Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei

Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei
北魏獻文帝
Emperor of Northern Wei
Reign21 June 465[1] – 20 September 471[2]
PredecessorEmperor Wencheng
SuccessorEmperor Xiaowen
Bornc.August 454[3]
Died476 (aged 21–22)
Burial
Jin Mausoleum of Yunzhong (雲中金陵)
ConsortsEmpress Si
IssueEmperor Xiaowen
Yuan Xi
Yuan Gan
Yuan Yu
Yuan Yong
Yuan Xie
Yuan Xiang
Princess Changshan
Princess Lelang
Princess Pengcheng
Princess Le'an
Princess Gaoping
Names
Family name: Tuòbá (拓拔)
Given name: Hóng (弘)
Era dates
  • Tiān ān (天安) 466–467
  • Huáng xīng (皇興) 467–471
Posthumous name
Emperor Xiànwén (獻文皇帝, lit. "wise and civil")
Temple name
Xiǎnzǔ (顯祖)
HouseTuoba
DynastyNorthern Wei
FatherEmperor Wencheng
MotherEmpress Yuan

Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei ((北)魏獻文帝) (c. August 454 – 20 July 476[4]), personal name Tuoba Hong, Xianbei name Didouyin (第豆胤), courtesy name Wanmin (萬民), was an emperor of the Xianbei-led Northern Wei dynasty of China. He was the first emperor in Chinese history who, after retiring at age 17 in favor of his 4-year-old son Emperor Xiaowen to become Taishang Huang (retired emperor) in 471, continued to hold on to power until his death in 476—when the official history states vaguely that he may have been killed by his stepmother Empress Dowager Feng.

  1. ^ jia'chen day of the 5th month of the 6th year of the He'ping era, per Emperor Xianwen's biography in Book of Wei.
  2. ^ Grousset, Rene (1970). The Empire of the Steppes. Rutgers University Press. pp. 64. ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.
  3. ^ 7th month of the 1st year of the Xingguang era, per Emperor Xianwen's biography in Book of Wei. The month corresponds to 10 Aug to 7 Sep 454 on the Julian calendar
  4. ^ Emperor Xianwen's biography in Book of Wei indicated that he died aged 23 (by East Asian reckoning) in the 1st year of the Chengming era. Volume 134 of Zizhi Tongjian indicated that he died on the xinwei day of the 6th month of that year, which corresponds to 20 Jul 476 in the Julian calendar.