Empress Yuwen
Encyclopedia
Empress Yuwen (d. 554?) was an empress of the Chinese
/Xianbei
state Western Wei
— a branch successor state of Northern Wei
. Her husband was Emperor Fei
(Yuan Qin), and her father was Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai
.
The future empress, in her youth, was known for making and displaying the drawings of women, and she was thought to be talented. Yuwen Tai once commented that seeing her always comforted him. While Yuan Qin was crown prince
under his father Emperor Wen
, he married her as crown princess. After Emperor Wen's death in 551, he became emperor, and he created her empress, although it is unclear whether he immediately did so. It was said that he loved her greatly, and he had no concubines.
In 554, Emperor Fei, angry that Yuwen Tai had put the official Yuan Lie (元烈) to death in 553, secretly plotted to kill Yuwen Tai. The plot was discovered, and Yuwen Tai deposed him, and soon had him killed. According to the History of Northern Dynasties
, Empress Yuwen "also suffered death because she was faithful to Wei's imperial house," but did not give greater elaboration as to how or why she died, nor is it completely clear that she died in the same year her husband did.
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:...
state Western Wei
Western Wei
The Western Wei Dynasty followed the disintegration of the Northern Wei, and ruled northern China from 535 to 556.After the Xianbei general Yuwen Tai killed the Northern Wei emperor Yuan Xiu, he installed Yuan Baoju as emperor of Western Wei while Yuwen Tai would remain as the virtual ruler...
— a branch successor state of 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"...
. Her husband was Emperor Fei
Emperor Fei of Western Wei
Emperor Fei of Western Wei , personal name Yuan Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state of Northern Wei. He, even more so than his father Emperor Wen, held little actual power in the face of overwhelming control of power by the paramount general...
(Yuan Qin), and her father was Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai
Yuwen Tai
Yuwen Tai , nickname Heita , formally Duke Wen of Anding , later further posthumously honored by Northern Zhou initially as Prince Wen then as Emperor Wen with the temple name Taizu , was the paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei, a branch successor state of Northern Wei...
.
The future empress, in her youth, was known for making and displaying the drawings of women, and she was thought to be talented. Yuwen Tai once commented that seeing her always comforted him. While Yuan Qin was crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
under his father Emperor Wen
Emperor Wen of Western Wei
Emperor Wen of Western Wei , personal name Yuan Baoju , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei...
, he married her as crown princess. After Emperor Wen's death in 551, he became emperor, and he created her empress, although it is unclear whether he immediately did so. It was said that he loved her greatly, and he had no concubines.
In 554, Emperor Fei, angry that Yuwen Tai had put the official Yuan Lie (元烈) to death in 553, secretly plotted to kill Yuwen Tai. The plot was discovered, and Yuwen Tai deposed him, and soon had him killed. According to the History of Northern Dynasties
History of Northern Dynasties
The History of Northern Dynasties is one of the official Chinese historical works in the Twenty-Four Histories canon. It contain 100 volumes and covers the period from 386 to 618, the histories of Northern Wei, Western Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Zhou, Northern Qi, and Sui Dynasty...
, Empress Yuwen "also suffered death because she was faithful to Wei's imperial house," but did not give greater elaboration as to how or why she died, nor is it completely clear that she died in the same year her husband did.