Emperor Xuanwu

Yuan Ke

Emperor Xuanwu of Wei Dynasty Yuanke

(483-515) from Luoyang, Henan Province. The eighth emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the second son of Emperor Xiaowen Yuan Hong, whose mother was empress Wenzhao Gao Zhaorong.

In 483, he was born in Pingcheng palace. In the 21st year of Taihe (497), he was appointed the crown prince. In the 23rd year of Taihe (499), after the death of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he was located in Luyang, ruled by "Liufu". During his reign, he expanded Luoyang City to consolidate the foundation of sinicization, and launched a series of wars against the Southern Dynasties to capture Hanzhong. The attack to the North was gentle, and the country was in full swing. He believed in Buddhism all his life and abolished the ugly system of "son cherishes mother's death". In the later period of his reign, he was suspicious of his loyal ministers and relatives, and his cousin Gao Zhao was in power. As a result, the government became increasingly dark and the national strength gradually declined.

In the fourth year of Yanchang (515), he died in Shiqian hall. He was only 33 years old. His temple title was Shizong, and his posthumous title was Emperor Xuanwu. He was buried in Jingling.

Life experience

Inherit the throne

On March 24, 499, Emperor Xiaowen was seriously ill. On March 28, Emperor Xiaowen ordered situ yuanxie to send people to Luoyang to invite the crown prince Yuanke to ascend the throne in Luyang. He appointed Shizhong, guard general and Beihai Wang Yuanxiang as Sikong Gong, Zhennan General Wang Su as Shangshu Ling, Zhennan general and Guangyang Wang Yuanjia as Shangshu Zuo pushe, Shangshu song Bian as Libu Shangshu, together with Shizhong and Taiwei a.d.xi (Xianwen emperor Tuoba Hong's second son, Xiaowen emperor Yuanhong's different mother and brother), Shangshu you pushe and Rencheng Wang Yuancheng to assist the government. On April 1, Emperor Xiaowen died. On April 12, Yuanke became emperor in Luyang. He was Emperor Xuanwu and changed his name to Jingming.

During the period of emperor Xuanwu's funeral, the government appointed "Liufu". On April 24, Gao Zhaorong became empress Wenzhao. On the fifth day of August, according to the imperial edict of Emperor Xiaowen, all the concubines under the third wife of Emperor Xiaowen were sent home.

die young

Emperor Xuanwu fell ill on the 10th day of the first month of the fourth year of Yanchang (515). On the 13th of the first month, Emperor Xuanwu died in Shiqian hall at the age of 33. February 1, posthumous title Xuanwu emperor, temple Title Shizong. On February 21, he was buried in Jingling (Mangshan, north of Luoyang City, Henan Province).

Political initiatives

Politics

After emperor Xuanwu ascended the throne, the first thing he did was to expand the new capital Luoyang. Rejecting the suggestion of Xianbei's returning to his hometown consolidated the achievements of Emperor Xiaowen's reform.

In the first year of Jingming Dynasty (500), Emperor Xuanwu took advantage of the fact that the Southern Dynasty was under the rule of Xiao Baojuan, the late emperor of the Southern Qi Dynasty, and began the southern expedition. The Northern Wei Dynasty launched a series of wars against the Southern Dynasty, conquering Sichuan in Liang Dynasty and attacking Rouran in the north. It was not until the first year of Yongping (508) that the war ended. At this time, the Northern Wei Dynasty had occupied Hanzhong, and its territory expanded southward.

Because of his deep belief in Buddhism, Emperor Xuanwu abolished the death system of his son and mother, so that queen Huling could live. At this time, corrupt officials appeared in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Yuanke's uncle, Wang Yuanxi of Xianyang, was greedy and incompetent, and embezzled a lot of land and salt and iron industry. Another assistant prince, Wang Yuanxiang of Beihai, engaged in the business of "overthrowing officials". As a result, the corruption in the court became more and more serious.

In the last years of emperor Xuanwu's rule, people's uprisings came one after another. Emperor Xuanwu spent a lot of energy to suppress these uprisings one by one. In the second half of his reign, Gao Zhao was in power, the government was dark, and the national power gradually weakened.

Religion

Emperor Xuanwu was very fond of Buddhism. Every year, he often talked about the Buddhist scriptures in the palace, called the monks and explained the meaning and purpose. The monks recorded these activities and wrote "internal living". As the saying goes, "if there is something good in the top, there must be something good in the bottom". Emperor Xuanwu worshipped Buddhism so much that the officials and the people below believed in Buddhism more deeply. During the reign of emperor Xuanwu in Yanchang (512-515), there were 13727 monasteries and nuns in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and countless monks and nuns.

Historical evaluation

Yuan Hong: "I firmly doubt that this son has a special ambition. Now it's true."

