Empress Dowager Xiaoding

Empress Dowager Xiaoding (1545 – 18 March 1614) was a Chinese empress dowager of the Ming dynasty, belonging to the Li clan. She was born in Huo County, a suburb of Beijing, in 1545. Her father was Li Wei, a bricklayer and a descendant of soldiers who had been resettled from Shanxi to Beijing in the early 15th century. She received a formal education during her youth.

In 1550, she entered the imperial court as one of the maids of Zhu Zaiji, Prince of Yu. In 1567, Zhu Zaiji ascended the throne as the Longqing Emperor, and Lady Li became one of his concubines. She gave birth to Zhu Yijun in 1563, who later became the Wanli Emperor. Zhu Yijun was his third child; his two older brothers from other concubines had died in infancy in 1559 and 1562. Lady Li and the Longqing Emperor also had another son, Zhu Yiliu, born in 1568, who was later titled Prince of Lu, and three daughters: Zhu Yao'e (Princess Shouyang, 1565–1590), Zhu Yaoying (Princess Yongning, 1567–1594), and Zhu Yaoyuan (Princess Rui'an, 1569–1629).

Following the accession of Zhu Zaiji to the throne in 1567, Lady Li was elevated to the position of Noble Consort (Guifei). She maintained a positive relationship with the empress, wife of the emperor, despite her favored status. When the Longqing Emperor died in 1572, her son Zhu Yijun became the Wanli Emperor. She was then granted the title of Empress Dowager and assumed the de facto leadership of the state during the boy emperor's minority.

As regent, Empress Dowager Xiaoding collaborated with Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng and the chief eunuch Feng Bao to govern the empire. Zhang Juzheng supervised state affairs, Feng Bao managed the eunuchs, and she oversaw the education and moral upbringing of her son. She held the position of head of state without actively engaging in politics, generally refraining from direct intervention in governmental decisions. Her role included influencing succession issues, notably supporting the eldest son of the emperor, Zhu Changluo, in disputes over the imperial heir in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

During her regency, she devoted herself to Buddhist religious practices, supporting the reconstruction and funding of numerous monasteries. She identified herself with the bodhisattva Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara) and directed substantial financial resources toward Buddhist projects, especially in the 1570s and 1580s. Her patronage expanded from Beijing to other regions such as Jiangnan.

Her political influence persisted after the death of Zhang Juzheng in 1582 and Feng Bao's dismissal. She maintained alliances with subsequent grand secretaries Shen Shixing, Xu Guo, and Wang Xijue, ensuring her ongoing influence. She also engaged in the controversy surrounding the imperial succession, notably in 1586, when the emperor's favored concubine Lady Zheng bore a son, Zhu Changxun, prompting a succession dispute. Lady Li supported the emperor's eldest son, Zhu Changluo, in line with existing laws and customs.

Between 1595 and 1604, her relationship with the Wanli Emperor experienced periods of tension, notably during disputes over the succession and her religious patronage. Reconciliation occurred after 1601, when the emperor appointed Zhu Changluo as his heir and the relationship improved.

Empress Dowager Xiaoding died in 1614. She was posthumously honored with the name "Empress Dowager Xiaoding" and was buried alongside the Longqing Emperor in the Zhao Mausoleum at the Ming tombs near Beijing.