Empress Zhang (Liu Shan's first wife)

Empress Zhang (died July or August 237),[lower-alpha 1] personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Jing'ai (lit. "Respectful and Lamentable Empress"), was an empress of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. She was the eldest daughter of the Shu general Zhang Fei and his wife Lady Xiahou, who was a noble lady of the rival state Cao Wei as well as the niece of Wei's general Xiahou Yuan.[2] She married Liu Shan in 223 and became the crown princess of Shu. Later in the same year, after Liu Shan's father Liu Bei died, Liu Shan ascended the throne of Shu, and Zhang became the empress. She died in 237 and was buried in Nanling (南陵).[3]

As usual at the time, Empress Zhang was only married to Liu Shan for political reasons. Liu Shan's father, Liu Bei founded the Shu Han kingdom alongside his sworn brother, Zhang Fei. Shu's strategist, Zhuge Liang, recommended that the daughters of the Zhang family marry the sons of the Liu family to ensure the connection and political privileges between them.