| Emperor Wenming of Former Yan 前燕文明帝 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Yan | |||||||||||||
| Prince of Former Yan | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 23 November 337[1] – 25 October 348 | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Murong Jun | ||||||||||||
| Duke of Liaodong (遼東郡公) | |||||||||||||
| Reign | 4 June 333 – 23 November 337 | ||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Murong Hui | ||||||||||||
| Successor | Himself (Became Prince of Yan) | ||||||||||||
| Born | 297 | ||||||||||||
| Died | 348 (aged 50–51) | ||||||||||||
| Burial | Longping Mausoleum (龍平陵) | ||||||||||||
| Spouse | Princess Duan | ||||||||||||
| Issue | Murong Jun, Emperor of Former Yan Murong Ke, Prince of Taiyuan Murong Chui, Emperor of Later Yan Murong De, Emperor of Southern Yan | ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| House | Murong | ||||||||||||
| Dynasty | Former Yan | ||||||||||||
| Father | Murong Hui | ||||||||||||
| Mother | Empress Wuxuan | ||||||||||||
Murong Huang (Chinese: 慕容皝; 297 – 25 October 348[2]), courtesy name Yuanzhen (元真), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Wenming of Former Yan (前燕文明帝), was the founding monarch of the Xianbei-led Former Yan dynasty of China. When he first succeeded his father Murong Hui in 333, he carried the Eastern Jin-bestowed title Duke of Liaodong, but in 337 claimed the title of Prince of Yan, which is traditionally viewed as the founding date of Former Yan. (Emperor Cheng of Jin did retroactively recognize Murong Huang's princely title in 341 after much debate among Eastern Jin officials.) After his son Murong Jun completely broke away from the Eastern Jin and claimed the title of emperor in January 353, he was posthumously elevated to imperial status. In the Book of Jin, Murong Huang was described as a strong looking tall man (approximately 1.91 metres).[3]