Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei
Encyclopedia
| Wei Xiaozhuangdi ((北)魏孝莊帝) | |
|---|---|
| Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Yuan (元, yuán) |
| Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Ziyou (子攸, zǐ yōu) |
| Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... : |
Jingzong (敬宗, jìng zōng) |
| Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... : |
Originally Wuhuai (武懷, wǔ huái), literary meaning: "martial and kind but died young", later Xiaozhuang (孝莊, xiào zhuāng), literary meaning: "filial and unsuccessful in war" |
Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝莊帝) (507–531), personal name Yuan Ziyou (元子攸), was an emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
/Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
dynasty Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
. He was placed on the throne by the general Erzhu Rong
Erzhu Rong
Erzhu Rong , courtesy name Tianbao , formally Prince Wu of Jin , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, who refused to recognize the young emperor Yuan Zhao
Yuan Zhao
Yuan Zhao , also known in history as Youzhu , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei....
that Emperor Xiaoming
Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei
Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei , personal name Yuan Xu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
's mother Empress Dowager Hu
Empress Dowager Hu (Xiaoming)
Empress Dowager Hu , formally Empress Ling , was an empress dowager of the Chinese dynasty Northern Wei. She was a concubine of Emperor Xuanwu, and she became regent and empress dowager after her son Emperor Xiaoming became emperor after Emperor Xuanwu's death in 515...
placed on the throne after she poisoned Emperor Xiaoming. During his reign, Erzhu largely controlled the military and acted in a violent manner, leading Emperor Xiaozhuang to believe that he would usurp the throne. In 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang ambushed Erzhu and killed him in the palace, but Erzhu's cousin Erzhu Shilong
Erzhu Shilong
Erzhu Shilong , courtesy name Rongzong , was an official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He first became prominent when after his cousin Erzhu Rong overthrew Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu and made Emperor Xiaozhuang emperor...
and nephew Erzhu Zhao
Erzhu Zhao
Erzhu Zhao , courtesy name Wanren , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was ethnically Xiongnu and a nephew of the paramount general Erzhu Rong. After Erzhu Rong was killed by Emperor Xiaozhuang, Erzhu Zhao came to prominence by defeating, capturing, and killing Emperor...
subsequently defeated Emperor Xiaozhuang, capturing and killing him.
Early life
Yuan Ziyou was born in 507, during the reign of his cousin Emperor XuanwuEmperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei
Tuoba Ke , later Yuan Ke was known as Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei during the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei....
, as the third son of the highly regarded imperial prince, Emperor Xuanwu's uncle Yuan Xie
Yuan Xie
Yuan Xie , né Tuoba Xie , courtesy name Yanhe , formally Prince Wuxuan of Pengcheng , later posthumously honored as Emperor Wenmu with the temple name of Suzu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
the Prince of Pengcheng. His mother was Yuan Xie's wife Princess Li, the daughter of the honored official Li Chong (李沖). Of his two older brothers, the oldest, Yuan Zizhi (元子直), was not Princess Li's son, and the other, born of Princess Li, was Yuan Shao (元劭).
In 508, Princess Li was again pregnant and due to give birth, when Emperor Xuanwu, believing in false accusations of his maternal uncle Gao Zhao
Gao Zhao
Gao Zhao , courtesy name Shouwen , was a high level official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was a maternal uncle of Emperor Xuanwu, and he became increasingly powerful during Emperor Xuanwu's reign, drawing anger from other high level officials not only for his powerplay Gao Zhao...
that Yuan Xie was plotting rebellion, forced Yuan Xie to commit suicide. Princess Li soon gave birth to Yuan Ziyou's younger brother, Yuan Zizheng (元子正). It appeared that Yuan Ziyou was close to his brothers. Yuan Shao, as the oldest son of Yuan Xie's wife, inherited Yuan Xie's title of Prince of Pengcheng. Yuan Ziyou and his brothers Yuan Zizhi and Yuan Zizheng were created dukes—in Yuan Ziyou's case, the Duke of Wucheng. Yuan Ziyou, in his youth, served as an attendant to Emperor Xuanwu, and was praised for his intelligence and handsome looks. He held increasingly higher offices during the reigns of Emperor Xuanwu and his son and successor Emperor Xiaoming
Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei
Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei , personal name Yuan Xu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
.
