Empress Xiaozhuangrui

Empress Qian (Chinese: 钱皇后; traditional Chinese: 錢皇后; pinyin: Qián huánghòu) was an empress consort during the Ming dynasty. She was born in 1426 and died on 15 July 1468. Her family name was Qian, but her given name is not recorded in historical sources. She married the Zhengtong Emperor, also known as Emperor Yingzong of Ming, on 8 June 1442, and became his primary consort and later empress.

During her lifetime, she held several titles associated with her status at court. Initially, during the reign of the Xuande Emperor (1425–1435), she was known as Lady Qian. Upon her marriage in 1442, she attained the title of Empress (皇后). After her husband's capture at the Battle of Tumu in 1449, and during his subsequent withdrawal from the throne, she was designated Empress Emerita (太上皇后). When her spouse was restored to the throne in 1457 as the Tianshun Emperor, she resumed the title of Empress. Following the death of the Zhengtong Emperor in 1464, she became Empress Dowager Ciyi (慈懿皇太后) during the reign of their son, the Chenghua Emperor.

Her early life details are limited, but it is known that she was a member of the Qian clan. She married the Zhengtong Emperor in 1442, and at that time, she became his primary consort, gaining the title of empress. After the emperor's capture in 1449, she was moved from the court to a separate palace to allow Empress Wang to assume the title of empress consort.

Her involvement in political affairs was notable following the emperor's return from captivity in 1450. When her husband's son, the future Chenghua Emperor, was deposed as heir apparent in 1452, she provided support and was known to have shared conditions of hardship with her spouse during his house arrest. When her spouse was reinstated as emperor in 1457, she was restored to the position of empress.

Throughout her tenure as empress consort and dowager, she was involved in court proceedings and disputes, notably in the succession and titles granted following the death of the Zhengtong Emperor. After her husband's death in 1464, she became involved in a conflict with Empress Xiaosu, the biological mother of the Chenghua Emperor, over the title of Empress Dowager. Despite the disagreement, the emperor granted the title to both women, with her own being recognized with higher precedence.

Empress Qian died on 26 June 1468. She was interred at Yu ling in the Ming tomb complex near Beijing on 4 September 1468. The Tianshun Emperor expressed that she should be buried next to him, wishing for a long life extending a thousand years beyond her death.

Sources for her biography include the Dictionary of Ming Biography (1976), the History of Ming (1739), and scholarly works on the Ming dynasty, such as those edited by Frederick W. Mote and Denis C. Twitchett.