Empress Zhen (Cao Fang)

Empress Zhen (died 22 August 251),[lower-alpha 1] personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Huai (懷皇后), was an empress of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. She was the first wife of Cao Fang, the third emperor of Cao Wei.

Empress Zhen 甄皇后
Empress of Cao Wei
Tenure	29 May 243 – 22 August 251
Predecessor	Empress Guo
Successor	Empress Zhang
Born	Unknown
Died	22 August 251[lower-alpha 1]
Spouse	Cao Fang
Posthumous name Empress Huai (懷皇后)

Not much is known about her, other than that her grandfather, Zhen Yan (甄儼), was a brother of Lady Zhen, the mother of Cao Rui (the second emperor of Wei). Cao Fang created her empress in 243. She died in 251 and was buried with honours befitting an empress. (The reason her posthumous name was one character rather than two was because her husband was eventually deposed in 254, and therefore never given a posthumous name; the customs at the time generally dictated that the empress' posthumous name share one character with their husbands'.)

See also

• Cao Wei family trees#Cao Fang
• Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

Notes

1. Cao Fang's biography in the Sanguozhi recorded that Empress Zhen died on the renxu day of the 7th month of the 3rd year of the Jiaping era of Cao Fang's reign.[1] This date corresponds to 22 August 251 in the Gregorian calendar.

References

1. ([嘉平三年]秋七月壬戌，皇后甄氏崩。) Sanguozhi vol. 4.

• Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
• Sima, Guang (1084). Zizhi Tongjian.