Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou

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(Bei) Zhou Mingdi ((北)周明帝)
Family name:	Yuwen (宇文, yǔ wén)
Given name:	Yu (毓, yù)
Temple name:	Shizong (世宗, shì zōng)
Posthumous name: (full)	Xiaoming (孝明, xiào míng) literary meaning: "filial and understanding"
Posthumous name: (short)	Ming (明, míng) "understanding"

Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou ((北)周明帝) (534-560), personal name Yuwen Yu (宇文毓), nickname Tongwantu (統萬突), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, although at the start of his reign he used the alternative title "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang). He was made emperor after his younger brother Emperor Xiaomin was deposed and killed by the regent Yuwen Hu. Emperor Ming himself assumed some, but not all, powers from Yuwen Hu, and was generally considered able. Because of this, Yuwen Hu became apprehensive, and in 560, he poisoned Emperor Ming to death. While near death, however, Emperor Ming appointed his brother Yuwen Yong (Emperor Wu) as his successor, believing Yuwen Yong to be intelligent and capable, and in 572, Yuwen Yong was finally able to kill Yuwen Hu and assume full imperial powers.

Contents 1 Background 2 Reign 3 Era name 4 Personal information

[edit] Background

Yuwen Yu was born in 534, as the oldest son of the then-Northern Wei general Yuwen Tai. His mother was Yuwen Tai's concubine Lady Yao. His nickname of Tongwantu was derived from the fact that Lady Yao gave birth to him at the important city of Tongwan (統萬, in modern Yulin, Shaanxi) while accompanying Yuwen Tai on an inspection of the city. Also in 534, Northern Wei divided into two rival states, Western Wei and Eastern Wei, with Yuwen Tai as the paramount general of Western Wei. In 548, Emperor Wen of Western Wei, to further honor Yuwen Tai, created Yuwen Yu the Duke of Ningdu. In 550, he was made a provincial governor, and for the next several years, he was rotated between several provinces. During his term as a provincial governor, he married the daughter of the key general Dugu Xin (獨孤信) as his wife.

In spring 556, Yuwen was pondering the issue of succession. His wife Princess Fengyi, the sister of Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei, had one son, Yuwen Jue, but he considered the fact of whether making Yuwen Jue heir apparent over Yuwen Yu would trouble Dugu Xin. On the advice of Li Yuan (李遠), who argued that the son of a wife always had precedence over the son of a concubine, Yuwen Tai made Yuwen Jue his heir apparent. Yuwen Tai died later that year, and Yuwen Jue inherited his titles, under the guardianship of Yuwen Tai's nephew Yuwen Hu. In early 557, Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and establishing Northern Zhou (with Yuwen Jue as its Emperor Xiaomin but using the alternative title of "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang)).

Later in 557, the 15-year-old Emperor Xiaomin, wanting to exercise full imperial powers, plotted to have Yuwen Hu killed. When Yuwen Hu discovered the plot, he deposed and then killed. Yuwen Hu welcomed Yuwen Yu to the capital Chang'an to take over the throne, still with the Heavenly Prince title.

[edit] Reign

[edit] Era name

• Wucheng (武成 wǔ chéng) 559-560

[edit] Personal information

• Father
  • Yuwen Tai, posthumously honored as Emperor Wen
• Mother
  • Lady Yao, Yuwen Tai's concubine
• Wife
  • Empress Dugu (created 557), daughter of Dugu Xin (獨孤信)
• Major Concubines
  • Consort Xu, mother of Prince Xian
• Children
  • Yuwen Xian (宇文賢), initially the Duke of Bi (created 564), later Prince La of Bi (created 574, executed by Yang Jian 580)
  • Yuwen Zhen (宇文貞), initially the Duke of Feng, later the Prince of Feng (created 574, executed by Yang Jian 581)
  • Yuwen Shi (宇文實), initially the Duke of Song (created 561), later the the Prince of Song (created 574, executed by Yang Jian 581)
  • Princess Henan

Preceded by: Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou

Emperor of Northern Zhou 557-560

Succeeded by: Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou