Ulanara, the Step Empress
| Ulanara, the Step Empress | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Empress of the Qing dynasty | |
| Tenure | 1750–1766 |
| Predecessor | Empress Xiaoxianchun |
| Successor |
Empress Xiaoyichun (Empress Xiaoshurui was the actual living successor) |
| Born | 11 March 1718 |
| Died | 14 July 1766 (aged 48) Beijing, China |
| Burial | Eastern Qing tombs, China |
| Spouse | Qianlong Emperor |
| Issue |
Yongqi unnamed daughter Yongjing |
| Father | Narbu |
| Ulanara, the Step Empress | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 繼皇后烏喇納喇氏 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 继皇后乌喇纳喇氏 | ||||||
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Standard Mandarin | |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Jì Huánghòu Wūlānàlā Shì |
The Step Empress (11 March 1718 – 14 July 1766), of the Ulanara clan, was the second Empress Consort of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing dynasty. Her personal name is not recorded in history, so she is referred to as either "the Step Empress" or "Lady Ulanara".
Lady Ulanara was born in the Manchu Ula clan, a subgroup of the Nara clan, which was under the Bordered Yellow Banner. Her father, Narbu (那爾布), was a zuoling (佐領; a military rank). Her ancestor was Wangginu (王機褚/旺吉努), the first beile (a noble title) of the Huifa area.
Lady Ulanara became a secondary consort of Hongli (Prince Bao), the fourth son of the Yongzheng Emperor, sometime during the Yongzheng Emperor's reign (1722–1735). When the Yongzheng Emperor died in 1735, Prince Bao succeeded his father and was enthroned as the Qianlong Emperor. After his coronation, the Qianlong Emperor granted Lady Ulanara the rank of Consort under the title "Consort Xian" (嫻妃). He promoted her to Noble Consort Xian (嫻貴妃) later.
In 1748, the Qianlong Emperor's first empress consort, Lady Fuca, died. The emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Chongqing nominated Lady Ulanara to replace Lady Fuca as her son's new empress consort. The Qianlong Emperor delayed Lady Ulanara's promotion to Empress until the mourning period for Lady Fuca was over, because he believed that it would be an insult to Lady Fuca if he designated another consort as Empress during the mourning period. Lady Ulanara was first promoted to "Imperial Noble Consort Xian" (嫻皇貴妃) and put in charge of the emperor's harem, making her an acting Empress.
In 1750, Lady Ulanara accompanied the Qianlong Emperor on his tours to places such as the tombs of his predecessors (the Eastern Qing tombs and Western Qing tombs), Mount Wutai, and various cities in southern China. About half a month after the tours, the emperor officially instated Lady Ulanara as the new Empress. In 1752, Lady Ulanara gave birth to the Qianlong Emperor's 12th son, Yongqi. One year later, she gave birth to the emperor's fifth daughter.
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