Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei

Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei
北魏孝武帝
Emperor of Northern Wei
ReignJune 13, 532 – February 3, 535
PredecessorYuan Lang
SuccessorEmperor Xiaojing (Eastern)
Emperor Wen (Western)
RegentGao Huan (532–534)
Yuwen Tai (534–535)
Born510
DiedFebruary 3, 535(535-02-03) (aged 25)
ConsortsEmpress Yongxi
IssueYuan Guangji
Names
Family name: Yuán (元)
Given name: Xiū (脩 or 修)
Era dates
  • tài chāng (太昌): 532
  • yǒng xīng (永興): 532
  • yǒng xī (永熙): 532–534
Posthumous name
Emperor Xiàowǔ (孝武皇帝, lit. "filial and martial")
HouseYuan
DynastyNorthern Wei
FatherYuan Huai
MotherLady Li

Emperor Xiaowu[1] of Northern Wei ((北)魏孝武帝) (510 – February 3, 535[2]), 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"),[3] was the last emperor of the Xianbei-led Chinese Northern Wei dynasty. After the general Gao Huan rebelled against and defeated the clan of the deceased paramount general Erzhu Rong in 532, he made Emperor Xiaowu emperor. Despite Gao's making him emperor, however, Emperor Xiaowu tried strenuously to free himself from Gao's control, and in 534, he, aligning with the general Yuwen Tai, formally broke with Gao. When Gao advanced south to try to again take control of the imperial government, Emperor Xiaowu fled to Yuwen's territory, leading to Northern Wei's division into two (as Gao then made Yuan Shanjian (Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei) the heir apparent, establishing Eastern Wei). Emperor Xiaowu's relationship with Yuwen, however, soon deteriorated over Yuwen's refusal to condone his incestuous relationships with his cousins, and around the new year 535, Yuwen poisoned him to death. Emperor Xiaowu's successor, Yuan Baoju (Emperor Wen of Western Wei), is typically regarded, then, as the first emperor of Western Wei, formalizing the division of the empire.

  1. ^ In the Twenty-Four Histories, the name "Xiaowu" was not used to refer to Yuan Xiu in Book of Wei; it was first used in Book of the Northern Qi. Later, Zizhi Tongjian also used this posthumous name to refer to him.
  2. ^ guisi day of the leap 12th month of the 3rd year of the Taichang era, per Emperor Chu's biography in Book of Wei
  3. ^ Emperor Xiaowu's posthumous name of "Xiaowu" was bestowed by Western Wei. Eastern Wei did not recognize it, and instead referred to him as Emperor Chu. Thus, the official history of Northern Wei, the Book of Wei, written by Wei Shou who served in Eastern Wei's successor state Northern Qi, referred to him as Emperor Chu. However, Chinese historians, following the lead of History of the Northern Dynasties, generally refer to him as Emperor Xiaowu.