Empress Liu (劉皇后, personal name unknown) (died 326), formally Empress Xianlie (獻烈皇后, literally "the wise and achieving empress") was an empress of the Chinese/Xiongnu state Han Zhao. She was Liu Yao's second empress.
Very little is known about Empress Liu, who was created empress in 325. It was likely that she was ethnically Han, because if she were Xiongnu, Liu Yao would not likely have married her due to the prohibition against endogamy given that they had the same family name. When Empress Liu neared her own death in 326, Liu Yao asked her what her last requests were. She stated that she was raised by her uncle Liu Chang (劉昶) and wished that Liu Yao could grant him honors. She also stated that Liu Fang, the daughter of her other uncle Liu Ai (劉皚), was beautiful and virtuous, and she hoped that Liu Yao would create her empress. After her death, Liu Yao created Liu Chang a duke and married Liu Fang, creating her empress.
| Chinese royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Empress Yang Xianrong |
Empress of Han Zhao 325–326 |
Succeeded by Empress Liu Fang |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Liu, Empress |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | 326 |
| Place of death | |
Famous quotes containing the word empress:
“We never really are the adults we pretend to be. We wear the mask and perhaps the clothes and posture of grown-ups, but inside our skin we are never as wise or as sure or as strong as we want to convince ourselves and others we are. We may fool all the rest of the people all of the time, but we never fool our parents. They can see behind the mask of adulthood. To her mommy and daddy, the empress never has on any clothes—and knows it.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)