Erdeni Bumba


Erdeni Bumba, 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.

Life

Family background

Shunzhi era

Erdeni Bumba was selected by her aunt - the emperor's mother, Empress Dowager Zhaosheng - to be the Shunzhi Emperor's primary consort. 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 of luxury and tendency towards jealousy, characteristics decried by the emperor, who respected simplicity and frugality.
However, deposing her may have been related to growing estrangement between the emperor and his mother, and power struggles within the court. 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.
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

In fiction and popular culture