Huanghou Ma

Background

Ma was born in 39. She was the youngest daughter of General Ma Yuan and his wife Lady Lin.

Career

Ma was only ten years old when she assumed responsibility for managing the household after the death of her father and brother. She entered at the age of thirteen the palace as Consort Ma. She earned the admiration of everyone for her elegance, modesty, and courtesy as well as for the sincerity and devotion with which she served Empress Yin and her peers.

In 57, Emperor Guangwu died and the heir apparent ascended the throne but did not appoint an empress immediately. As consort Ma herself was childless Emperor Ming ordered her to adopt as her son Liu Da (Emperor Zhang, 57-88; r. 76-88), the infant son of Worthy Lady Jia. Worthy Lady Ma bestowed great love and care on the child.

In 60, Ma became an empress. As empress, she was described as humble and solemn, and she loved reading. Emperor Ming often consulted her on important matters of state when he could not make a decision quickly. She would analyze the issues carefully and come up with good suggestions.

After Emperor Ming died in 75, her adopted son Liu Da (Emperor Zhang) succeeded to the throne, and Empress Ma became Empress Dowager Ma. Empress Dowager Ma continued to be known for her humility and good judgment as empress dowager.

In 77, when Emperor Zhang wanted to further create his uncles marquesses, Empress Ma refused, and issued an edict stating that – just as how Emperor Ming had told her that his sons could not be compared with his father's sons – the Mas could not be compared with the Yins and the Guos (the family of Emperor Guangwu's first empress Guo Shengtong). She further ordered the local governments not to accept improper requests from the Ma family. If there were members of Ma or other closely related families who live exuberantly, Empress Dowager Ma would remove their names from the rolls of the nobles and exile them.

In 79, over Empress Dowager Ma's objection, Emperor Zhang created his uncles marquesses. However, under pressure from the empress dowager, the new marquesses, after their requests to decline the fiefs were denied by Emperor Zhang, resigned their government posts. Later that year, Empress Dowager Ma died. She was buried with her husband.

Achievements

• Empress Ma was known as a famous character in Chinese history. She was known as a woman who had a positive influence in early Eastern Han by controlling the power of her natal family. She has been greatly admired throughout history for contributing to political stability during the reigns of Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang.

Personality

Empress Ma was the perfect exemplar for imperial women: learned, humble, frugal, and entirely lacking in political ambition.

Physical Characteristics: Ma was slender, of a graceful bearing, and had beautiful hair, which she liked to comb up from the hairline into a big knot around which she coiled the rest of her hair three times.

Connections

Empress Ma was the wife of Emperor Ming of Han. She had a foster son Zhang.

Father:

Ma Yuan

Ma Yuan was a Chinese military general and politician of the Eastern Han dynasty.

Mother:

Lady Lin

husband:

Liu Yang

Liu Yang, also known as Han Mingdi and Emperor Ming, was the second emperor of China's Eastern Han Dynasty.

foster son:

Liu Da

Liu Da, also known as Emperor Zhang, was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty from 75 to 88. He was the third emperor of the Eastern Han.

Brother:

Ma Liao

Brother:

Ma Fang

Brother:

Ma Guang

References

• The Position of Woman in Early China According to the Lieh Nu Chuan, The Biographies of Chinese Women.
  1971
• Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women: Antiquity Through Sui, 1600 B.C.E. - 618 C.E This new volume of the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women" spans more than 2,000 years from antiquity to the early seventh century. It recovers the stories of more than 200 women, nearly all of them unknown in the West.
  1998