Borjigit, Demoted Empress

The Demoted Empress (birth and death dates unknown, fl. 17th century), of the Mongol Borjigit clan, was the first Empress Consort of the Shunzhi Emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty in China. Her personal name was not recorded in history so she was referred to as the "Demoted Empress" or simply "Lady Borjigit".

Life

Lady Borjigit was a Khorchin Mongol by birth and was from a branch of the Borjigit clan that claimed descent from Qasar, a younger brother of Genghis Khan. Her father, Wukeshan (吳克善; died 1665), held the title of a chin-wang. Wukeshan's elder sister was Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, the Shunzhi Emperor's mother. Lady Borjigit was therefore a maternal cousin of the Shunzhi Emperor.

Lady Borjigit was selected by Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang to be the Shunzhi Emperor's primary consort. She was instated as Empress in 1651 after the Shunzhi Emperor started to rule personally upon reaching adulthood. The Prince-Regent Dorgon also encouraged the marriage between the Shunzhi Emperor and Lady Borjigit. However, for reasons unknown, the Shunzhi Emperor disliked Lady Borjigit so much that he demanded that she be replaced. In 1653, Lady Borjigit was removed from her position as Empress and demoted to the rank of Consort under the title "Consort Jing" (靜妃).