In 526, Emperor Xuanwu's son and successor Emperor Xiaoming promoted Yuan Ziyou to be the Prince of Changle. In 527, however, he lost all actual authority (although he retained honorific offices) when Yuan Shao was suspected of plotting a rebellion and was reported by Yuan Yanming (元延明) the Prince of Anfeng. Emperor Xiaoming and his mother, Empress Dowager Hu
Empress Dowager Hu (Xiaoming)
Empress Dowager Hu , formally Empress Ling , was an empress dowager of the Chinese dynasty Northern Wei. She was a concubine of Emperor Xuanwu, and she became regent and empress dowager after her son Emperor Xiaoming became emperor after Emperor Xuanwu's death in 515...
, however, did not kill either Yuan Ziyou or his brothers.
In 528, Emperor Xiaoming, who was having increasing friction with Empress Dowager Hu, conspired with the general Erzhu Rong
Erzhu Rong
Erzhu Rong , courtesy name Tianbao , formally Prince Wu of Jin , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
to have Erzhu advance on the capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
to force Empress Dowager Hu to yield power and to kill her lover Zheng Yan (鄭儼) and Zheng's associate Xu Ge (徐紇). The conspiracy was discovered, and Empress Dowager Hu poisoned the emperor and made Yuan Zhao
Yuan Zhao
Yuan Zhao , also known in history as Youzhu , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei....
, a two-year-old son of an imperial prince, emperor. Erzhu refused to recognize Yuan Zhao as emperor and advanced on Luoyang. Because Yuan Xie's memory remained highly regarded by the people, and Yuan Ziyou was renowned for his abilities, Erzhu sent secret messengers to make overtures to him, offering to make him emperor. Yuan Ziyou agreed, and when Erzhu advanced to Luoyang's vicinity, Yuan Ziyou, along with Yuan Shao and Yuan Zizheng, fled Luoyang and joined Erzhu's army. Erzhu proclaimed him emperor (as Emperor Xiaozhuang), and there was much rejoicing in the army ranks.
The Heyin Massacre and aftermath
Emperor Xiaozhuang made Yuan Shao the Wushang Prince (無上王, meaning "prince without anyone greater") and Yuan Zizheng, who was Duke of Bacheng, the Prince of Shiping. He invested Erzhu Rong with a variety of supreme military and civilian titles, and created him the title Prince of Taiyuan.Upon hearing of Emperor Xiaozhuang's ascension, Empress Dowager Hu's generals Zheng Xianhu (鄭先護), a friend of Emperor Xiaozhuang, and Fei Mu (費穆), quickly surrendered, while another general, Li Shengui (李神軌), fled. Zheng Yan and Xu Ge also deserted Luoyang. Empress Dowager Hu became desperate; after ordering Emperor Xiaoming's consorts to all become Buddhist nuns, she took tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
herself although she did not declare herself a nun. Erzhu ordered the imperial officials to welcome Emperor Xiaozhuang into Luoyang, while sending cavalry to arrest Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Zhao. After a meeting with Empress Dowager Hu, in which she tried to defend her actions but drew no sympathy from Erzhu, Erzhu had her and Yuan Zhao thrown into the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
to drown.
Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Zhao would not be Erzhu's only victims, however. Fei suggested to Erzhu that since his army was actually small, as soon as the imperial officials realized the situation, they would resist him. He suggested that Erzhu carry out a massacre of the imperial officials, and Erzhu, despite the opposition of his strategist Murong Shaozong (慕容紹宗), proceeded. Erzhu ordered the imperial officials to his camp at Heyin (河陰, near Luoyang) under the pretense that Emperor Xiaozhuang was going to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth there, and then surrounded the imperial officials and slaughtered them, killing more than 2,000 of them, including Emperor Xiaozhuang's uncle, the prime minister Yuan Yong
Yuan Yong
Yuan Yong , né Tuoba Yong , courtesy name Simu , formally Prince Wenmu of Gaoyang , was an imperial prince of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was very powerful during the reign of his grandnephew Emperor Xiaoming, and by corrupt means grew very rich...
the Prince of Gaoyang. Erzhu also sent soldiers to assassinate Yuan Shao and Yuan Zizheng, while putting Emperor Xiaozhuang under effective arrest in the army camp.
Emperor Xiaozhuang, in fear and anger, sent a messenger to Erzhu, suggesting that he would be willing to yield the throne either to Erzhu or to another person that Erzhu designated. Erzhu, under suggestion of his general Gao Huan
Gao Huan
Gao Huan , nickname Heliuhun , formally Prince Xianwu of Qi , later further formally honored by Northern Qi initially as Emperor Xianwu , then as Emperor Shenwu with the temple name Gaozu , was the paramount general of the...
