Emperor Wen of Western Wei ((西)魏文帝) (507-551), personal name Yuan Baoju (元寶炬), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. In 534, Yuan Baoju, then the Prince of Nanyang, followed his cousin Emperor Xiaowu in fleeing from the capital Luoyang to Chang'an, after a fallout between Emperor Xiaowu and the paramount general Gao Huan. However, Emperor Xiaowu's relationship to the general that he then depended on, Yuwen Tai, soon deteriorated as well, and around the new year 535, Yuwen Tai poisoned Emperor Xiaowu to death, making Yuan Baoju emperor (as Emperor Wen). As Gao Huan had, late in 534, made Yuan Shanjian the son of Emperor Wen's cousin Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe emperor (as Emperor Xiaojing), thus establishing Eastern Wei, Emperor Wen was known as Western Wei's first emperor, formalizing the division. Emperor Wen's relationship with Yuwen appeared cordial, but he was unable to exercise much real power. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A posthumous name (Traditional Chinese: 諡號/謚號 Simplified Chinese: 谥号; Pinyin: shì hào; Romaji: shigō/tsuigō; Revised Romanization of Korean: siho) is a honorary name given to royalty in some cultures posthumously, that is, after the persons death. ... Events Battle of Vouillé: Clovis I defeats the Visigoths near Poitiers, ends Visigothic power in Gaul. ... Events Jordanes publishes The Origin and Deeds of the Goths. ... The Xianbei (Simplified Chinese: 鲜卑; Traditional Chinese: 鮮卑; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsien-pei) were a significant nomadic people residing in modern Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, or Xianbei Shan, a historic term for Greater Khingan, before migrating into areas of the modern Chinese provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Hebei, Inner Mongolia... The Western Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556. ... The Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏 386-534) is most noted for the unification of northern China in 440, it was also heavily involved in funding the arts and many antiques and art works from this period have survived. ... Events January 1 - Decimus Theodorius Paulinus appointed consul, the last to hold this office in the West. ... Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝武帝) (510-535), personal name Yuan Xiu (元脩 or 元修), courtesy name Xiaoze (孝則), at times known as Emperor Chu (出帝, the emperor who fled),[1] was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Luòyáng) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Changan â–¶(?) (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ... Gao Huan (高歡) (496-547), nickname Heliuhun (賀六渾), formally Prince Xianwu of Qi (齊獻武王), later further formally honored by Northern Qi as Emperor Shenwu (神武皇帝, literally the unnamable and martial emperor) with the temple name Gaozu (高祖), was the paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei and Northern Weis branch successor state... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ... Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei ((東)魏孝靜帝) (524-552), personal name Yuan Shanjian (元善見), was the only emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Eastern Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. ... The Eastern Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 534 to 550. ...

Background

Yuan Baoju was born in 507. His father Yuan Yu (元愉) the Prince of Jingzhao was the son of Emperor Xiaowen and a younger brother of the then-reigning Emperor Xuanwu. His mother was recorded as Yuan Yu's concubine Lady Yang. (She might or might not be the same person as the Lady Li referred to below, as some historical records indicate that Lady Li was initially surnamed Yang, and only became known as Lady Li after Yuan Yu, wanting her to be part of a prominent family, had the aristocratic family Li adopt her.) He had three other brothers, at least one of whom, Yuan Baoyue (元寶月), was older, and born of Ladi Li. Events Battle of Vouillé: Clovis I defeats the Visigoths near Poitiers, ends Visigothic power in Gaul. ... Xiaowen (孝文帝) (467–499) was the emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty from 471 to 499. ... A swampy marsh area ...

