Lady Xiahou
夏侯氏
Born180s
Diedafter 219
SpouseZhang Fei
IssueUnknown[lower-alpha 1]
HouseXiahou clan
DynastyShu Han
FatherXiahou Yuan's brother

Lady Xiahou (夏侯氏, 180s – after 219) or Xiahouji (夏侯姫) was a Chinese noble woman of the Xiahou clan of the Cao Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period. She was the niece of Xiahou Yuan, a famous general of the warlord Cao Cao. She married Zhang Fei, a general of the Liu Bei, founder of the state of Shu Han. She had one daughter who became empress of the state of Shu.[1]

Life

In 200, Xiahou was thirteen or fourteen years old by East Asian age reckoning, and was captured by Zhang Fei when she went out to collect firewood in the local area of Qiao County (譙郡). Zhang Fei discovered that she was a woman from a good family and married her.[2]

Her origins and the exact circumstances of her abduction and marriage, including her feelings on the matter, are not clearly known. She was from the Xiahou clan which was one of the main maintainers of the state of Cao Wei which was a rival of what would become the state of Shu Han that Zhang Fei would serve. There are anecdotes that say that Xiahou Yuan abandoned his son for a year to save his late brother's daughter; it is unknown if that person would be Lady Xiahou.[3]

Lady Xiahou bore one daughter who became empress of the state of Shu Han.[2]

In 219, Xiahou Yuan was killed in battle between Cao Cao and Liu Bei during the Battle of Hanzhong. When Lady Xiahou learned of this, she requested them to take his remains and bury him with dignity.[2]

When, in 249, after the Gaoping Tombs Incident took place in Cao Wei, Xiahou Ba, cousin of Lady Xiahou and son of Xiahou Yuan, defected to Shu Han. Xiahou Ba was displeased with Cao Wei's status when Sima Yi had Cao Shuang killed and exiled many Cao family loyalists, including members of the Xiahou clan. Xiahou Ba went to Chengdu asking Emperor Liu Shan to serve the state of Shu. He was given special treatment and accepted due to being Lady Xiahou's cousin and Empress Zhang's uncle.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ It is not recorded which of the daughters (the elder or the younger) of Zhang Fei was the mother of the boy that Liu Shan commented was related to Xiahou Ba.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Chen and Pei 429, p. 907
  2. 1 2 3 4 Yu 265: "初，建安五年，時霸從妹年十三四，在本郡，出行樵採，爲張飛所得。飛知其良家女，遂以爲妻，產息女，爲劉禪皇后。故淵之初亡，飛妻請而葬之。及霸入蜀，禪與相見，釋之曰：「卿父自遇害於行間耳，非我先人之手刃也。」指其兒子以示之曰：「此夏侯氏之甥也。」厚加爵寵。" Cited in Chen and Pei 429, 9.273
  3. ↑ Yu 265: "時兖、豫大亂，淵以饑乏，棄其幼子，而活亡弟孤女。" Cited in Chen and Pei 429, 9.270

Sources

  • Chen Shou (1977) [429]. Pei Songzhi (ed.). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms 三國志注. Taipei: Dingwen Printing.
  • Yu Huan (265). Weilüe 魏略.


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