Daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei facts for kids

The daughter of Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei was a baby girl who briefly became the ruler of the Northern Wei dynasty. Her given name is not known. She was born on February 12, 528. Her family name was Yuan. The Northern Wei dynasty was led by the Xianbei people, who were from northern China.

This baby girl was the only child of Emperor Xiaoming (who ruled from 515 to 528). Her mother was Consort Pan, one of the emperor's wives. Soon after the baby was born, her grandmother, Empress Dowager Hu, made a surprising announcement. She said the baby was a boy. Empress Dowager Hu was also the regent, meaning she ruled for the young Emperor Xiaoming.

Emperor Xiaoming died shortly after his daughter's birth. On April 1, 528, Empress Dowager Hu placed the baby girl on the throne. But this only lasted for a few hours. The very next day, she replaced the baby with another young boy, Yuan Zhao. Later generations did not officially recognize Emperor Xiaoming's daughter as an emperor. We don't have any more information about what happened to her.

A Powerful Grandmother

Empress Dowager Hu was a very powerful woman. She was also known as Empress Dowager Ling. She had been one of the wives of Emperor Xuanwu (who ruled from 499 to 515). She gave birth to his only son, Yuan Xu.

When Emperor Xuanwu died, Yuan Xu became Emperor Xiaoming. Because Emperor Xiaoming was still a child, his mother, Empress Dowager Hu, became his regent. This meant she held all the power. To show her authority, she used the special word Zhen (Chinese: 朕; pinyin: Zhèn) to refer to herself. This word was usually only used by emperors. Officials also addressed her with a special honorific, Bixia (Chinese: 陛下; pinyin: Bìxià), which was used for the emperor.

Struggle for Power

As Emperor Xiaoming grew older, he wanted to rule on his own. But his mother, Empress Dowager Hu, refused to give up her power. She removed many people who opposed her. Her way of life and how she ruled made many officials and even her own son unhappy.

Emperor Xiaoming tried to gather support to challenge his mother. After several attempts to take back power, he secretly asked a general named Erzhu Rong to bring troops to the capital city, Luoyang. The emperor hoped this would force his mother to hand over control.

While these events were happening, Consort Pan, one of Emperor Xiaoming's wives, gave birth to a daughter on February 12, 528. Empress Dowager Hu quickly announced that the baby was a boy. The next day, she ordered a general pardon for everyone. She also changed the emperor's reign title from Xiaochang to Wutai.

A Very Short Reign

On March 31, 528, Emperor Xiaoming suddenly died. The very next day, April 1, 528, Empress Dowager Hu declared the 50-day-old baby girl as the new emperor. She continued to be the regent. She also ordered another general pardon. The era name "Wutai" stayed the same. Empress Dowager Hu was still in charge.

Just a few hours later, Empress Dowager Hu changed her mind. She announced that the baby emperor was actually a girl. She then placed Yuan Zhao on the throne instead. Yuan Zhao was the son of Yuan Baohui, a prince. Yuan Zhao became emperor on April 2, 528.

Yuan Zhao was also very young, so he was just a puppet emperor. Empress Dowager Hu still held all the power. She made these quick changes to make sure she could keep ruling the Northern Wei dynasty.

The Aftermath

Empress Dowager Hu's actions, especially replacing emperors so quickly, angered General Erzhu Rong. He sent his troops to overthrow her. He said she had tricked everyone by putting a baby girl on the throne. Erzhu Rong then made Yuan Ziyou (who lived from 507 to 531) the new emperor.

Soon after, Erzhu Rong's troops took over the capital city, Luoyang. Empress Dowager Hu and Yuan Zhao were captured. Erzhu Rong refused to show them mercy. He had both of them executed.

Erzhu Rong then became the most powerful person in the empire. From that time on, powerful ministers and warlords held much of the political power. This period eventually led to the Northern Wei dynasty splitting into two parts and finally falling apart. Empress Dowager Hu is remembered in history for her actions that contributed to the dynasty's downfall.