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Yin Lihua
Yin Lihua (simplified Chinese: 阴丽花; traditional Chinese: 陰麗華; pinyin: Yīn Lìhuā; 5–26 February 64 AD), formally Empress Guanglie (光烈皇后), was an empress during the Eastern Han dynasty. She was the second empress of her husband Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu), even though she was his first wife and married him before his first empress, Guo Shengtong. She was famed for her beauty and meekness. (Her posthumous name started a trend for the rest of the Eastern Han, where empresses' posthumous names were formed not just from their husbands' posthumous names, as was customary during the preceding Western Han, but used part of their husbands' posthumous names along with an additional descriptive character.)
Yin Lihua was born and grew up in Nanyang Commandery (roughly modern Nanyang, Henan) -- the same commandery that her eventual husband came from. While they were young, he was enamored with her beauty. According to Hou Han Shu, when Liu Xiu was visiting the capital Chang'an, he became impressed with the mayor of the capital (zhijinyu, 執金吾) and, already impressed by Yin's beauty, he made the remarks: "If I were to be an official, I want to be zhijinyu; if I were to marry, I want to marry Yin Lihua".
Yin's father Yin Mu (阴睦) died early when she was six. Her mother's family name was Deng (鄧). She had at least four brothers—Yin Xing (陰興), Yin Jiu (陰就), Yin Shi (陰識), and Yin Xin (陰訢). Yin Xing and Yin Xin were born of the same mother as she; Yin Shi was born of her father's previous wife; it is not clear who was the mother of Yin Jiu. According to Hou Han Shu, the Yins were descended from the famed Spring and Autumn period Qi prime minister Guan Zhong.
In 23, while Liu Xiu was an official in the newly reestablished Han government of Gengshi Emperor, he was married to Yin Lihua. Later, when he was dispatched by Gengshi Emperor to the region north of the Yellow River, she returned home.
Liu Xiu eventually broke away from Gengshi Emperor, and he proclaimed himself emperor of Han in 25 (as Emperor Guangwu). Later that year, when he captured Luoyang to be his capital, he dispatched subordinates to bring Yin to the capital and made her an imperial consort. At that time, however, he was also married to Guo Shengtong, the niece of the regional warlord Liu Yang (劉楊), the Prince of Zhending, and Guo had given birth to a son, Liu Jiang (劉疆).
In 26, Emperor Guangwu was prepared to create an empress, and he favored his first love, Consort Yin. However, Consort Yin had not yet had a son by that point, and she declined the empress position and endorsed Consort Guo. Emperor Guangwu therefore made Guo empress and her son Prince Jiang crown prince.
In 28, Consort Yin gave birth to her first-born son, Liu Yang (劉陽, not to be confused with Empress Guo's uncle).
In 33, Lady Deng and Yin Xin were killed by robbers. Emperor Guangwu greatly mourned them, and he made Yin Jiu a marquess and tried to make Yin Xing a marquess as well, but the humble Yin Xing declined and further instructed Consort Yin to be always humble and not seeking to honor her relatives. She took the advice to heart.
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Yin Lihua
Yin Lihua (simplified Chinese: 阴丽花; traditional Chinese: 陰麗華; pinyin: Yīn Lìhuā; 5–26 February 64 AD), formally Empress Guanglie (光烈皇后), was an empress during the Eastern Han dynasty. She was the second empress of her husband Emperor Guangwu (Liu Xiu), even though she was his first wife and married him before his first empress, Guo Shengtong. She was famed for her beauty and meekness. (Her posthumous name started a trend for the rest of the Eastern Han, where empresses' posthumous names were formed not just from their husbands' posthumous names, as was customary during the preceding Western Han, but used part of their husbands' posthumous names along with an additional descriptive character.)
Yin Lihua was born and grew up in Nanyang Commandery (roughly modern Nanyang, Henan) -- the same commandery that her eventual husband came from. While they were young, he was enamored with her beauty. According to Hou Han Shu, when Liu Xiu was visiting the capital Chang'an, he became impressed with the mayor of the capital (zhijinyu, 執金吾) and, already impressed by Yin's beauty, he made the remarks: "If I were to be an official, I want to be zhijinyu; if I were to marry, I want to marry Yin Lihua".
Yin's father Yin Mu (阴睦) died early when she was six. Her mother's family name was Deng (鄧). She had at least four brothers—Yin Xing (陰興), Yin Jiu (陰就), Yin Shi (陰識), and Yin Xin (陰訢). Yin Xing and Yin Xin were born of the same mother as she; Yin Shi was born of her father's previous wife; it is not clear who was the mother of Yin Jiu. According to Hou Han Shu, the Yins were descended from the famed Spring and Autumn period Qi prime minister Guan Zhong.
In 23, while Liu Xiu was an official in the newly reestablished Han government of Gengshi Emperor, he was married to Yin Lihua. Later, when he was dispatched by Gengshi Emperor to the region north of the Yellow River, she returned home.
Liu Xiu eventually broke away from Gengshi Emperor, and he proclaimed himself emperor of Han in 25 (as Emperor Guangwu). Later that year, when he captured Luoyang to be his capital, he dispatched subordinates to bring Yin to the capital and made her an imperial consort. At that time, however, he was also married to Guo Shengtong, the niece of the regional warlord Liu Yang (劉楊), the Prince of Zhending, and Guo had given birth to a son, Liu Jiang (劉疆).
In 26, Emperor Guangwu was prepared to create an empress, and he favored his first love, Consort Yin. However, Consort Yin had not yet had a son by that point, and she declined the empress position and endorsed Consort Guo. Emperor Guangwu therefore made Guo empress and her son Prince Jiang crown prince.
In 28, Consort Yin gave birth to her first-born son, Liu Yang (劉陽, not to be confused with Empress Guo's uncle).
In 33, Lady Deng and Yin Xin were killed by robbers. Emperor Guangwu greatly mourned them, and he made Yin Jiu a marquess and tried to make Yin Xing a marquess as well, but the humble Yin Xing declined and further instructed Consort Yin to be always humble and not seeking to honor her relatives. She took the advice to heart.