Princess Pingyang (Chinese: 平陽公主; pinyin: Píngyáng Gōngzhǔ, formally Princess Zhao of Pingyang (平陽昭公主, 590s – March 623) was a Chinese princess and general.
She was the only daughter of Li Yuan (later enthroned as Emperor Gaozu), the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty, and his wife Empress Taimu. She helped him to seize power and eventually take over the throne from Sui dynasty by organizing an "Army of the Lady" (娘子軍), commanded by herself, in her campaign to capture the Sui capital Chang'an. She was the first woman general of the Tang dynasty.
The future Princess Pingyang was the third daughter of Li Yuan, Duke of Tang, a hereditary nobleman of Sui China. She was his third daughter, but the only daughter of his wife Duchess Dou, who also bore four sons -- Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin (later Emperor Taizong), Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji. Eventually, Li Yuan gave her in marriage to Chai Shao, the son of Chai Shen (柴慎) the Duke of Julu.
In 617, Li Yuan, then the general in charge at Taiyuan was planning to rebel against Emperor Yang of Sui, by whom he had been imprisoned before. He sent messengers to his daughter and son-in-law Chai Shao, then at the Sui capital Chang'an, summoning them back to Taiyuan. Chai worried that they would not be able to escape together easily, and when he consulted her, she told him to go and that she, as a woman, would be able to hide more easily. He therefore secretly headed for Taiyuan and, after first meeting Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, whom Li Yuan had similarly recalled from Hedong (Chinese: 河東, now part of Yuncheng, Shanxi), reported to Taiyuan.
Pingyang hid initially, but then distributed her wealth to several hundred men, receiving their loyalty, so she rose in support of Li Yuan. She sent her servant Ma Sanbao (馬三寶) to persuade the agrarian rebel leader He Panren (何潘仁) to join her, and then also persuaded other rebel leaders Li Zhongwen (李仲文), Xiang Shanzhi (向善志), and Qiu Shili (丘師利) to join her as well. She attacked and captured some of the nearby cities, and she gathered a total of 70,000 men.[2]
Late in 617, Li Yuan crossed the Yellow River into the Chang'an region, and he sent Chai Shao to rendezvous with her. They then joined Li Shimin, commanding one wing of Li Yuan's army. Chai and she set up separate headquarters as commanding generals, and her army became known as the "Army of the Lady." In June 618, Li Yuan had Emperor Yang's grandson Yang You yield the throne to him, establishing the Tang dynasty as Emperor Gaozu. He created her the Princess Pingyang, and as she contributed greatly to his victory, he particularly honored her over his 18 other daughters.
Death
The Princess Pingyang, however, was not recorded as having been involved in another battle after her father's capture of Chang'an; she later died in March 623.[3] While historians do not know the true cause of her death, one popular theory is that she died from childbirth, during the birth of her second son. An alternative theory is that she died from battle wounds which later caused health implications.[4] There is speculation of various other causes including assassination from her brothers and sacrifice during battle, however these seem improbable, especially considering there were no records of her fighting after Chang’an. At her funeral on 18 March 623,[5] Emperor Gaozu ordered that a grand military funeral, fit for a high general, be given for her. When officials of the Ministry of Rites objected to the presence of a band, stating that women's funerals were not supposed to have bands, he responded, "As you know, the princess mustered an army that helped us overthrow the Sui dynasty. She participated in many battles, and her help was decisive in founding the Tang dynasty. ... She was no ordinary woman."[2]. The band did indeed play, thus making her the only woman in feudal Chinese history to be honored with a military funeral. After she passed Niangzi Pass was named in her honor, also known as Lady’s Pass, or Young Lady’s Pass.
Issue
Princess Pingyang and her husband, Chai Shao, had two sons:
Chai Zhewei 柴哲威, titled Duke of Qiao
Chai Lingwu 柴令武 (died 653), titled Duke of Xiangyang, married Emperor Taizong's daughter Princess Baling (巴陵公主)
^While the birth year of the princess was not recorded in historical sources, it is known that she was younger than Li Jiancheng, but older than Li Shimin.
^Vol. 190 of Zizhi Tongjian placed Lady Li's death between the jiayin day (14 March) and the wuwu day (her funeral) of the 2nd month of the 6th year of the Wu'de era.
Princess Pingyang of Tang Dynasty — An Honorable Lady with Exceptional Military Achievement, Retrieved 2023-04-26.
