Who is She?
- An Empress of the Eastern Han dynasty
- One of the few capable female regents with a positive reputation
Notable Life Events
- Born in 81 AD, grand daughter to Deng Yu, a government official who participated the founding of the Eastern Han dynasty
- Entered the Imperial Palace in 95 AD, received the title of Gui Ren (Prestigious Person) in 96 AD and made the Empress in 102 AD
- Regent twice to the two Emperors who succeeded the throne after the death of her husband for a total of 16 years
- During her reign there was about 10 years of natural disasters and she steered the dynasty safely through this period
- She was known as being knowledgeable in both astronomy and mathematics, also responsible for many policies spanning over areas of anti-corruption, economic recovery, weapon development, general and female education development, breaking through superstition, funding the key redevelopment of the art of making paper and the development of astronomy equipment.
- She helped to foster the development of the world’s first dictionary
- She passed away in 121 AD
Why is She Remarkable?
- That period of natural disasters under her reign was really the highest in terms of frequency across the entire Eastern Han dynasty and her successful administration of it clearly showed her capability
- She became an example for later female regents
Moonlake’s Thoughts on her:
I’m a little time constrained and didn’t read her long biography in details so I couldn’t see much personality but again, we definitely have a highly capable educated woman in her.
English reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deng_Sui
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