, toyed with the idea of taking the throne himself or offering it to his close associate Yuan Tianmu (元天穆), a distant relative of Emperor Xiaozhuang. Subsequently, however, his sorcerer Liu Lingzhu (劉靈助) predicted that neither Erzhu himself nor Yuan Tianmu was favored to be an emperor by the gods, and that only Emperor Xiaozhuang was favored. Erzhu therefore stopped these plans and offered a deep apology to Emperor Xiaozhuang, claiming that the massacre was a result of the soldiers going out of control. However, the people of Luoyang and the surviving imperial officials, fearful of further massacre, fled Luoyang, which was then left nearly empty, particularly because Erzhu publicly pondered the idea of moving the capital to Jinyang (晉陽, in modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). It was not until Erzhu offered offices to the heirs of the officials who died and publicly renounced the idea of moving the capital that the people began to return to Luoyang.
Nevertheless, Erzhu, while publicly returning authority to Emperor Xiaozhuang, retained command of the armed forces, while putting several officials closely aligned with him, including Yuan Tianmu and his cousin Erzhu Shilong
Erzhu Shilong
Erzhu Shilong , courtesy name Rongzong , was an official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He first became prominent when after his cousin Erzhu Rong overthrew Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu and made Emperor Xiaozhuang emperor...
, into high positions. He kept a close watch on Emperor Xiaozhuang even though he was largely away from the capital. He also wanted Emperor Xiaozhuang to marry his daughter Erzhu Ying'e
Empress Erzhu Ying'e
Empress Erzhu Ying'e was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. She was the wife of Emperor Xiaozhuang and a daughter of the paramount general Erzhu Rong...
, who had previously been Emperor Xiaoming's concubine, as his empress. Because this match constituted incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
under Confucian traditions, Emperor Xiaozhuang hesitated, but under the suggestion of the official Zu Ying (祖瑩), who advised that this marriage would be advantageous, Emperor Xiaozhuang agreed.
Subsequent reunification of the empire
Emperor Xiaozhuang was said to be diligent in governmental matters, and even though Erzhu was not particularly pleased with the development, Emperor Xiaozhuang proceeded to take much interest in criminal matters, as well as refusing to comply with all of Erzhu's recommendations for officials. He did not dare to directly cross Erzhu, however, and Erzhu continued to install officials close to him in the imperial administration.Meanwhile, Erzhu proceeded to try to reunify the empire, which had been largely divided by agrarian rebellions that rose during the reign of Emperor Xiaoming. At that time, the more major rebels included:
- Ge Rong (葛榮), with an army largely of XianbeiXianbeiThe Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
soldiers from the six garrisons on the northern borders, with the title of Emperor of Qi and controlling most of the provinces in modern HebeiHebei' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei... - Xing Gao (邢杲), with an army largely consisting of refugees from Ge Rong's and other associated rebellions, with the title of Prince of Han and controlling most of the provinces in modern ShandongShandong' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
- Moqi Chounu (万俟醜奴), with the title of emperor and controlling most of the provinces in ShaanxiShaanxi' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
and eastern GansuGansu' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
Erzhu's first target was Ge, who had put the important city Yecheng
Ye, China
Ye or Yecheng was an ancient Chinese city located in what is now Linzhang County, Hebei and the neighbouring Anyang County, Henan....
under siege and was getting close to the Yellow River. With just 7,000 cavalry soldiers, Erzhu caught the much larger Ge army by surprise and crushed it, capturing Ge and delivering him to Luoyang, where Ge was executed in winter 528. Ge's general Han Lou (韓樓) took party of his army and took over modern Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
.
In spring 529, Emperor Xiaozhuang posthumously honored his father Yuan Xie as Emperor Wenmu and his mother Princess Li as Empress Wenmu, and enshrined them in the imperial ancestral temple, despite opposition by Yuan Yu (元彧) the Prince of Linhuai as being inappropriate since Yuan Xie was never actually emperor. He further also posthumously honored his brother Yuan Shao as Emperor Xiaoxuan and Yuan Shao's wife Princess Li as Empress Wengong, although he did not enshrine them in the imperial temple.
Around the same time, rival Liang Dynasty
Liang Dynasty
The Liang Dynasty , also known as the Southern Liang Dynasty , was the third of the Southern dynasties in China and was followed by the Chen Dynasty...
's Emperor Wu
Emperor Wu of Liang
Emperor Wu of Liang , personal name Xiao Yan , courtesy name Shuda , nickname Lian'er , was the founding emperor of the Chinese Liang Dynasty...
created Emperor Xiaozhuang's cousin Yuan Hao
Yuan Hao
Yuan Hao , courtesy name Ziming , was an imperial prince and pretender to the throne of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei, who briefly received allegiance from most of the provinces south of the Yellow River after he captured the capital Luoyang with support of neighboring Liang Dynasty...
the Prince of Beihai, who had fled to Liang following the Heyin Massacre, the Prince of Wei and sent an army commanded by the general Chen Qingzhi
Chen Qingzhi
Chen Qingzhi was a prominent general of the Liang dynasty. He is best known for his campaign in 530 to crush Northern Wei. With only 7,000 troops, he invaded Northern Wei and conquered the regions of Henan and Shandong. However, he lost them again after being counterattacked by a Wei force ten...
to escort him, with an intent to install Yuan Hao as Northern Wei's emperor as a vassal state to Liang. Emperor Xiaozhuang's administration did not consider Yuan Hao a serious threat at the moment, and instead sent a large army, commanded by Yuan Tianmu and Erzhu Rong's nephew Erzhu Zhao
Erzhu Zhao
Erzhu Zhao , courtesy name Wanren , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was ethnically Xiongnu and a nephew of the paramount general Erzhu Rong. After Erzhu Rong was killed by Emperor Xiaozhuang, Erzhu Zhao came to prominence by defeating, capturing, and killing Emperor...
, to attack Xing first. Xing was captured and executed in summer 529, but Chen and Yuan Hao, who declared himself the emperor of Northern Wei upon entering Northern Wei territory, took the opportunity to capture Yingyang (滎陽, in modern Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou , is the capital and largest city of Henan province in north-central China. A prefecture-level city, it also serves as the political, economic, technological, and educational centre of the province, as well as a major transportation hub for Central China...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
), defeating Yuan Tianmu as he returned from the campaign against Xing, and approached Luoyang. Emperor Xiaozhuang decided to flee Luoyang, and he crossed the Yellow River to rendezvous with Erzhu Rong and Yuan Tianmu at Zhangzi (長子, in modern Changzhi
Changzhi
Changzhi is a prefecture-level city in Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China. It lies between the city of Huozhou in Shanxi and the city of Hebi in Henan....
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
). Meanwhile, Yuan Hao entered Luoyang unopposed, and the provinces south of the Yellow River largely declared allegiance to Yuan Hao.
Yuan Hao, however, believed that he had already succeeded and began to plot against Chen and his Liang forces, wanting to throw off Liang's control. He therefore sent messengers to persuade Liang's Emperor Wu not to send any additional reinforcements. Erzhu's forces, meanwhile, were stymied against Chen, but eventually Erzhu made an attack at night and crossed the Yellow River, causing Yuan Hao's forces to collapse, and while Chen tried to withdraw, his army was defeated as well. Yuan Hao was killed in flight, and Emperor Xiaozhuang again entered Luoyang to assume the throne.
In spring 530, Erzhu Rong sent his nephew Erzhu Tianguang
Erzhu Tianguang
Erzhu Tianguang was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He became a major general during the reign of Emperor Xiaozhuang, when his father's cousin Erzhu Rong was the paramount general of the state. He was renowned for pacifying the Guanzhong region, which had been seized by...
, assisted by the generals Heba Yue (賀拔岳) and Houmochen Yue (侯莫陳悅), to attack Moqi Chounu. Erzhu Tianguang, after tricking Moqi into believing that an attack would not come quickly, made a surprise attack, defeating Moqi and capturing him. He then captured Moqi's capital Gaoping (高平, in modern Guyuan
Guyuan
Guyuan is a prefecture-level city in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. It occupies the southernmost section of the region.-Administrative divisions:-Geography and climate:...
, Ningxia
Ningxia
Ningxia, formerly transliterated as Ningsia, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Located in Northwest China, on the Loess Plateau, the Yellow River flows through this vast area of land. The Great Wall of China runs along its northeastern boundary...
