Remembering China’s Empress Dowager Ling, a Buddhist who paved the way for future female rulers

The empress, like many other rulers at the time, legitimized her reign through Buddhism, portraying herself either as a Buddha or as a patron of Buddhists.

By: Stephanie Balkwill, University of California, Los Angeles, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 1, 2026

Words: 1,323

Last Updated: 1 week, 3 days ago

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By Stephanie Balkwill, University of California, Los Angeles

In sixth-century China, a woman known to history as Empress Dowager Ling ruled over an empire called the Northern Wei. Historians do not know her birth name or in what year she was born, but they do know that she served as empress dowager between 515 and 528. As the spouse of a ruling emperor prior to his death, she retained the title of empress dowager in …

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