Empress Xiaodexian

Empress Xiaodexian
Empress Consort of the Qing Dynasty
Tenure	None (elevated posthumously)
Predecessor	Empress Xiaoquancheng
Successor	Empress Xiaozhenxian
Born	12 April 1831
Died	24 January 1850 (aged 18)
Burial	Dingling Mausoleum, Hebei
Spouse	Xianfeng Emperor
Posthumous name Empress Xiaode Wenhui Chengshun Cizhuang Keshen Huiyi Gongtian Zansheng Xian (孝德溫惠誠順慈莊恪慎徽懿恭天贊聖顯皇后)
Father	Sakda Futai

Empress Xiaodexian
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	孝德顯皇后
Simplified Chinese	孝德显皇后
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiàodéxiǎn Huánghòu
Lady Sakda
Traditional Chinese	薩克達氏
Simplified Chinese	萨克达氏
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Sàkèdá Shì
Manchu name
Manchu script	ᡥᡳᠶᠣᠣᡧᡠᠩᡤᠠ ᡝᡵᡩᡝᠮᡠ ᡳᠯᡝᡨᡠ ᡥᡡᠸᠠᠩᡥᡝᠣ
Romanization	hiyoošungga erdemu iletu hūwangheo

Empress Xiaodexian (12 April 1831 – 24 January 1850) was the first consort of the Xianfeng Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Biography

Empress Xiaodexian was born in the Manchu Sakda (薩克達) clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner of the Eight Banners.^[1] Her father was Futai (富泰), who served as Vice Minister (少卿) of the Ancestral Temple (太常寺) in the Qing imperial court.

In 1847 Lady Sakda married Yizhu, the fourth son of the Daoguang Emperor, and became Yizhu's primary spouse. She died in January 1850. She did not bear Yizhu any children. About a month after her death, the Daoguang Emperor died and was succeeded by Yizhu, who became the Xianfeng Emperor. As Xianfeng's primary spouse, Lady Sakda was posthumously granted the title of Empress, and was interred in the Dingling Mausoleum in Hebei.

Posthumous title

Empress Xiaodexian's full posthumous title is:

• Empress Xiaodewenhuichengshuncizhuangkeshenhuiyigongtianzanshengxian
  (孝德溫惠誠順慈莊恪慎徽懿恭天贊聖顯皇后)

See also

• Ranks of Imperial Consorts in China#Qing
• Qing Dynasty nobility

Notes

1. The Draft history of Qing dynasty 《清史稿 卷一百六十七 表七》 states that her father belonged to this banner.

References

• Draft history of the Qing dynasty, Consort files. 《清史稿》卷二百十四．列傳一．后妃傳．文宗孝德顯皇后.
• Daily Life in the Forbidden City, Wan Yi, Wang Shuqing, Lu Yanzhen ISBN 0-670-81164-5
• Royal Ark, about the Aisin Gioro family tree. According to this webpage Lady Sakda and Empress Dowager Ci'an are sisters. The Draft history of the Qing dynasty states that both women have different fathers and surnames.
• Literature about Empress Dowager Cixi, like Sterling seagraves "Dragon Lady" ISBN 0-679-73369-8, mention Lady Sakda.

Succession