Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei

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(Bei) Wei Xuanwudi ((北)魏宣武帝)
Family name: Initially Tuoba (拓拔, tuò bá),
later Yuan (元, yuán)
(changed 496)
Given name: Ke (恪, kè)
Temple name: Shizong (世宗, shì zōng)
Posthumous name: Xuanwu (宣武, xuān wǔ),
literary meaning:
"responsible and martial"

Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei ((北)魏宣武帝) (483-515), personal name né Tuoba Ke (拓拔恪), later Yuan Ke (元恪), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. During his reign, Northern Wei appeared, outwardly, to be at its prime, but there was much political infighting and corruption, particularly by Emperor Xuanwu's uncle Gao Zhao.

Emperor Xuanwu was an avid Buddhist, and during his reign Buddhism effectively became the state religion, as Emperor Xuanwu himself often personally lectured on the Buddhist sutras.

Contents

[edit] Background

Tuoba Ke was born in 483, as the second son of Emperor Xiaowen. His mother was Emperor Xiaowen's concubine Consort Gao. (As he was born the same year as his older brother Tuoba Xun, he was probably born just briefly after Tuoba Xun, whose mother was Consort Lin.) Little is known about his childhood, including whether he was raised by his mother Consort Gao or not. In 496, Emperor Xiaowen changed the name of the imperial clan from Tuoba to Yuan, and thereafter he would be known as Yuan Ke.

In fall 496, Yuan Xun, who was then crown prince, but who could not endure the hot weather of the capital Luoyang after Emperor Xiaowen moved the capital there from Pingcheng (平城, in modern Datong, Shanxi) in 494, plotted to flee back to Pingcheng with his followers, but his plot was discovered. Emperor Xiaowen deposed him, and in 497 created Yuan Ke crown prince to replace Yuan Xun. (The creation was in Luoyang, but it is unclear whether prior to his creation, Yuan Xun was at Luoyang or Pingcheng.) Later that year, Consort Gao, who was in Pingcheng, travelled south to rejoin her son in Luoyang, but she died on the way. Historians generally believe that she was murdered by Emperor Xiaowen's wife, Empress Feng Run, who wanted to raise Yuan Ke herself. Whether she was actually able to do so is unclear, but after she was discovered to have carried on an affair with her attendant Gao Pusa (高菩薩) in 499, she was put under house arrest, and Emperor Xiaowen ordered Yuan Ke to have no more contact with her.

Later in 499, Emperor Xiaowen, while on a campaign against rival Southern Qi, grew ill and died. Emperor Xiaowen's brother Yuan Xie the Prince of Pengcheng was put into command of the withdrawing army on an emergency basis, and Yuan Xie kept Emperor Xiaowen's death a secret while summoning Yuan Ke to join the army. Yuan Ke's attendants largely suspected Yuan Xie of wanting to take the throne himself, but Yuan Xie, once he met Yuan Ke, showed great deference to Yuan Ke, convincing Yuan Ke of his loyalty. Yuan Ke, at age 16, then took the throne as Emperor Xuanwu at Luyang (魯陽, in modern Pingdingshan, Henan), before the army could return to Luoyang.

[edit] Early reign

Emperor Xuanwu initially wanted to make Yuan Xie, who was popular and well-regarded, prime minister, but Yuan Xie refused, and was made a provincial governor instead. The governmental affairs were largely in the hands of six officials: Emperor Xiaowen's brothers Yuan Xi (元禧) the Prince of Xianyang and Yuan Xiang (元詳) the Prince of Beihai, Emperor Xiaowen's cousin Yuan Cheng (元澄) the Prince of Rencheng, Emperor Xiaowen's distant uncle Yuan Jia (元嘉) the Prince of Guangyang, and the officials Wang Su (王肅) and Song Bian (宋弁), although Yuan Cheng was soon stripped of his post because he falsely arrested Wang on suspicion of treason. By 500, Emperor Xuanwu recalled Yuan Xie to be prime minister.

Emperor Xuanwu, once he returned to Luoyang, posthumously honored his mother Consort Gao as an empress, and he created his maternal uncles Gao Zhao and Gao Xian (高顯), as well as his cousin Gao Meng (高猛), none of wom he had previously met, dukes. Gao Zhao, in particular, became increasingly powerful during Emperor Xuanwu's reign.

In 500, with Southern Qi in disarray because of the tyrranical rule of its emperor Xiao Baojuan, Northern Wei annexed the important city of Shouyang (壽陽, in modern Lu'an, Anhui) when the Southern Qi general Pei Shuye (裴叔業) surrendered the city to Northern Wei in fear of adverse actions by Xiao Baojuan. However, Northern Wei did not take further actions when Southern Qi was subsequently thrown into civil war during the rebellions of the generals Cui Huijing (崔慧景) and Xiao Yan.

In 501, the general Yu Lie (于烈) and Yuan Xiang warned Emperor Xuanwu that Yuan Xi was growing corrupt and Yuan Xie was growing too popular, and suggested that they be relieved of their posts. Emperor Xuanwu did so, and formally personally took over governmental matters, but at his age, he could not actually properly handle governmental affairs himself, so his trusted attendants and Gao Zhao began to become growingly powerful and corrupt. Traditional historians generally regard this as the starting point of Northern Wei's decline. Late in 501, Yuan Xi, displeased that his power wa being stripped and fearful that he would be killed, plotted a rebellion to secede with the provinces south of the Yellow River. His plot was discovered, however, and he was executed. From this point on, Emperor Xuanwu grew increasingly suspicious of members of the imperial clan.

Later in 501, Emperor Xuanwu created Yu Lie's niece, Consort Yu, empress.

