Empress Xiaoquancheng


Empress Xiaoquancheng, of the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan, was a consort of the Daoguang Emperor. She was 26 years his junior.

Life

Family background

Empress Xiaoquancheng's personal name was not recorded in history. Her family originally belonged to the Plain Red Banner.
The future Empress Xiaoquancheng was born on the 28th day of the second lunar month in the 13th year of the reign of the Jiaqing Emperor, which translates to 24 March 1808 in the Gregorian calendar. She spent her early youth in Suzhou.

Daoguang era

In 1821, Lady Niohuru entered the Forbidden City and was granted the title "Noble Lady Quan" by the Daoguang Emperor. She was elevated on 28 December 1822 to "Concubine Quan", and on 26 December 1823 to "Consort Quan". On 8 April 1825, she gave birth to the emperor's third daughter, Princess Duanshun of the First Rank, who would die prematurely on 27 December 1835.
On 30 May 1825, Lady Niohuru was elevated to "Noble Consort Quan". She gave birth on 12 May 1826 to the emperor's fourth daughter, Princess Shou'an of the First Rank, and on 17 July 1831 to his fourth son, Yizhu. Reports on her pregnancy in 1831 suggest that the bulk of the medical attention she received was during the last five weeks, when a physician and a midwife were in constant attendance to await the onset of labour.
The Daoguang Emperor's first empress consort, Empress Xiaoshencheng, died on 16 June 1833, and Lady Niohuru was placed in charge of the emperor's harem, making her the de facto Empress. On 28 September 1833, during the Mid Autumn Festival, Lady Niohuru was elevated to "Imperial Noble Consort". On 18 November 1834, Lady Niohuru was officially instated as the new Empress.
Lady Niohuru died on 13 February 1840. Her exact cause of death was not recorded in history. On 2 May 1840, she was granted the posthumous title "Empress Xiaoquan". On 20 November 1840, she was interred in the Mu Mausoleum of the Western Qing tombs.

Xianfeng era

The Daoguang Emperor died on 26 February 1850 and was succeeded by Yizhu, who was enthroned as the Xianfeng Emperor. On 26 October 1850, he honoured his mother with the posthumous title "Empress Xiaoquancheng".

Titles

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