Wei Shou's book of Wei: ① emperor Shizong inherited the industry of Saint Calder, and the world wanted to be weathered. He did nothing, and he was full of clothes. And wide to shoot, calm and constant, the wind of Taihe for Yi. In the Han Dynasty, who were the couples of yuan, Cheng, an and Shun ② "The emperor and his children are magnanimous, happy and angry, elegant and frugal." ③ "Good manners, beautiful appearance, profound silence in the face of the dynasty, strict as God, the amount of the monarch."

Li Yanshou's northern history: "Xuanwu inherits the industry of shengkaode, and the world wants to be weathered. It has nothing to do, and it is full of clothes. And wide to shoot, calm and constant, the wind of Taihe for Yi. Compared with the Han Dynasty, yuan, Cheng, an and Shun were the same couple. "

Anecdotes and allusions

At the beginning, Gao Zhaorong, Yuan Ke's mother, dreamt that she was chased by the sun and hid under the bed. The sun turned into a dragon and circled around her several times. Gao Zhaorong was shocked when she woke up. Then she was pregnant and gave birth to her son yuan Ke on the fifth day of April in the seventh year of Taihe (483).

Relative members

parent

Father: Yuan Hong, Emperor Xiaowen

Mother: Gao Zhaorong, Queen Wenzhao

brothers and sisters

brother

Yuan Xun, the word xuandao, abandoned prince

Yuanyu, Xuande, king of Jingzhao

Yuan Yi, the word xuanren, Qinghe literature king

Yuan Huai, word Xuanyi, Guangping Wen, Mu Wang

Yuanyue, king of culture and publicity in Runan

Yuan Yu, the king of war

sisters

Princess Lanling married Liu Hui

Princess Huaiyang, marry Yi Fuyuan

Yuanying, Princess of Changle, married Gao Meng

Princess Huayang married Sima Kai

Princess Xihe married Xue hongzuo

Shunyang princess married Feng Mu

Princess Shiping, married to mupingcheng

Jinan princess married Lu Daoqian

Princess Yiyang married Lu Zhongxun

Empress

Empress xuanwushun: Yu Shi, the daughter of Yu Jin, gave birth to Yuanchang.

Queen: Gao Ying, the daughter of Yuan Ke's uncle Gao Yan, has a son and a daughter, who died early and whose daughter is Princess Jiande.

Xuanwuling Queen: Hu, the daughter of situ Hu Guozhen, born Xiaoming emperor Yuanxu.

Guipin: Sima Xianzi, the first lady of guipin, is talented.

Guihua: Wang Puxian, daughter of Wang Su.

Jieyu: Li.

children

Son

Eldest son: Yuanchang, died early.

Second son: Yuan Xu, Emperor Xiaoming.

A child died early.

daughter

Princess Taiyuan, married to Pei Xun.

Princess Jiande.

Marry Princess Yuping.

Princess Yongtai.

Historical records

Wei Shou's "Wei Shu · Volume 8 · emperor Ji · Shizong Ji"

Li Yanshou's northern History Volume 4 Wei Benji No.4

Mausoleum site

Yuanke, Xuanwu emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was buried in Jingling after his death. Jingling is located 8 kilometers north of Luoyang City, Henan Province, in the West courtyard of Luoyang Ancient Tomb Museum. It is a grand tomb.

Jingling mausoleum is the second imperial mausoleum approved by the state for scientific excavation since the founding of the people's Republic of China, and it is also the earliest imperial mausoleum in the era of excavation and opening up in China. Jingling seal soil is round, 110 meters in diameter, is 24 meters high. The underground palace is located under the Fengqiu, sitting in the north and facing the south. It is composed of the tomb passage, the front passage, the back passage and the tomb chamber, with a total length of more than 56 meters. The plane of the tomb is nearly square, and the coffin bed is located in the west of the tomb. It is composed of 15 square large bluestone slabs, and the whole is rectangular. Jingling mausoleum was excavated during the song and Jin Dynasties and the Republic of China. Now more than ten pieces of cultural relics have been recovered, such as celadon Pankou dragon handle pot, pottery inkstone, stone tent seat, residual stone lamp and so on. This proves that the furnishings in the underground palace have gone beyond the limitation of the Northern Wei mausoleum system that there are no Ming ware, plain account and porcelain tile. It has important reference value for the study of the burial custom and mausoleum system in the Northern Wei Dynasty. A 200 square meter Memorial Hall for emperor Xuanwu is built 20 meters in front of the tomb. Eight fine brushwork paintings depicting emperor Xuanwu's life are inlaid on the four walls of the hall. More than 40 pieces of Jingling tombs and unearthed cultural relics and reproductions of the Northern Wei Dynasty are displayed in the exhibition cabinet. The jingling mausoleum is magnificent, complete in structure, simple in style and elegant in color. It has high historical, archaeological, cultural relics, architecture, scientific research and ornamental value.

Chinese PinYin : Xuan Wu Di