Hang, Lin (2020) Empress Dowagers on Horseback: Yingtian and Chengtian of the Khitan Liao (907-1125). ACTA ORIENTALIA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 73 (4). pp. 585-602. ISSN 0001-6446
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Abstract
Unlike their Han Chinese counterparts who were mainly sequestered to the inner quarters, many imperial Khitan women of the Liao (907-1125) were not only active in state affairs, but they even rode astride and led their own armies to fight on battlefield. This article aims to investigate the lives and political careers of Empress Dowagers Yingtian and Chengtian, who ruled the empire as de facto sovereigns on behalf of their husbands and sons for over fifty years, by focusing particularly on how they proved themselves as capable horsewomen and what strategies have they employed in order to gain access to power and to accomplish their ambitions. Such warrior women, exercising leadership and exhibiting personal bravery, drew their strength from their Inner Asian steppe traditions and therefore established themselves as another type of queenship in Chinese history.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Additional Information: | Funding Agency and Grant Number: National Social Science Fund of China [19VJX065]; Hangzhou Young Talents in Social Sciences program [2018RCZX11] Funding text: I am grateful to Naomi Standen, Zheng Yangwen, and Elena Woodacre for their invaluable inputs on Khitan imperial women and their detailed comments on the initial drafts of the article. I owe my thankfulness to suggestions from anonymous reviewers and comments from participants at the conferences Cosmopolitan China held on 16-18. May 2012 at University of Manchester, Kings & Queens II: Making Connections held on 8-9. July 2013 at University of Winchester, and Challenge the Past/Diversify the Future held on 19-21. March 2015 at University of Gothenburg. The research is funded by National Social Science Fund of China (19VJX065) and the Hangzhou Young Talents in Social Sciences program (2018RCZX11). |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | history; gender roles; Khitan; Liao dynasty; empress dowager; female regents; |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World / történelem > D0 History (General) / történelem általában P Language and Literature / nyelvészet és irodalom > PI Oriental languages and literatures / keleti nyelvek és irodalmak |
| SWORD Depositor: | MTMT SWORD |
| Depositing User: | MTMT SWORD |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Nov 2022 06:07 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Nov 2022 06:07 |
| URI: | http://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/153188 |
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