Later that year, with Xiao Yan's forces crushing Xiao Baojuan's, Emperor Xuanwu's general Yuan Ying (元英) suggested that a major attack be launched against Southern Qi to take advantage of Southern Qi's civil war. However, Emperor Xuanwu only authorized small scale attacks, which were generally fruitless. Xiao Yan soon defeated Xiao Baojuan and by 502 had overthrown Southern Qi and established Liang Dynasty as its Emperor Wu. The Liang general Chen Bozhi (陳伯之) subsequently tried to surrender Jiang Province (江州, modern Jiangxi and Fujian) to Northern Wei, but Liang forces defeated both Chen and the Northern Wei forces sent to reinforce him, and Chen fled to Northern Wei. For the next few years, however, there would continually be war between the two rivals, particularly with Northern Wei creating Southern Qi's prince Xiao Baoyin, who fled Southern Qi as Xiao Yan was beginning to kill members of the Southern Qi imperial clan, as the Prince of Qi and announcing that it would help him reestablish Southern Qi.

In 504, Xuan Xiang, who had taken over Yuan Xi's posts, was accused by Gao Zhao of corruption. He was demoted to commoner rank, and died soon thereafter. At Gao's suggestion and despite Yuan Xie's opposition, Emperor Xuanwu subsequently put the imperial princes under heavey guard, effectively putting them under house arrest.

Meanwhile, the wars with Liang continued, and while both sides had gains and losses, Northern Wei made a substantial gain in 505 when the Liang general Xiaohou Daoqian (夏侯道遷) surrendered Nanzheng (南鄭, in modern Hanzhong, Shaanxi), as well as the surrounding region, to Northern Wei, which further annexedd the semi-independent state Chouchi in spring 506. In winter 505, Liang launched a major counterattack on the eastern part of the border, commanded by its Emperor Wu's brother Xiao Hong (蕭宏) the Prince of Linchuan, but with Xiao Hong being an incompetent general, who mishandled a night terror situation in summer 506, while his army was at Luokou (洛口, in modern Bengbu, Anhui), the Liang forces collapsed by themselves without engaging Northern Wei forces. Yuan Ying and Xiao Baoyin followed up by attacking the Liang fortress Zhongli (鍾離, in modern Chuzhou, Anhui), but were dealt a crushing defeat by the Liang general Wei Rui (韋叡) in spring 507. The two states largely stopped their military activities against each other after that point.

In winter 507, Empress Yu died suddenly, and in early 508, her young son Yuan Chang (元昌), Emperor Xuanwu's only son by that point, died suddenly as well. Because Gao Zhao was exceeding powerful by that point, and his niece Consort Gao was Emperor Xuanwu's favorite concubine, it was largely suspected that Gao Zhao and Consort Gao murdered them, but there was no conclusive proof. In 508, Emperor Xuanwu created Consort Gao empress to replace Empress Yu, despite opposition by Yuan Xie, and from this point on Gao Zhao became resentful of Yuan Xie.

[edit] Late reign

In fall 508, Emperor Xuanwu's younger brother Yuan Yu (元愉) the Prince of Jingzhao, who had just been demoted by Emperor Xuanwu for corruption, became angry at both his demotion and that his favorite consort Lady Li had been severely battered by Empress Yu briefly before Empress Yu's death (because Yuan Yu's wife was Empress Yu's sister but was unfavored by him), declared a rebellion at his provincial post of Xindu (信都, in modern Hengshui, Hebei) and proclaimed himself emperor. Gao Zhao used this opportunity to falsely accuse Yuan Xie of acting in concert with both Yuan Yu (because Yuan Yu had forced Yuan Xie's uncle Pan Senggu (潘僧固) into joining his rebellion) and Liang Dynasty. Emperor Xuanwu believed Gao, and forced Yuan Xie to commit suicide. The populace and the officials greatly mourned Yuan Xie's death, and grew increasingly resentful of Gao. Soon, Yuan Yu's rebellion was defeated, and while Emperor Xuanwu contemplated not putting Yuan Yu to death, Yuan Yu was killed on Gao's orders.

In 510, Emperor Xuanwu's concubine Consort Hu gave birth to a son, Yuan Xu. Because Emperor Xuanwu had lost multiple sons in childhood by that point, he carefully selected several experienced mothers to serve as Yuan Xu's wet nurses, and disallowed both Empress Gao and Consort Hu from seeing him. In winter 512, Emperor Xuanwu created Yuan Xu crown prince, and, abolishing the Northern Wei custom that the crown prince's mother must be forced to commit suicide, he did not force Consort Hu to commit suicide.

During these years, Northern Wei and Liang continued to have relatively minor border battles, with each side having gains and losses. In 514, however, Emperor Xuanwu commissioned Gao Zhao to launch a major attack against Liang's Yi Province (益州, modern Sichuan and Chongqing). Soon thereafter, however, in spring 515, he died suddenly, and Yuan Xu succeeded him (as Emperor Xiaoming). Yuan Cheng, Emperor Xuanwu's brother Yuan Yong (元雍) the Prince of Gaoyang, and Yu Lie's son Yu Zhong (于忠) seized power and, after recalling Gao, put him to death, and Empress Gao was removed. Emperor Xiaoming's mother Consort Hu became empress dowager and regent.

[edit] Burial

Emperor Xuanwu was buried north of Luoyang. His tomb is now open to the public as part of the Luoyang Ancient Tombs Museum.

[edit] Era names

  • Jingming (景明 jǐng míng) 500-503
  • Zhengshi (正始 zhèng shǐ) 504-508
  • Yongping (永平 yǒng píng) 508-512
  • Yanchang (延昌 yán chāng) 512-515

[edit] Personal information

Preceded by
Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei		 Emperor of Northern Wei
499-515		 Succeeded by
Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei
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