), capturing Moqi's general Xiao Baoyin
Xiao Baoyin
Xiao Baoyin , courtesy name Zhiliang , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Southern Qi. In 502, as Southern Qi was on the edge of being taken over by the general Xiao Yan, who was preparing by killing the imperial princes, Xiao Baoyin fled to rival Northern Wei and became an official...
-- a former major Northern Wei general and Southern Qi
Southern Qi
The Southern Qi Dynasty was the second of the Southern dynasties in China, followed by the Liang Dynasty. During its 23-year history, the dynasty was largely filled with instability, as after the death of the capable Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu, Emperor Wu's grandson Xiao Zhaoye was assassinated...
prince who had, during Emperor Xiaoming's reign, unsuccessfully tried to reestablish Southern Qi. Moqi was executed, and while many officials friendly with Xiao tried to plead for Xiao's life, Emperor Xiaozhuang ordered Xiao to commit suicide. Erzhu Tianguang subsequently defeated another major rebel, Wang Qingyun (王慶雲), and Moqi Chounu's general Moqi Daoluo (万俟道洛), largely pacifying the western empire. Soon thereafter, Erzhu Rong's generals Hou Yuan (侯淵) and Liu Lingzhu defeated and killed Han Lou, and the empire became basically reunified.
Killing of Erzhu Rong
However, Emperor Xiaozhuang was secretly unhappy about these victories by the Erzhu forces, believing that this made an usurpation by Erzhu Rong closer to reality. Inside his own palace, he felt under pressure by the jealous Empress Erzhu. Erzhu Rong gave hints that he wanted to be awarded the nine bestowmentsNine bestowments
The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine bestowments were awards given by Chinese emperors to extraordinary officials, ostensibly to reward them for their accomplishments. The nine...
-- symbols of great honor that usually preceded usurpations—but Emperor Xiaozhuang pretended not to understand, and did not bestow the nine bestowments on Erzhu. Yuan Hui (元徽) the Prince of Chengyang, the husband of Emperor Xiaozhuang's cousin, and Li Yu (李彧), Emperor Xiaozhuang's brother-in-law, both wanted more power, and saw the Erzhus as in their way, and therefore persuaded Emperor Xiaozhuang that one day Erzhu Rong would indeed usurp the throne. Emperor Xiaozhuang also feared a repeat of the Heyin Massacre, and therefore engaged his officials Yang Kan (楊侃) and Yuan Luo (元羅) in the conspiracy as well.
In autumn 530, with Empress Erzhu pregnant, Erzhu Rong requested to come to the capital to attend to his daughter for childbirth. Emperor Xiaozhuang's associates were divided in their opinions—some wanted to assassinate Erzhu when he came to the palace, and some wanted to slaughter Erzhu's associates in the capital and militarily resist. Emperor Xiaozhuang hesitated and did not take any actions initially. Meanwhile, Erzhu Shilong heard rumors of Emperor Xiaozhuang's conspiracy and reported them to Erzhu Rong, but Erzhu Rong did not believe that Emperor Xiaozhuang would dare to turn against him and therefore went to Luoyang anyway. The populace of Luoyang expected that either Erzhu Rong would carry out a coup or Emperor Xiaozhuang would act against him, and many fled. When Erzhu arrived at the capital, however, he entered the palace with minimal guards and without weapons, and so Emperor Xiaozhuang considered not acting against him. Yuan Hui, however, persuaded Emperor Xiaozhuang that even if Erzhu Rong was not planning a coup, that he still should not be allowed to be left alive.
Emperor Xiaozhuang feared, however, that Yuan Tianmu, who was then at Jinyang, would be a latent threat, and therefore summoned Yuan Tianmu to the capital as well. Meanwhile, with rumors that Erzhu was planning to arrest Emperor Xiaozhuang and move the capital to Jinyang, Emperor Xiaozhuang became even more apprehensive and anxious to carry out the plot. He studied the historical accounts of the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
general Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo
Dong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
, and concluded that Wang Yun
Wang Yun
Wang Yun was a Minister over the Masses under Emperor Xian during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. During Wang Yun's time, the emperors were mere puppets under the power of eunuchs and warlords. In 192, Wang Yun plotted and successfully staged Lü Bu's assassination of Dong Zhuo, the...
