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Empress dowager (alsodowager empress orempress mother;Chinese andJapanese: 皇太后; pinyin:huángtàihòu; rōmaji:Kōtaigō; Korean:황태후 (皇太后); romaja:Hwang Tae Hu; Vietnamese:Hoàng Thái Hậu (皇太后)) is theEnglish language translation of the title given to themother orwidow of a monarch, especially in regards toChinese,Japanese,Korean, orVietnamese monarchs in theChinese cultural sphere. The term however, is applied well beyond justEast Asia.
The title was also given occasionally to anotherwoman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title ofgrand empress dowager (Chinese andJapanese: 太皇太后; pinyin:tàihúangtàihòu; rōmaji:Taikōtaigō; Korean:태황태후 (太皇太后); romaja:Tae Hwang Tae Hu; Vietnamese:Thái Hoàng Thái Hậu (太皇太后)). An empress dowager wielded power over the harem and imperial family. Numerous empress dowagers heldregency during the reign of underage emperors. Many of the most prominent empress dowagers also extended their control for long periods after the emperor was old enough to govern. This was a source of political turmoil according to the traditional view of Chinese history.
In Europe, the titledowager empress was given to the wife of a deceasedEmperor of Russia orHoly Roman Emperor.
For grand empresses dowager, visitgrand empress dowager.
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In the complex organization of the Japanese Imperial Court, the title of "empress dowager" does not automatically devolve to the principal consort of anEmperor who has died. The title "Kōtaigō" can only be bestowed or granted by the Emperor who will haveacceded to theChrysanthemum Throne.
The following were among the individuals who were granted this imperial title:
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Adelaide of Italy was Holy Roman Empress by marriage to EmperorOtto the Great and was crowned alongside him in 962. After her husband's death, her son Otto II succeeded as Emperor, and on his death he was succeeded by Adelaide's grandsonOtto III. She served as regent until he reached his majority.[5]
Although never referred to as a dowager,Empress Matilda was the Holy Roman Empress from 1114 by her marriage to EmperorHenry V. She continued to be referred to as "Empress" long after the death of her first husband in 1125, and her subsequent remarriage toGeoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou in 1128.[6]
Despite having abandoned the throne of Sicily for her sonFrederick II,Empress Constance of Sicily, widow ofHenry VI, retained her title asEmpress Dowager until her death in 1198.[7]
Eleonora Gonzaga, was Holy Roman Empress by marriage toEmperor Ferdinand III, and after his death was Empress Dowager from 1657–1686.[8]
Dowager empresses of Russia held precedence over the Empress consort. This was occasionally a source of tension. For example, whenPaul I was assassinated, Dowager EmpressMaria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg), for whom this tradition was started, often took the arm of her son Tsar Alexander I at court functions and ceremonies while his wife EmpressElizabeth Alexeievna (Louise of Baden) walked behind, which caused resentment on the part of the young empress. The same thing happened decades later when EmperorAlexander III died, and the Dowager EmpressMaria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) held precedence over EmpressAlexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse), which put an enormous strain on their already tense relationship. The power struggle culminated when the Dowager Empress refused to hand over certain jewels traditionally associated with the Empress Consort.[citation needed]
There have been four dowager empresses in Russia:
Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna was briefly and concurrently, along with her mother in-law Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, a Dowager empress. She is therefore often forgotten as a Dowager Empress.
Queen-Empress Victoria (1819–1901, r. 1837–1901) was widowed in 1861, before her accession asQueen-Empress of India. Her son, her grandson and her great-grandson all died before their wives, and their widows were known as Empresses dowager in this Indian context. Had George VI, the last Emperor of India, died before the independence of India was proclaimed in 1947, his widow would have been known as the dowager empress of India. However, George VI did not die until 1952, some years after India's formal independence and the renunciation of the title Emperor of India by the British monarch (which took place formally in 1948).
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