Empress Xiaodexian

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

Empress Xiao De Xian
Empress of Qing Dynasty
Reign	1848-1850
Predecessor	Empress Xiao Quan Cheng
Successor	Empress Xiao Zhen Xian
Born	12 April 1831 (道光十一年 三月 一日)
Died	24 January 1850 (aged 18) (道光二十九年 十二月 十二日)
Burial	Ding Mausoleum, Eastern Qing tombs
Spouse	Xianfeng Emperor ​ ​ (m. 1848⁠–⁠1850)​
Posthumous name Empress Xiaode Wenhui Chengshun Cizhuang Keshen Huiyi Gongtian Zansheng Xian (孝德溫惠誠順慈莊恪慎徽懿恭天贊聖顯皇后 孝德温惠诚顺慈庄恪慎徽懿恭天赞圣显皇后)
House	Sakda (薩克達; by birth) Aisin Gioro (by marriage)
Father	Futai (富泰)
Mother	Lady Aisin Gioro

Empress Xiaodexian
Traditional Chinese	孝德顯皇后
Simplified Chinese	孝德显皇后
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiàodéxiǎn Huánghòu

Life

Family background

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

• Father: Futai (富泰), served as a fourth rank literary official (少卿) in the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and held the title of a duke (公)
  • Paternal grandfather: Qichang (祺昌)
  • Paternal grandmother: Lady Nara
• Mother: Lady Aisin Gioro
  • Maternal grandfather: Ulgungga (烏爾恭阿; 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; from 31 March 1848[1])
• During the reign of the Xianfeng Emperor (r. 1850–1861):
  • Empress Xiaode (孝德皇后; from 30 November 1850[2])
• During the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor (r. 1861–1875):
  • Empress Xiaodexian (孝德顯皇后; from December 1861 or January 1862[3])

See also

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

Notes

1. 道光二十八年 二月 二十七日
2. 道光三十年 十月 二十七日
3. 咸豐十一年 十二月

References

• Seagrave, Sterling; Seagrave, Peggy (1992). Dragon Lady: The Life and Legend of the Last Empress of China (Illustrated ed.). Knopf.
• 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).