous empress dowagers held regency during the reign of an underage emperor. Many of the most prominent empress dowagers also extended their control for long periods after the emperor was old enough to govern. This was a source of political turmoil according to traditional view of Chinese history.

Chronological list of famous Chinese empress dowagers

Han dynasty

Northern Dynasties

Tang Dynasty

Empress Dowager Wu, more commonly known as Wu Zetian
Empress Dowager Wei, daughter-in-law of Wu Zetian.

Qing Dynasty

Empress Dowager

Chronological list of famous Chinese empress dowagers

See also