Erdeni Bumba

Erdeni Bumba (Mongolian: Эрдэнэбумба, Chinese: 額爾德尼布木巴; fl. 17th century), of the Khorchin Mongol Borjigit clan, was the consort of Fulin, the Shunzhi Emperor. She was empress consort of the Qing dynasty of China from 1651 until her deposition in 1653. She was demoted to consort rank and received the honorary title Consort Jing.^[1]

Erdeni Bumba
Empress consort of the Qing dynasty
Tenure	27 September 1651 – 25 October 1653
Predecessor	Empress Xiaoduanwen
Successor	Empress Xiaohuizhang
Born	Borjigit Erdeni Bumba (博爾濟吉特 額爾德尼布木巴)
Died	Unknown Possibly Beijing
Spouse	Shunzhi Emperor ​ (m. 1651)​
Names Borjigit Erdeni Bumba (博爾濟吉特 額爾德尼布木巴)
House	Borjigit (博爾濟吉特)
Father	Wukeshan

Erdeni Bumba
Traditional Chinese	靜妃
Simplified Chinese	静妃
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Jìng Fēi

Life

Family background

• Father: Wukeshan (吳克善; d. 1666), held the title of a first rank prince (親王)
  • Paternal grandfather: Jaisang (寨桑), held the title of a first rank prince (親王)
  • Paternal grandmother: Boli
  • Paternal great aunt: Empress Xiaoduanwen (1599–1649)
  • Paternal aunt: Primary consort Minhui (1609–1641)
  • Paternal aunt: Empress Dowager Zhaosheng (Xiaozhuangwen) (1613–1688), the mother of the Shunzhi Emperor (1638–1661)

Shunzhi era

Erdeni Bumba was selected by her aunt - the emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng - to be the Shunzhi Emperor's primary consort.^[2] On 27 September 1651, she was instated as empress. The Prince-Regent Dorgon also encouraged the marriage between the Shunzhi Emperor and Erdeni Bumba.

Two years later, however, on 25 October 1653, the Emperor deposed her, despite protests from much of his court. She was demoted from empress to merely "Consort Jing". Some sources, such as the Draft History of the Qing, claim that she was deposed because of her love luxury and tendency towards jealousy, characteristics decried by the emperor, who respected simplicity and frugality.^[3]

However, deposing her may have been related to growing estrangement between the emperor and his mother, and power struggles within the court.^[1] His mother and regent Dorgon, who were closely intertwined, held great power, and by deposing his mother's niece, who had been chosen for him, he may have been attempting to exercise his own power.^[4]

Some sources claim, that when she was living in Palace of Eternal Longevity, she became pregnant. During her pregnancy, she left the Forbidden City and gave birth to a son. However, historical records don't mention her further fate.

Titles

• During the reign of Hong Taiji (r. 1626–1643):
  • Lady Borjigit
• During the reign of the Shunzhi Emperor (r. 1643–1661):
  • Empress (皇后; from 27 September 1651^[5])
  • Consort Jing (靜妃; from 25 October 1653^[6]), fourth rank consort

In fiction and popular culture

• Portrayed by Lee Ying-tong in The Rise and Fall of Qing Dynasty (1987)
• Portrayed by Wu Zitong in Xiaozhuang Mishi (2003)
• Portrayed by Winnie Ma in The Life and Times of a Sentinel (2011)
• Portrayed by Viola Mi 米露 in Royal Romantic (多情江山 (zh)) (2013)

See also

• List of people who disappeared
• Ranks of imperial consorts in China § Qing
• Royal and noble ranks of the Qing dynasty