- Empress Ruogan
Empress Ruogan (若干皇后, personal name unknown) was an
empress of the Chinese/Xianbei stateWestern Wei -- a branch successor state ofNorthern Wei . Her husband was Emperor Gong (Yuan Kuo/Tuoba Kuo), the final emperor of the state.She was the daughter of the general Ruogan Hui (若干惠). She was said to be beautiful, and when Yuan Kuo was the Prince of Qi, he married her as his princess. In
554 , after the paramount generalYuwen Tai deposed his brother Emperor Fei, Yuwen made him emperor, and he created her empress. In556 , after Yuwen Tai's death, Yuwen Tai's nephewYuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong to yield the throne to Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and startingNorthern Zhou . The former emperor was killed in557 , and the former empress became aBuddhist nun. She died while still being a nun, although historical records did not mention when she died. For reasons unknown, Northern Zhou did not award her aposthumous name .
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.