Northern Zhou

Northern Zhou
Zhou

 

557–581
Capital Chang'an
Government Monarchy
Emperor
 - 557 Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou
 - 557-560 Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou
 - 560-578 Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
 - 578-579 Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou
 - 579-581 Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou
History
 - Established 15 February[1] 557
 - Disestablished 4 March[2] 581

The Northern Zhou Dynasty (Chinese: 北周朝; pinyin: Bĕi Zhōu Cháo) followed the Western Wei, and ruled northern China from 557 to 581. It was overthrown by the Sui Dynasty.

Northern Zhou dish inspired by Western metalwork, 557-581.

Northern Zhou's basis of power was established by Yuwen Tai, who was paramount general of Western Wei, following the split of Northern Wei into Western Wei and Eastern Wei in 535. After Yuwen Tai's death in 556, Yuwen Tai's nephew Yuwen Hu forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Jue (Emperor Xiaomin), establishing Northern Zhou. The reigns of the first three emperors (Yuwen Tai's sons) -- Emperor Xiaomin, Emperor Ming, and Emperor Wu were dominated by Yuwen Hu, until Emperor Wu ambushed and killed Yuwen Hu in 572 and assumed power personally. With Emperor Wu as a capable ruler, Northern Zhou destroyed rival Northern Qi in 577, taking over Northern Qi's territory. However, Emperor Wu's death in 578 doomed the state, as his son Emperor Xuan was an arbitrary and violent ruler whose unorthodox behavior greatly weakened the state. After Emperor Xuan's death in 580 (when he was already titularly retired emperor (Taishang Huang), Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Yang Jian seized power, and in 581 seized the throne from Emperor Xuan's son Emperor Jing, establishing Sui. The imperial Yuwen clan, including the young Emperor Jing, was subsequently slaughtered by Yang Jian.

Contents

Emperors of Northern Zhou

Posthumous Names (Shi Hao 諡號) Born Names Period of Reigns Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years
Northern dynasty
Northern Zhou Dynasty 557-581
Convention: Northern Zhou + posthumous name
Xiao Min Di (孝閔帝 xiào mǐn dì) Yuwen Jue (宇文覺 yǔ wén jué) 557 Did not exist
Ming Di (明帝 míng dì) or Xiao Ming Di (孝明帝 xiào míng dì) Yuwen Yu (宇文毓 yǔ wén yù) 557-560 Wucheng (武成 wǔ chéng) 559-560
Wu Di (武帝 wǔ dì) Yuwen Yong (宇文邕 yǔ wén yōng) 561-578 Baoding (保定 bǎo dìng) 560-565
Tianhe (天和 tiān hé) 566-572
Jiande (建德 jiàn dé) 572-578
Xuanzheng (宣政 xuān zhèng) 578
Xuan Di (宣帝 xuān dì) Yuwen Yun (宇文贇 yǔ wén yūn) 578-579 Dacheng (大成 dà chéng) 579
Jing Di (靜帝 jìng dì) Yuwen Chan (宇文闡 yǔ wén chǎn) 579-581[3] Daxiang (大象 dà xiàng) 579-581
Dading (大定 dà dìng) 581

Notes

  1. ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 167.
  2. ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 175.
  3. ^ In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death, the general Yuchi Jiong, believing that the regent Yang Jian was about to seize the throne, rose against Yang and declared a son of Emperor Wu's brother Yuwen Zhao (宇文招) the Prince of Zhao, whose name is lost to history, emperor, but as Yuchi was soon defeated, and nothing further was known about the emperor that he declared, that son of Yuwen Zhao is usually not considered an emperor of Northern Zhou.

References

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Empress of Northern Zhou — Northern Zhou had nine empresses in its history (although the first two used the alternative title of Heavenly Princess (天王后, Tian Wanghou )), five of whom were the wives of emperors:# Empress Yuan Humo (r. 557), the wife of Emperor Xiaomin. #… …   Wikipedia

  • Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou — ((北)周武帝) (543 578), personal name Yuwen Yong (宇文邕), nickname Miluotu (禰羅突), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. As was the case of the reigns of his brothers Emperor Xiaomin and Emperor Ming, the early part of his reign… …   Wikipedia

  • 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… …   Wikipedia

  • Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou — ((北)周宣帝) (559 580), personal name Yuwen Yun (宇文贇), courtesy name Qianbo (乾伯), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He was known in history as an erratic and wasteful ruler, whose actions greatly weakened the Northern Zhou… …   Wikipedia

  • Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou — ((北)周孝閔帝) (542 557), personal name Yuwen Jue (宇文覺), nickname Tuoluoni (陀羅尼), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou (although he used the alternative title Heavenly Prince ( Tian Wang ). He was the heir of Western Wei s… …   Wikipedia

  • Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou — ((北)周靜帝) (573 581), personally name né Yuwen Yan (宇文衍), later Yuwen Chan (宇文闡), was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. He became emperor at the age of six, after his father Emperor Xuan formally passed the throne to… …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Qi — 北齊 ← 550–577 …   Wikipedia

  • Zhou — can refer to:*Zhou Dynasty a Chinese Dynasty split into two eras, Western and Eastern (1027 221bce) *Northern Zhou a Chinese Dynasty (557 581) *Wu Zhao, the only Empress of China *Zhou (country subdivision), a political/administrative division of …   Wikipedia

  • Northern dynasties — The Northern Dynasties (北朝 běi cháo) included Northern Wei Dynasty, Eastern Wei Dynasty, Western Wei Dynasty, Northern Qi Dynasty, Northern Zhou Dynasty. Also see Southern and Northern Dynasties. Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) Born Names Period… …   Wikipedia

  • Zhou Dynasty (disambiguation) — The Zhou Dynasty (1045 BC–256 BC) was a Chinese dynasty split into two eras, Western and Eastern. Zhou Dynasty may also refer to several other Chinese dynasties of shorter duration: Northern Zhou (557–581), during the Southern and Northern… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”