Ming Dynasty · 1368 – 1644

Empress Wang (Jingtai) and Empress Hang

Empress Wang (1427–1507) was a Chinese empress consort of the Ming dynasty, married to the Jingtai Emperor.

Wang was married to Jingtai in 1449. When the elder brother of Jingtai was taken prisoner by the Mongols later that year, Jingtai became emperor, and Wang was given the position of empress by his side. Empress Wang had two daughters with the emperor, but no son. In May 1452, Jingtai declared the son of his secondary Consort Hang heir to the throne. At the same time, he promoted Hang to the position of empress, being the mother of the crown prince, and demoted Wang and stripped her of the title.

After her demotion, the ex-empress Wang lived a quiet life outside of the palace walls. She survived the deposition and death of Jingtai in 1457, when the rest of his concubines and spouses were ordered to commit suicide. The reason for this was possibly because she had assisted the nephew of her spouse, the future Chenghua Emperor, to hide from Jingtai.

Ming Dynasty (Middle period)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Hang

Empress Hang

Empress Hang (肅孝皇后; d. 1456) was a Chinese empress consort of the Ming dynasty, married to the Jingtai Emperor.

Hang was originally a concubine of Jingtai. When the elder brother of Jingtai was taken prisoner by the Mongols in 1449, Hang was promoted to consort. Jingtai had no son with his primary spouse and empress. In May 1452, the emperor’s son with Hang was declared heir to the throne, and Hang, now being the mother of the crown prince, was promoted to the position of empress.[1] She died in 1456, the year before the deposition of her spouse.

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Spouse: Emperor Daizong of Ming

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingtai_Emperor

The Jingtai Emperor (21 September 1428 – 14 March 1457),[1] also known by his temple name as the Emperor Daizong of Ming (Chinese: 明代宗) and by his posthumous name as the Emperor Jing of Ming (Chinese: 明景帝), personal name Zhu Qiyu (朱祁鈺), was the seventh emperor of the Ming dynasty, reigned from 1449 to 1457. He succeeded his elder brother, Emperor Yingzong, who had been captured by the Mongols. The Jingtai Emperor’s era name, “Jingtai”, means “exalted view”. He was overthrown in a palace coup led by Yingzong in February 1457, and died a month later.