Empress Zhang

Empress Zhang (張皇后, personal name unknown ) (died March 27, 913 ) was the wife and empress of Zhu Yougui, who reigned briefly (from 912 to 913) as the emperor of the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period state Later Liang.

Prior to Zhu Yougui's becoming emperor Virtually nothing is known about the future Empress Zhang's family background. She was already Zhu Yougui's wife when he was the Prince of Ying under his father, the founding emperor Emperor Taizu. Late in Emperor Taizu's reign, he was licentious, and when his daughters-in-law attended to him, he often had sexual relations with them, including Lady Zhang. However, he particularly favored Lady Zhang's sister-in-law Lady Wang, the wife of his adoptive son Zhu Youwen the Prince of Bo, who was then the defender of the eastern capital Daliang (with the main capital at Luoyang), such that he considered Zhu Youwen, whom he also personally favored, as his logical heir, causing Zhu Yougui, who was his oldest surviving biological son, to be jealous of Zhu Youwen. In any case, in spring 913, Emperor Taizu's nephew, the imperial guard general Yuan Xiangxian, who had formed a plot with Zhu Youzhen and Zhu Youzhen's (and Zhu Yougui's) brother-in-law Zhao Yan, rose against Zhu Yougui at Luoyang and attacked the palace with his soldiers. Zhu Yougui, Empress Zhang, and Feng tried to flee the palace but, when they saw that there was no escape, Zhu Yougui ordered Feng to kill Empress Zhang, then Zhu Yougui, and then himself. Yuan and Zhao then offered the throne to Zhu Youzhen, who accepted it. He posthumously demoted Zhu Yougui to commoner status.

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