Empress Dowager Chinu
Empress Dowager Chinu
**Empress Dowager Chinu** (, personal name unknown) (died 19 April 574(\[建德三年]三月...癸酉，皇太后叱奴氏崩。) *Zhou Shu*, vol.05), formally **Empress Xuan** (宣皇后, literally "the responsible empress"), was an [empress dowager](/wiki/Empress_dowager "Empress dowager") of the [Xianbei](/wiki/Xianbei "Xianbei")\-led Chinese [Northern Zhou dynasty](/wiki/Northern_Zhou "Northern Zhou"). She was the mother of [Emperor Wu](/wiki/Emperor_Wu_of_Northern_Zhou "Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou") (Yuwen Yong).

She was ethnically Xianbei, and she was a [concubine](/wiki/Concubine "Concubine") of the [Western Wei](/wiki/Western_Wei "Western Wei") paramount general [Yuwen Tai](/wiki/Yuwen_Tai "Yuwen Tai"). Empress Dowager and Yuwen Tai had two sons, Yuwen Yong and Yuwen Zhi (宇文直). After Yuwen Yong became emperor of Northern Zhou in May 560, he did not immediately honor her as empress dowager, but did so on 3 July 567\.(\[天和二年]六月辛亥，尊所生叱奴氏为皇太后。) *Zhou Shu*, vol.05

The extent of Empress Dowager Chinu's influence on political matters is unclear, but she became a passive participant in Emperor Wu's plot to remove his cousin [Yuwen Hu](/wiki/Yuwen_Hu "Yuwen Hu"), who controlled the political scene and who had killed both of his predecessors—his brothers – [Emperor Xiaomin](/wiki/Emperor_Xiaomin_of_Northern_Zhou "Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou") and [Emperor Ming](/wiki/Emperor_Ming_of_Northern_Zhou "Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou"). In 572, after a conference with Yuwen Hu, Emperor Wu invited Yuwen Hu inside the palace to meet with Empress Dowager Chinu – something that Yuwen Hu did on a regular basis. On the way, he told Yuwen Hu that Empress Dowager Chinu was having problem with [alcoholism](/wiki/Alcoholism "Alcoholism") and not listening to his advice to stop her drinking, so he wanted Yuwen Hu to advise her to change her ways as well. He further gave Yuwen Hu the text of the *Jiu Gao* (酒誥) – an anti\-alcoholism declaration written by [King Cheng of Zhou](/wiki/King_Cheng_of_Zhou "King Cheng of Zhou") – and suggested that he read the *Jiu Gao* to Empress Dowager Chinu. Once they reached her palace, Yuwen Hu, pursuant to Emperor Wu's request, started reading the *Jiu Gao*. Before he could finish it, Emperor Wu stepped behind him and used a jade tablet to strike the back of his head. Yuwen Hu fell to the ground, and Yuwen Zhi, who was hiding nearby, jumped out, and cut off Yuwen Hu's head, ending Yuwen Hu's hold on power.

Empress Dowager Chinu died in April 574\. She was buried with honors due an empress, but not with Yuwen Tai, who was already buried with his wife Princess Fengyi (mother of Emperor Xiaomin and sister of [Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei](/wiki/Emperor_Xiaowu_of_Northern_Wei "Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei")).


How did Yuwen Hu's death contribute to the end of his hold on power?