Atossa Shahbanu
Atossa Shahbanu

Atossa Shahbanu – Princess, thrice a Queen, and Queen Mother of the first Persian Empire

Queen Atossa Shahbanu was the daughter of King Cyrus the Great. She was Queen to three Persian Kings: King Cambyses II, the False Smerdis, and King Darius the Great. She was also Queen Mother of King Xerxes I. Queen Atossa Shahbanu wielded immense political influence in the first Persian Empire. Thus, Queen Atossa Shahbanu played an [read more]

China

Empress Xiaoyichun – The third Empress of the Qianlong Emperor and mother of the Jiaqing Emperor

Empress Xiaoyichun was the third Empress of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty. She was sixteen years younger than Emperor Qianlong.[1] While she was not appointed Empress during her lifetime, she was posthumously made an Empress because her son was Emperor Jiaqing of the Qing Dynasty.[2] Empress Xiaoyichun was originally a palace maid and became [read more]

Empress Xu
China

Empress Xu – The deposed Empress who was blamed for causing a total solar eclipse because of her childlessness

Empress Xu was the first Empress of Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty. She initially had Emperor Cheng’s love.[1] However, she did not produce a son and was blamed for natural disasters that occurred frequently throughout the empire.[2] Her husband eventually saw her as a great calamity because of her barrenness and no longer loved [read more]

Empress Wang of the Xin Dynasty
China

Empress Wang of the Xin Dynasty- The first Empress of Emperor Wang Mang the Usurper who killed three of their own children for power

Empress Wang of the Xin Dynasty was one of China’s most miserable Empresses. She was the first Empress of Emperor Wang Mang of the Xin Dynasty. She bore Emperor Wang Mang four sons. Yet, Emperor Wang Mang killed three of them for the sake of power.[1] Emperor Wang Mang destroyed his own family to gain [read more]

Grand Empress Dowager Qiongcheng
China

Grand Empress Dowager Qiongcheng – The unfavoured Empress who became a respected Empress Dowager

Grand Empress Dowager Qiongcheng was the third Empress of Emperor Xuan of the Western Han Dynasty. She was never favoured by Emperor Xuan. However, Grand Empress Dowager Qiongcheng established a close bond with Emperor Yuan. She would be highly regarded by two Emperors who would reward her for her virtue. The birthdate of Grand Empress [read more]