June 02, 2023
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This article is about the Tang Dynasty princess For the Han Dynasty princess see Princess Pingyang Han dynasty Princess Pingyang Chinese 平陽公主 pinyin Pingyang Gōngzhǔ formally Princess Zhao of Pingyang 平陽昭公主 590s March 623 was a Chinese princess and general Princess Zhao of PingyangBornBetween 589 and 598 1 DiedMarch 623SpouseChai Shao 柴紹 IssueChai Zhewei Duke of Qiao 柴哲威 Chai Lingwu Duke of Xiangyang 柴令武 Posthumous nameZhao 昭 FatherEmperor Gaozu of TangMotherEmpress TaimuShe was the only daughter of Li Yuan later enthroned as Emperor Gaozu the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty and his wife Empress Taimu She helped him to seize power and eventually take over the throne from Sui dynasty by organizing an Army of the Lady 娘子軍 commanded by herself in her campaign to capture the Sui capital Chang an She was the first woman general of the Tang dynasty Contents 1 Background 2 Participation in Tang s founding 3 Death 4 Issue 5 Ancestry 6 Notes 7 ReferencesBackground EditThe future Princess Pingyang was the third daughter of Li Yuan Duke of Tang a hereditary nobleman of Sui China She was his third daughter but the only daughter of his wife Duchess Dou who also bore four sons Li Jiancheng Li Shimin later Emperor Taizong Li Xuanba and Li Yuanji Eventually Li Yuan gave her in marriage to Chai Shao the son of Chai Shen 柴慎 the Duke of Julu She is not to be confused with another Princess Pingyang in the Western Han dynasty Participation in Tang s founding EditIn 617 Li Yuan then the general in charge at Taiyuan was planning to rebel against Emperor Yang of Sui by whom he had been imprisoned before He sent messengers to his daughter and son in law Chai Shao then at the Sui capital Chang an summoning them back to Taiyuan Chai worried that they would not be able to escape together easily and when he consulted her she told him to go and that she as a woman would be able to hide more easily He therefore secretly headed for Taiyuan and after first meeting Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji whom Li Yuan had similarly recalled from Hedong Chinese 河東 now part of Yuncheng Shanxi reported to Taiyuan Pingyang hid initially but then distributed her wealth to several hundred men receiving their loyalty so she rose in support of Li Yuan She sent her servant Ma Sanbao 馬三寶 to persuade the agrarian rebel leader He Panren 何潘仁 to join her and then also persuaded other rebel leaders Li Zhongwen 李仲文 Xiang Shanzhi 向善志 and Qiu Shili 丘師利 to join her as well She attacked and captured some of the nearby cities and she gathered a total of 70 000 men 2 Late in 617 Li Yuan crossed the Yellow River into the Chang an region and he sent Chai Shao to rendezvous with her They then joined Li Shimin commanding one wing of Li Yuan s army Chai and she set up separate headquarters as commanding generals and her army became known as the Army of the Lady In June 618 Li Yuan had Emperor Yang s grandson Yang You yield the throne to him establishing the Tang dynasty as Emperor Gaozu He created her the Princess Pingyang and as she contributed greatly to his victory he particularly honored her over his 18 other daughters Death EditThe Princess Pingyang however was not recorded as having been involved in another battle after her father s capture of Chang an she later died in March 623 3 While historians do not know the true cause of her death one popular theory is that she died from childbirth during the birth of her second son An alternative theory is that she died from battle wounds which later caused health implications 4 There is speculation of various other causes including assassination from her brothers and sacrifice during battle however these seem improbable especially considering there were no records of her fighting after Chang an At her funeral on 18 March 623 5 Emperor Gaozu ordered that a grand military funeral fit for a high general be given for her When officials of the Ministry of Rites objected to the presence of a band stating that women s funerals were not supposed to have bands he responded As you know the princess mustered an army that helped us overthrow the Sui dynasty She participated in many battles and her help was decisive in founding the Tang dynasty She was no ordinary woman 2 The band did indeed play thus making her the only woman in feudal Chinese history to be honored with a military funeral After she passed Niangzi Pass was named in her honor also known as Lady s Pass or Young Lady s Pass Issue EditPrincess Pingyang and her husband Chai Shao had two sons Chai Zhewei 柴哲威 titled Duke of Qiao Chai Lingwu 柴令武 died 653 titled Duke of Xiangyang married Emperor Taizong s daughter Princess Baling 巴陵公主 Ancestry EditAncestors of Princess Pingyang16 Li Tianxi8 Li Hu Duke Xiang of Longxi17 Lady Jia4 Li Bing Duke Ren of Tang9 Duchess Liang2 Emperor Gaozu of Tang20 Dugu Ku10 General Dugu Xin5 Duchess Dugu11 Lady Cui1 Princess Zhao of Pingyang24 Dou Lue12 Dou Yue6 Dou Yi Duke of Shenwu3 Empress Taimushunsheng28 Yuwen Gong13 Yuwen Tai29 Lady Wang7 Princess Xiangyang of Northern ZhouNotes Edit While the birth year of the princess was not recorded in historical sources it is known that she was younger than Li Jiancheng but older than Li Shimin a b Peterson 2016 p 144 Vol 190 of Zizhi Tongjian placed Lady Li s death between the jiayin day 14 March and the wuwu day her funeral of the 2nd month of the 6th year of the Wu de era Princess Pingyang of Tang Dynasty wuwu day of the 2nd month of the 6th year of the Wu de era per vol 190 of Zizhi TongjianReferences EditPeterson Barbara Bennett 2016 Notable Women of China Shang Dynasty to the Early Twentieth Century Taylor amp Francis ISBN 978 1 317 46372 6 Old Book of Tang vol 58 1 New Book of Tang vol 83 2 Zizhi Tongjian vols 183 184 190 New World Encyclopedia contributors June 1 2015 Princess Pingyang New World Encyclopedia New World Encyclopedia Retrieved April 26 2023 Celebrities Princess Pingyang Retrieved 2023 04 26 Princess Pingyang of Tang Dynasty An Honorable Lady with Exceptional Military Achievement Retrieved 2023 04 26 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Princess Pingyang amp oldid 1157526352, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
