Empress Xiaozhaoren

Empress Xiaozhaoren (1653 – 18 March 1678) was a Qing dynasty empress consort, affiliated with the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner Niohuru clan. She was the second wife of the Kangxi Emperor and held the position of empress from 1677 until her death in 1678. Her personal name has not been recorded in historical sources.

Family Background:

Her father was Ebilun (died 1673), one of the Four Regents appointed to assist the Kangxi Emperor during his early reign. Ebilun held the title of a first class duke (一等公). Her paternal grandfather was Eidu (1562–1621), and her paternal grandmother was Mukushen (1595–1659), who was Nurhaci's fourth daughter. Her mother was Lady Šušu-Gioro, who was a secondary wife.

She had seven brothers and six sisters. Among her brothers, her younger brother Faka (1664–1713) rose to the rank of first class duke. Her other brothers held titles such as first class duke or imperial guards. Her sisters married into other noble or prominent families, including the wife of Zhashen of the Mongol Barin clan, Noble Consort Wenxi, and the wife of Yunsheng of the Aisin-Gioro clan.

Life and Career:

Lady Niohuru entered the Forbidden City in 1665 as a mistress (格格) of the Kangxi Emperor. Initially, she did not hold any official rank or title. Following the death of the Emperor's first wife, Empress Xiaochengren, on 6 June 1674, the Emperor did not immediately designate a new empress. It was not until 18 September 1677 that she was officially mentioned in historical records as the new empress upon her elevation.

She was granted the title of Empress Xiaozhao (孝昭皇后) on 11 May 1678, shortly after her death. She was interred in the Jing Mausoleum of the Eastern Qing tombs alongside Empress Xiaochengren.

Titles:

During the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor (1643–1661), she was known as Lady Niohuru (鈕祜祿氏). From 1665, during Kangxi's reign, she was titled Mistress (格格). When she became empress on 18 September 1677, she was known as Empress (皇后). Posthumously, she received the title Empress Xiaozhao (孝昭皇后) in May 1678. Under the Yongzheng Emperor (1722–1735), she was referred to as Empress Xiaozhaoren (孝昭仁皇后) starting in July 1723.

References:

Her genealogy is documented in the Niuhulu jiapu. Archival sources include the Qinggong dang'an and Qing huangshi sipu. Additional historical details are found in scholarly works such as "Daily Life in the Forbidden City" by Wan et al. (1988) and the "Draft History of Qing" by Zhao Erxun (1928).