's failure, after he killed Dong, was in not pardoning Dong's associates, forcing them into rebellion. He therefore prepared first to kill Erzhu Rong and then to declare a general pardon. Under pretense that Empress Erzhu had given birth, he summoned Erzhu Rong and Yuan Tianmu into the palace and surprised and killed them. Also killed were Erzhu Rong's son Erzhu Puti (爾朱菩提) and Erzhu's attendants. The populace rejoiced at the news of Erzhu Rong's death, but Erzhu Rong's wife the Princess Beixiang and Erzhu Shilong fought their way out of the capital, initially camping at Heyin and demonstrating their military strength.
The campaign against the Erzhus
Emperor Xiaozhuang sent messengers to Erzhu Shilong, declaring a general pardon, and issuing an "iron certificate" (鐵券, tie quan, which could be used against a death-eligible crime) to Erzhu Shilong if he would be willing to give up resisting. Erzhu Shilong refused, declaring that if Erzhu Rong could be killed after accomplishing so much, the certificate was meaningless. While Emperor Xiaozhuang's army was larger than Erzhu Shilong's, it was not as well-trained and could not decisively defeat Erzhu Shilong's. During this campaign, Empress Erzhu bore a son, and Emperor Xiaozhuang declared a general pardon. Erzhu Shilong eventually withdrew from Luoyang and joined the army of Erzhu Zhao, which advanced south from Jinyang after Erzhu Zhao heard of Erzhu Rong's death. They rendezvoused at Zhangzi and declared a distant relative of Emperor Xiaozhuang's, Yuan YeYuan Ye
Yuan Ye , courtesy name Huaxing , nickname Penzi , often known as the Prince of Changguang , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
the Prince of Changguang, emperor. Meanwhile, Erzhu Tianguang also headed toward Luoyang, while claiming to be still supportive of Emperor Xiaozhuang.
Meanwhile, Erzhu Zhao, after meeting Erzhu Shilong, quickly advanced on Luoyang. Around the new year 531, he had his army ride on horseback across the Yellow River, catching Emperor Xiaozhuang, who did not expect Erzhu Zhao to be able to cross the river easily, by surprise. Emperor Xiaozhuang's imperial guards collapsed, and he was captured by Erzhu Zhao's cavalry soldiers and imprisoned, less than three months after he killed Erzhu Rong. Erzhu Zhao killed Emperor Xiaozhuang's infant son, while allowing his soldiers to pillage Luoyang, killing many officials and raping many honored women.
Death
12 days after capturing Emperor Xiaozhuang, Erzhu Zhao had him delivered to Jinyang. While he was on the way, Gao Huan, who had been considering rebelling against Erzhu Zhao, considered a rescue mission to intercept Emperor Xiaozhuang's train, but missed the timing. Gao sent a letter to Erzhu Zhao, advising him not to kill the emperor, lest that he gain the ruinous reputation for having murdered an emperor. Erzhu Zhao, in anger, refused to accept Gao's advice. Emperor Xiaozhuang was imprisoned in a Buddhist temple in Jinyang, and 10 days after he left Luoyang, Erzhu Zhao had him strangled. He was not given a proper imperial burial until Gao overthrew the Erzhus in 532.Personal information
- Father: Yuan XieYuan XieYuan Xie , né Tuoba Xie , courtesy name Yanhe , formally Prince Wuxuan of Pengcheng , later posthumously honored as Emperor Wenmu with the temple name of Suzu , was an imperial prince of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, the Prince of Pengcheng and son of Emperor XianwenEmperor Xianwen of Northern WeiEmperor Xianwen of Northern Wei , personal name Tuoba Hong, was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, posthumously honored as Emperor Wenmu - Mother: Princess Li, Yuan Xie's wife, posthumously honored as Empress Wenmu
- Wife: Empress Erzhu Ying'eEmpress Erzhu Ying'eEmpress Erzhu Ying'e was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. She was the wife of Emperor Xiaozhuang and a daughter of the paramount general Erzhu Rong...
, daughter of Erzhu RongErzhu RongErzhu Rong , courtesy name Tianbao , formally Prince Wu of Jin , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, previously concubine of Emperor XiaomingEmperor Xiaoming of Northern WeiEmperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei , personal name Yuan Xu , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
(created 528), mother of unnamed prince - Children: Unnamed son (b. and killed by Erzhu ZhaoErzhu ZhaoErzhu Zhao , courtesy name Wanren , was a general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was ethnically Xiongnu and a nephew of the paramount general Erzhu Rong. After Erzhu Rong was killed by Emperor Xiaozhuang, Erzhu Zhao came to prominence by defeating, capturing, and killing Emperor...
531)