Yuan Yu favored Lady Li and had no liking for his wife, Princess Yu -- a sister to Emperor Xuanwu's wife Empress Yu. Empress Yu, because of this, once summoned Lady Li to the palace, beat her severely, and then forced her to become a Buddhist nun. Only after the intercession of Empress Yu's father Yu Jing (于勁) was Lady Li returned to Yuan Yu. Meanwhile, in 508, Yuan Yu himself was punished by Emperor Xuanwu for corruption -- he was caned 50 times and demoted to the governorship of Ji Province (冀州, modern central Hebei). In anger, he rebelled at the capital of Ji Province, Xindu (信都, in modern Hengshui, Hebei), alleging falsely that Emperor Xuanwu's uncle Gao Zhao had murdered the emperor and declaring himself emperor. Yuan Yu's rebellion was soon defeated by the general Li Ping (李平), and during his being delivered to the capital Luoyang, Gao had him killed. At that time, Lady Li was pregnant, and she was permitted to give birth and then was executed. Emperor Xuanwu did not execute any of Yuan Yu's sons, but had them, including Yuan Baoju, put under arrest at Zongzheng Temple (宗正寺). Assuming that Lady Li and Lady Yang were in fact the same person, this also meant that Yuan Baoju grew up without either parent. He and his brothers remained at Zongzheng Temple and were released only after Emperor Xuanwu's death in 515. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu's son Emperor Xiaoming, Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu posthumously recreated Yuan Yu the Prince of Lintao, and Yuan Baoju and his brothers then observed a mourning period for their parents. Yuan Baoyue inherited the title, but Yuan Baoju did not possess any titles at the moment, although he was made a general. Despite Empress Dowager Hu's rehabiilitation of Yuan Yu, however, Yuan Baoju was not impressed at her toleration of corruption, particularly by her lovers, and he secretly plotted with Emperor Xiaoming to have her lovers killed. When this plot was discovered, he was stripped of the office he held. In 525, he married his wife Lady Yifu, the daughter of a moderately prominent aristocratic family. (In his youth, Yuan Baoju was described by the Book of Wei as frivolous, alcoholic, and sexually immoral, but this description is highly suspect in that the Book of Wei was written by Wei Shou, an official of Eastern Wei, the rival of Western Wei, for which Yuan Baoju would eventually become emperor.) In 528, Emperor Xiaoming created him the Marquess of Shao County, and in 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang created him the Prince of Nanyang. A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Births Deaths Gerren I Llyngesog ab Erbin, King of Dumnonia. ... Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hopeh) is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Hengshui is a city in Hebei province, China. ... Hebei (Chinese: 河北; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-pei; Postal System Pinyin: Hopeh) is a northern province of the Peoples Republic of China. ... Luoyang (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Luòyáng) is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ... Events Births Deaths Northern Wei Xuan Wu Di, ruler of the Chinese Northern Wei Dynasty Euphemius, deposed Patriarch of Constantinople Categories: 515 ... Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝明帝) (510-528), personal name Yuan Xu (元詡), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. ... Empress Dowager Hu (胡太后, personal name unknown) (d. ... Events Bernicia settled by the Angles Ethiopia conquers Yemen The Daisan river, a tributary of the Euphrates, floods Edessa and within a couple of hours fills the entire city except for the highest parts. ... The Book of Wei (Chinese: ; pinyin: WèishÅ«) is a classic Chinese historical writing compiled by Wei Shou from 551 to 554, and serves as an important historical text describing the Northern Wei from 386 to 535. ... The Eastern Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 534 to 550. ... The Western Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556. ... Events February 13 - Justinian appoints a commission (including the jurist Tribonian) to codify all imperial laws that were still in force from Hadrian to the current date. ... Events September 22 - Pope Boniface II is elected to succeed Pope Felix IV December 15 - Justinian selects a second commission to excerpt and codify the writings of the jurists on Roman Law. ...

In 532, after several years of civil war, the victorious general Gao Huan made Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Xiu the Prince of Pingyang emperor (as Emperor Xiaowu). Emperor Xiaowu was not happy about Gao's hold on the military, and he entered into alliances with the independent generals Yuwen Tai and Heba Sheng (賀拔勝), seeking to resist Gao's control. Yuan Baoju served in Emperor Xiaowu's administration as a general. In 534, Emperor Xiaowu planned to act against Gao, but Gao discovered his plan and instead marched on Luoyang. Emperor Xiaowu decided to flee to Yuwen's territory, and Yuan Baoju accompanied Emperor Xiaowu in doing so, arriving at Chang'an in late 534. Also accompanying Emperor Xiaowu was Yuan Baoju's sister Yuan Mingyue (元明月) -- who was in an incestuous relationship with Emperor Xiaowu. Yuwen did not tolerate Emperor Xiaowu's incestuous relationships with Yuan Mingyue and two other cousins, and eventually he had Yuan Mingyue killed. Emperor Xiaowu became angry, and his relationship with Yuwen deteriorated. Around the new year 535, Yuwen poisoned him to death. Events First year in which Anno Domini calendar is actually used for numbering (in Dionysius Exiguuss treatise) January 11 - Nika riots in Constantinople; the cathedral is destroyed. ... Gao Huan (高歡) (496-547), nickname Heliuhun (賀六渾), formally Prince Xianwu of Qi (齊獻武王), later further formally honored by Northern Qi as Emperor Shenwu (神武皇帝, literally the unnamable and martial emperor) with the temple name Gaozu (高祖), was the paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei and Northern Weis branch successor state... Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝武帝) (510-535), personal name Yuan Xiu (元脩 or 元修), courtesy name Xiaoze (孝則), at times known as Emperor Chu (出帝, the emperor who fled),[1] was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Events January 1 - Decimus Theodorius Paulinus appointed consul, the last to hold this office in the West. ... Changan â–¶(?) (Simplified Chinese: 长安; Traditional Chinese: 長安; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chang-an) is the ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in China. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ...

Initially, Yuwen was poised to make Emperor Xiaowu's nephew Yuan Zan (元贊) the Prince of Guangping the new emperor. However, under suggestion of Yuan Shun (元順) the Prince of Puyang, who argued that Yuan Zan was too young, Yuwen changed his mind and made Yuan Baoju, then 27, emperor instead (as Emperor Wen). As Gao had earlier declared Yuan Shanjian, the son of Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe, emperor, Gao's territory became known as Eastern Wei, with Yuan Shanjian (Emperor Xiaojing) as emperor, and Yuwen's territory became known as Western Wei, with Emperor Wen as emperor. Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei ((東)魏孝靜帝) (524-552), personal name Yuan Shanjian (元善見), was the only emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Eastern Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. ...

Reign

Yuwen Tai publicly deferred to Emperor Wen on most matters, but Yuwen held actual power, with Emperor Wen not being able to exercise much independent authority. Throughout the early years of his reign, there were serious doubts as to whether Western Wei would survive, as Eastern Wei was then the much stronger state, and Gao Huan made repeated attempts to conquer Western Wei. However, with Yuwen and other generals capably defending the territory, Western Wei was able to withstand Gao's assaults.

In 535, Emperor Wen posthumously honored his father Yuan Yu as Emperor Wenjing, and he posthumously honored his mother Lady Yang as empress. He created his wife Princess Yifu empress, and her son Yuan Qin crown prince. His marriage with Empress Yifu was said to be a happy one, as she was virtuous and beautiful, and Emperor Wen respected her greatly. She bore him 12 children, although only Yuan Qin and Yuan Wu (元戊) the Prince of Wudu survived infancy. A Crown Prince or Crown Princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. ...

In 538, with Western Wei under the threat of attack by Rouran, Yuwen first tried to alleviate the situation by marrying a daughter of a member of the imperial clan to Yujiulü Tahan (郁久閭塔寒), the brother of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulü Anagui, but then, believing that to be insufficient, he asked Emperor Wen to divorce Empress Yifu and marry Yujiulü Anagui's daughter. Emperor Wen agreed, and divorced Empress Yifu, making her a Buddhist nun. He then married Yujiulü Anagui's daughter and created her empress. For a while, this brought peace with Rouran. March 12 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. ... Rouran (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Jou Jan, literally Soft-like), Juan Juan (Chinese: ; pinyin: , literally meaning the Wriggling Insects, a name given by the Toba ruling elites of northern China), or Ruru (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Ju Ju, literally meaning Fodder) was the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the... Yujiulü Anagui (Chinese: 郁久閭阿那瓌; pinyin: YùjiÇ”lǘ Ä€nàgÅ«i) (?-552) khan of the Rouran (520-552) with the title of Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan (敕連頭兵豆伐可汗). He was succeeded by Yujiulü Tiefa. ...

Later in 538, with Western Wei then (temporariily) controlling the old Northern Wei capital Luoyang, but with Luoyang under attack, Emperor Wen (who had wanted to visit the imperial ancestral tombs in Luoyang) and Yuwen led troops to reinforce Luoyang's defenses, leaving the official Zhou Huida (周惠達) and Crown Prince Qin in Chang'an. However, with the forces engaged in battle, Emperor Wen eventually became stuck at Hengnong (恆農, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), when Chang'an was taken by rebelling former Eastern Wei troops who had been taken captive previously by Western Wei, forcing Zhou and Crown Prince Qin to flee as well. Yuwen was eventually able to disengage after abandoning Luoyang, and he put down the rebellion, allowing Emperor Wen to return to Chang'an. Sanmenxia is a prefecture-level city within Henan province of the Chinese, with 260,000 inhabitants (as of 1999). ... Henan (Chinese: 河南; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ho-nan), is a province of the Peoples Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. ...

Although the former Empress Yifu had been deposed and made a Buddhist nun, Empress Yujiulü was still not happy about her presence in the capital. in 540, Emperor Wen therefore made Yuan Wu the governor of Qin Province (秦州, roughly modern Tianshui, Gansu), and had Empress Yifu accompany Yuan Wu to Qin Province. However, because he still hoped to welcome her back to the palace one day, he secretly told her to keep her hair uncut, rather than shaved like a Buddhist nun. At this time, however, Rouran made a major attack on Western Wei, and many officials thought that the attack was on behalf of Empress Yujiulü. Emperor Wen felt compelled to order Empress Yifu to commit suicide, and he did. Soon thereafter, Empress Yujiulü, who was pregnant, died during childbirth. Events Byzantine general Belisarius conquers Milan and the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna. ... Tianshui (Chinese: 天水; pinyin: ) is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. ... Gansu (Simplified Chinese: 甘肃; Traditional Chinese: 甘肅; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kan-su, Kansu, or Kan-suh) is a province located in the northwest of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

In 548, Yuwen and Yuan Qin were on a grand tour of the provinces when Emperor Wen grew ill, and when they heard the news, Yuwen returned to Chang'an quickly, although by the time they returned, Emperor Wen had recovered. Events Belisarius is relieved of command over the Byzantine forces in Italy and replaced with Narses. ...

In 549, Emperor Wen issued an edict -- probably as Yuwen requested -- ordering that the names of the ethnic Xianbei, changed to Han names during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, be changed back to the original Xianbei names. Events Emperor Jinwen succeeds Emperor Wu as ruler of the Liang Dynasty in China. ... The Xianbei (Simplified Chinese: 鲜卑; Traditional Chinese: 鮮卑; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsien-pei) were a significant nomadic people residing in modern Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, or Xianbei Shan, a historic term for Greater Khingan, before migrating into areas of the modern Chinese provinces of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Hebei, Inner Mongolia...

In 550, Gao Huan's son Gao Yang forced Eastern Wei's Emperor Xiaojing to yield the throne to him, ending Eastern Wei and starting Northern Qi (as its Emperor Wenxuan). Emperor Wen therefore became the only claimant to the Northern Wei throne. Yuwen, declaring Northern Qi a rebel state, launched a major attack, but Gao Yang himself commanded a large army to defend against the attack, and Western Wei not only did not make gains, but lost a number of provinces to Northern Qi. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Silk reaches Constantinople (approximate date). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In 551, Emperor Wen died and was buried with honors due an emperor, with Empress Yujiulü, although eventually Empress Yifu was buried with him. (It is not clear whether she displaced Empress Yujiulü or not.) Yuan Qin succeeded him (as Emperor Fei). Events Jordanes publishes The Origin and Deeds of the Goths. ...

Era name

• Datong (大統 dà tǒng) 535-551

Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ... Events Jordanes publishes The Origin and Deeds of the Goths. ...

Personal information

• Father
  • Yuan Yu (元愉) (488-508), the Prince of Jingzhao, son of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, posthumously honored as Emperor Wenjing
• Mother
  • Lady Yang, likely Yuan Yu's concubine, posthumously honored as Empress Wenjing
• Wives
  • Empress Yifu (created 535, deposed 538, forced to commit suicide 540), mother of Crown Prince Qin and Prince Wu
  • Empress Yujiulü (created 538, d. 540), daughter of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulü Anagui
• Children
  • Yuan Qin (元欽), the Crown Prince (created 535), later Emperor Fei of Western Wei
  • Yuan Jian (元儉), Prince (title unknown) (created 545)
  • Yuan Ning (元寧), the Prince of Zhao (created 547)
  • Yuan Kuo (元廓), the Prince of Qi (created 548), later Emperor Gong of Western Wei
  • Yuan Ru (元儒), the Prince of Yan (created 550)
  • Yuan Gong (元公), the Prince of Wu (created 550)
  • Yuan Wu (元戊), the Prince of Wudu
  • Princess Anle
  • Princess Yiyang
  • Yuan Humo (元胡摩), the Princess Jin'an, later empress to Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou
  • Princess Jinming

Events Theodoric the Great becomes king of the Ostrogoths. ... Births Deaths Gerren I Llyngesog ab Erbin, King of Dumnonia. ... Xiaowen (孝文帝) (467–499) was the emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty from 471 to 499. ... A swampy marsh area ... Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ... March 12 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. ... Events Byzantine general Belisarius conquers Milan and the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna. ... March 12 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Byzantine general, Belisarius. ... Events Byzantine general Belisarius conquers Milan and the Ostrogoth capital Ravenna. ... Rouran (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Jou Jan, literally Soft-like), Juan Juan (Chinese: ; pinyin: , literally meaning the Wriggling Insects, a name given by the Toba ruling elites of northern China), or Ruru (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Ju Ju, literally meaning Fodder) was the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the... Yujiulü Anagui (Chinese: 郁久閭阿那瓌; pinyin: Yùjiǔlǘ Ānàgūi) (?-552) khan of the Rouran (520-552) with the title of Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan (敕連頭兵豆伐可汗). He was succeeded by Yujiulü Tiefa. ... Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ... For other uses, see 545 (disambiguation). ... Events Ida founds the kingdom of Bernicia at Bamburgh (traditional date). ... Events Belisarius is relieved of command over the Byzantine forces in Italy and replaced with Narses. ... Emperor Gong of Western Wei ((西)魏恭帝) (537-557), personal name né Yuan Kuo (元廓), later changed to Tuoba Kuo (拓拔廓), was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. ... Events By Place Byzantine Empire Silk reaches Constantinople (approximate date). ... Events By Place Byzantine Empire Silk reaches Constantinople (approximate date). ... Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝武帝) (510-535), personal name Yuan Xiu (元脩 or 元修), courtesy name Xiaoze (孝則), at times known as Emperor Chu (出帝, the emperor who fled),[1] was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. ... These are the emperors of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and its branch successor states Eastern Wei (534-550) and Western Wei (535-556). ... Events Beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty in China. ... Events Jordanes publishes The Origin and Deeds of the Goths. ...

References

• History of Northern Dynasties, vol. 5[1].
• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164.
• Book of Wei, vol. 22[2].