Empress Dowager Bian (卞太后, personal name unknown) (d. 230), formally Empress Wuxuan (武宣皇后, literally "the martial and knowing empress") was an empress dowager during the reign of her son Cao Pi and her grandson Cao Rui, the first two emperors of Cao Wei, the foundation of which was built by her husband Cao Cao, although he would never be emperor himself. She was Cao Cao's second wife. Events Pope Pontian succeeds Pope Urban I Patriarch Castinus succeeds Patriarch Ciriacus I as Patriarch of Constantinople Births Deaths Categories: 230 ... Empress Dowager (Chinese, Korean and Japanese: 皇太后; Chinese pinyin Húang Tài Hòu, Korean pronunciation: Hwang Tae Hu, Japanese pronunciation: Kōtaigō) was title given to the mother of a Chinese emperor. ... Cáo PÄ« (曹丕, 187 - 226), born in Qiao County, Pei presently Bozhou city in An Hui Province. ... Cao Rui, ch. ... Cao Cao (155 – 220), whose name is also often transliterated and should be correctly pronounced as Tsao Tsao, was a regional warlord and the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty in ancient China. ...

Family background and marriage to Cao Cao

It is not known when the future empress dowager was born. What is known is that she was from Langye Commandery (in modern southeastern Shandong), and that because her family was poor, she was a prostitute when she was young. When she was 19 (although it is not known which year that was), she became a concubine of Cao's. She bore him four sons -- Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Xiong. After the death of Cao Cao's oldest son Cao Ang, Cao Cao's wife Lady Ding (who was not Cao Ang's biological mother but adopted him as her own) was constantly mournful, and Cao Cao became so displeased that he divorced her. He then made Lady Bian his wife. In 219 (after Cao Cao had been created the Prince of Wei in 213), Emperor Xian of Han created her the Princess of Wei. She was known for her wisdom and humility. She was particularly praised for refusing to celebrate lavishly (as her attendants had suggested) when her son Cao Pi was made crown prince of the Principality of Wei in 217. Shandong (Simplified Chinese: 山东; Traditional Chinese: 山東; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... Prostitution is the sale of sexual services (typically manual stimulation, oral sex, sexual intercourse, or anal sex) for cash or other kind of return, generally indiscriminately with many persons. ... Concubinage is either the state of a couple living together as lovers with no obligation created by vows, legal marriage, or religious ceremony, or the state of a woman supported by a male lover who is married to, and usually living with, someone else. ... Cao Zhang (曹彰; styled Ziwen 子文) was a son of Cao Cao and a general of the Wei during the Three Kingdoms period in China. ... Cao Zhi (192 – 232) was a Chinese poet during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period. ... Cao Xiong was the son of the powerful warlord Cao Cao, and lived during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. ... Cao Ang (175 – 197) was the eldest son of the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. ... Events Legio III Gallica and IV Scythica are disbanded by Roman Emperor Elagabalus after their leaders, Verus and Gellius Maximus, rebel. ... Events Cao Cao, the prime minister of the Han dynasty, is given ten cities as his territories and the title Wei Gong (noble of Wei). ... Events Macrinus becomes Roman Emperor on the death of Caracalla. ...

As empress dowager

After Cao Cao died in 220, Cao Pi inherited his title as the Prince of Wei, and later that year forced Emperor Xian to abdicate in his favor, ending Han Dynasty and starting Cao Wei. Princess Dowager Bian became empress dowager. She was not much involved in her son's administration or in his campaigns against the rival Eastern Wu. She, in particular, refused to grant her family excessive wealth or titles, setting an example for the rest of Cao Wei's history. One incident that in which she engaged herself happened in 226, when Cao Pi wanted to execute Cao Cao's cousin Cao Hong due to grudges that they had previously. She, remembering the contributions that Cao Hong made -- including one occasion when he personally saved Cao Cao's life -- rebuked Cao Pi sufficiently that he spared Cao Hong's life, although Cao Hong's offices and titles were still stripped from him. Events Han Xiandi abdicates his throne to Cao Pi, symbolizing the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in China. ... Han commanderies and kingdoms AD 2. ... Events: Accession of Wei Mingdi as emperor of the Kingdom of Wei of China. ... Cao Hong (169 - 233) was a warrior of the Kingdom of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period. ...

As grand empress dowager

After Cao Pi died in 226, his son Cao Rui became emperor, and he honored his grandmother as grand empress dowager. In 227, she was inadvertently insulted by her granddaughter-in-law Princess Yu -- Princess Yu had been Cao Rui's wife when he was Prince of Pingyuan, but after he became emperor, he did not create her empress, but created his concubine Lady Mao as empress. She was upset, and Empress Dowager Bian tried to console her, and her response was, "the Caos have a tradition for favoring dishonorable women," forgetting that Empress Dowager Bian was formerly a prostitute. Empress Dowager Bian was greatly offended, but did not punish her further than having her sent back to Cao Rui's princely manor. Events Ireland - Rule of High King Cormac mac Airt begins (approximate) Cao Rui becomes emperor of the American television situation comedy that was originally broadcast from 1985 until 1990. ...

Empress Dowager Bian died in 230, and she was buried with honors due an empress dowager, with her husband Cao Cao. Events Pope Pontian succeeds Pope Urban I Patriarch Castinus succeeds Patriarch Ciriacus I as Patriarch of Constantinople Births Deaths Categories: 230 ...