Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to LiaoChinese emperors guaranteed male successors by taking multiple wives, in some cases hundreds and even thousands. Women Shall Not Rule offers a fascinating history of imperial wives and concubines, especially in light of the greatest challenges to polygamous harmony—rivalry between women and their attempts to engage in politics. Besides ambitious empresses and concubines, these vivid stories of the imperial polygamous family are also populated with prolific emperors, wanton women, libertine men, cunning eunuchs, and bizarre cases of intrigue and scandal among rival wives. Keith McMahon, a leading expert on the history of gender in China, draws upon decades of research to describe the values and ideals of imperial polygamy and the ways in which it worked and did not work in real life. His rich sources are both historical and fictional, including poetic accounts and sensational stories told in pornographic detail. Displaying rare historical breadth, his lively and fascinating study will be invaluable as a comprehensive and authoritative resource for all readers interested in the domestic life of royal palaces across the world. |
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Contents
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
The Eastern Jin to the Reign of Wu Zetian 317712 | 129 |
The High Tang to the Liao 7121125 | 209 |
| 277 | |
| 281 | |
About the Author | 295 |
Other editions - View all
Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao Keith McMahon No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
affair ancient assumed the throne became emperor became empress behavior Beijing Beishi biography brother Cao Pi castrated century Chen China Chinese history clan concubines court daughter death deposed died duke emper Emperor Ming Emperor Wu empress dowager Empress Lii Empress Wu empresses and consorts enthroned eunuchs famous father favor favorite female Feng Five Dynasties Gao Huan Gao Wei gave birth Guang Hanshu harem heir apparent historians husband Khitan killed Kingdoms Lady later Liang Liao Liu Bang main wife male Mang’s marriage married mother Muzong named never Northern Wei official ofthe Old Tang History palace women poem politics polygamy prince Princess Qing rank referred reigned ruled ruler says sexual Sima Qian sister Song Song dynasty sons story successor took Wang Mang wives woman Wu Zetian Wu’s Xiao Xin Tangshu Xuan Xuanzong Yuan Zhang Zhao Zhen Zheng Zhonghua shuju Zizhi tongjian
Bibliographic information
| Title | Women Shall Not Rule: Imperial Wives and Concubines in China from Han to Liao EBL ebooks online |
| Author | Keith McMahon |
| Publisher | Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013 |
| ISBN | 1442222905, 9781442222908 |
| Length | 310 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Asia / China History / Women Social Science / Regional Studies Social Science / Women's Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |