Posthumous Emperor of Northern Zhou
Yuwen Tai (Chinese: 宇文泰; pinyin: Yǔwén Tài) (505/7 – 21 November 556[2]), nickname Heita (黑獺), formally Duke Wen of Anding (安定文公), later further posthumously honored by Northern Zhou initially as Prince Wen (文王) then as Emperor Wen (文皇帝) with the temple name Taizu (太祖), was the de facto ruler and paramount general of the Xianbei-led Chinese Western Wei dynasty, a branch successor state of the Northern Wei. In 534, Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei, seeking to assert power independent of the paramount general Gao Huan, fled to Yuwen's domain; when Gao subsequently proclaimed Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei emperor, a split of Northern Wei was effected, and when Yuwen subsequently poisoned Emperor Xiaowu to death around the new year 535 and declared his cousin Yuan Baoju emperor (as Emperor Wen), the split was formalized, with the part under Gao's and Emperor Xiaojing's control known as Eastern Wei and the part under Yuwen's and Emperor Wen's control known as Western Wei. For the rest of his life, Yuwen endeavored to make Western Wei, then much weaker than its eastern counterpart, a strong state, and after his death, his son Yuwen Jue seized the throne from Emperor Gong of Western Wei, establishing the Northern Zhou dynasty.
- ^ Emperor Wen's biography in Bei Shi indicate that he was crowned emperor on the wu'shen day of the 1st month of the 1st year of the Da'tong era.
- ^ According to Yuwen Tai's biography in Book of Zhou, he died aged 52 (by East Asian reckoning) on the yihai day of the 10th month of the 3rd year of the reign of Emperor Gong of Western Wei. This corresponds to 21 Nov 556 in the Julian calendar. ([魏恭帝三年]冬十月乙亥，崩于云阳宫，还长安发丧。时年五十二。) Zhou Shu, vol.02. Thus by calculation, his birth year should be 505. However, his biography in History of the Northern Dynasties recorded that he was 50 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died. (帝薨于云阳宫，还长安发丧，时年五十。) Bei Shi, vol.09. If this account is correct, his birth year would be 507. Note that both Zhou Shu and Bei Shi gave the same date of death.
