Noble Consort Chengmu Explained

Noble Consort Chengmu (Chinese: s=成穆贵妃孙氏|t=成穆貴妃孫氏, 13431374) of the Sun clan, was an imperial consort of the Ming dynasty. She was a concubine of Emperor Hongwu (Zhu Yuanzhang), the first ruler of the Ming dynasty.

Noble Consort Sun
Birth Date:1343
Birth Place:Chen Prefecture, Huaiyang County, Henan, China
Death Place:China
Burial Place:Xiaoling Mausoleum, Nanjing
Spouse:Hongwu Emperor
Issue:Princess Lin'an
Princess Huaiqing
Tenth daughter
Thirteenth daughter
Posthumous Name:Noble Consort Chengmu (成穆貴妃)
House:Sun (孫)
House-Type:Clan
Father:Sun Heqing (孫和卿)
Mother:Lady Chao (晁氏)

Life

Her personal name was not recorded in the history.

Lady Sun's father, Sun Heqing, was an official of the Yuan dynasty. Sun Heqing moved from Chen Prefecture to Changzhou together with his wife and children.[1] Lady Sun had two older brothers: Sun Dashi (孙大石) and Sun Fan (孫藩). Both of her parents died during the war in the late Yuan dynasty. She was adopted by Marshal Ma Shixiong (馬世熊)

At the age of 18, because of her outstanding beauty, Sun was accepted as a concubine by Zhu Yuanzhang, who was still fighting in the Red Turban Rebellions.[2] In 1360, she gave birth to Zhu Yuanzhang's first daughter, named Yufeng. In 1366, she gave birth to his sixth daughter, whose personal name was not recorded in the history.

After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne and established the Ming dynasty, Lady Sun was given the rank of Noble Consort (貴妃). As a noble consort, she gave birth to two more daughters who would not survived to adulthood.

In addition to her beauty, Concubine Sun was good at etiquette, behaved well, and assisted Empress Ma in managing the harem. Empress Ma also praised Noble Consort Sun to Zhu Yuanzhang as a rare virtuous woman.

Noble Consort Sun died in the 9th month of the seventh year of Hongwu (1374) and was given the posthumous title of Noble Consort Chengmu (成穆貴妃)[3] at the age of thirty-two. Later, she was buried in Xiaoling Mausoleum.

Titles

Issue

As Concubine:

As Noble Consort:

References

Notes and References

  1. [:zh:胜朝彤史拾遗记|胜朝彤史拾遗记]
  2. Ming Shilu, Vol. 113
  3. Ming Shilu, Vol 113