Screen LibraryWomen shall not rule : imperial wives and concubines in China from Han to Liao /
"Chinese 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 t...
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| Main Authors: | |
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| Published: |
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| Literature type: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Subjects: | |
| Summary: |
"Chinese 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 l |
| Carrier Form: | xiii, 295 p. : ill. ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: |
9781442222892 (hbk.) : 1442222891 (hbk.) |
| Index Number: | DS747 |
| CLC: |
K204.5 D442.9 |
| Call Number: | D442.9/M167 |
| Contents: | Prologue: Sexual Politics and State Politics -- Part I. Early China, 1250 BC-317 CE -- The Institution and Values of Royal Polygamy -- Empresses and Consorts of the Former Han, 206 BCE-25 CE -- The Later Han to the End of the Western Jin, 25-317 -- Conclusion to Part I: A Review of Themes from the Biographies of Empresses and Consorts -- Part II. The Eastern Jin to the Reign of Wu Zetian, 317-712 -- The Period of Disunity, 317-589 -- The Sui and Early Tang Dynasties to Empress Wu, 581-705 -- Conclusion to Part II: The Question of Female Rulership -- Part III. The High Tang to the Liao, 712-1 |