Emperor Wen of Chen

Emperor Wen of Chen
陳文帝
Tang dynasty portrait of Emperor Wen by Yan Liben
Emperor of the Chen dynasty
Reign17 August 559[1] – 31 May 566
PredecessorEmperor Wu
SuccessorEmperor Fei
Born522
Died566 (aged 43–44)
Burial
Yongning Mausoleum (永寧陵, in present-day Qixia District, Nanjing)
ConsortsEmpress Ande
Han Zigao
IssueChen Bozong
Chen Bomao
Chen Boshan
Chen Bogu
Chen Bogong
Chen Boxin
Chen Boren
Chen Boyi
Chen Boli
Chen Bozhi
Chen Bomou
Princess Feng'an
Princess Fuyang
Names
Family name: Chen (陳)
Given name: Qian (蒨)
Courtesy name: Zihua (子華)
Era dates
  • Tiān jiā (天嘉): 560-566
  • Tiān kāng (天康): 566
Posthumous name
Emperor Wen (文皇帝)
Temple name
Shizu (世祖)
DynastyChen dynasty
FatherChen Daotan

Emperor Wen of Chen (陳文帝) (522 – 31 May 566[2]), personal name Chen Qian (陳蒨), also called Chen Tanqian (陳曇蒨),[3] courtesy name Zihua (子華), was the second emperor of the Chinese Chen dynasty. He was a nephew of the founding monarch, Emperor Wu (Chen Baxian), and after Emperor Wu's death in 559, the officials supported him to be emperor since Emperor Wu's only surviving son, Chen Chang, was detained by the Northern Zhou dynasty. At the time he took the throne, Chen had been devastated by war during the preceding Liang dynasty, and many provinces nominally loyal to him were under control of relatively independent warlords. During his reign, he consolidated the state against warlords, and he also seized territory belonging to claimants to the Liang throne, Xiao Zhuang and the Emperor Xuan of Western Liang, greatly expanding Chen's territory and strength.

  1. ^ jia'yin day of the 6th month of the 3rd year of the Yong'ding era, per vol.167 of Zizhi Tongjian. This was about 8 days after Emperor Wu died.
  2. ^ gui'you day of the 4th month of the 1st year of the Tian'kang era, per vol.169 of Zizhi Tongjian
  3. ^ 新唐書·宰相世系表》