Empress Yang Xianrong

Yang Xianrong (羊獻容) (died 13 May 322), posthumous name (as honored by Han-Zhao) Empress Xianwen (獻文皇后, literally "the wise and civil empress"), was an empress—uniquely in the history of China, for two different dynastic empires and two different emperors. Her first husband was Emperor Hui of Jin, and her second husband was Liu Yao of Han-Zhao. Also unique was that she was deposed four times and restored four times as empress of the Western Jin (five, if one counts the brief usurpation by Sima Lun against her husband in 301). As empress of Jin Yang Xianrong was from Taishan Commandery (roughly modern Tai'an, Shandong). Her father was the mid-level official Yang Xuanzhi (羊玄之), son of Yang Jin (羊瑾), son of Yang Dan (羊耽); Yang Jin was also the elder brother of Yang Xiu (羊琇). Her maternal grandfather was the general Sun Qi (孫旂), a distant relative of Sun Xiu (孫秀), the chief strategist for Sima Lun the Prince of Zhao. Therefore, after Sima Lun and Sun overthrew Empress Jia Nanfeng in 300, Sun had Yang Xianrong selected as the new empress. Little is known about how her relationship with her developmentally disabled husband (save her words to her second husband, referred to below) was. After Sima Lun briefly usurped the throne in 301 but was then defeated by Sima Jiong the Prince of Qi and Sima Ying the Prince of Chengdu, both Sun Xiu and Sun Qi were killed, along with their clans. Empress Yang's father Yang Xuanzhi was, however, promoted. (He would die in fear in 303, however, as his friendship with Sima Ai the Prince of Changsha was used as an excuse for Sima Ying and Sima Yong the Prince of Hejian to attack Sima Ai.) As Emperor Hui continued to be a pawn of the princes during the War of the Eight Princes, Empress Yang herself appeared to have had little influence. She was, however, frequently used as an excuse for certain conspirators' actions, and during the span from 304 to 306 she was deposed four times and restored four times, often in conjunction with her husband's nephew Sima Qin (司馬覃)'s fortunes as crown prince. She was nearly killed after her fourth removal in 305, as Sima Yong, then holding Emperor Hui at Chang'an and leaving her in the capital Luoyang, became convinced that she was easily usable by his opponents as a rubber stamp, and so he ordered that she be forced to commit suicide.