Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei facts for kids

Emperor Jiemin of Northern Wei (北魏節閔帝), born Yuan Gong (元恭), was an emperor of the Northern Wei dynasty in China. He lived from 498 to 532. He became emperor after a powerful general's family, the Erzhus, overthrew the previous ruler, Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei.

Emperor Jiemin tried to make the Northern Wei state strong again. However, the Erzhu family controlled most of the power, so he couldn't do much. Later, another general named Gao Huan defeated the Erzhus. Gao Huan then imprisoned Emperor Jiemin. Sadly, Emperor Jiemin was later poisoned to death by Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei, the new emperor chosen by Gao Huan.

Early Life of Yuan Gong

Yuan Gong was born in 498. His father was Yuan Yu, who was known as the Prince of Guangling. Yuan Yu was the son of Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei and the brother of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei. Yuan Gong's mother was Lady Wang.

In 501, Yuan Gong's father, Yuan Yu, passed away. Yuan Gong inherited his father's title, Prince of Guangling. This happened even though he had an older brother. Yuan Gong also had a younger brother named Yuan Yongye.

Yuan Gong's Character and Challenges

People described Yuan Gong as a confident and strong-willed person. He was also very respectful to his grandmother and his father's wife.

During a time when a powerful official named Yuan Cha was in charge, Yuan Gong pretended to be sick and unable to speak. He did this to avoid trouble because Yuan Cha was known for being difficult. Yuan Gong lived quietly in a Buddhist temple during this time.

Later, during the rule of his cousin, Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei, someone told the emperor that Yuan Gong was only pretending to be sick. They also said he might be planning to take over the throne. Frightened, Yuan Gong ran away to a mountain. But he was caught and brought back to the capital city, Luoyang. After many questions and investigations, there was no proof that Yuan Gong was planning anything bad. So, he was set free.

How Yuan Gong Became Emperor

In 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang became afraid of a very powerful general named Erzhu Rong. Because of this fear, Emperor Xiaozhuang decided to kill Erzhu Rong.

Erzhu Rong's family members were very angry. They rose up against Emperor Xiaozhuang. They declared Erzhu Rong's nephew, Yuan Ye, as the new emperor. Around the start of 531, Erzhu Rong's nephew, Erzhu Zhao, captured Luoyang. He then took Emperor Xiaozhuang and later killed him.

Choosing a New Emperor

Yuan Ye began traveling towards Luoyang to officially become emperor. However, Erzhu Rong's cousin, Erzhu Shilong, was not happy with Yuan Ye. He felt that Yuan Ye was too distantly related to the recent emperors. Erzhu Shilong wanted someone with a closer connection to the imperial family.

Erzhu Rong's nephew, Erzhu Tianguang, suggested Yuan Gong. Erzhu Shilong sent his brother, Erzhu Yanbo, to visit Yuan Gong. They wanted to make sure Yuan Gong was not truly unable to speak and to force him to accept the throne. Yuan Gong agreed.

When Yuan Ye arrived in Luoyang, Erzhu Shilong forced him to give up the throne to Yuan Gong. Yuan Gong politely refused the throne three times, as was the custom. But eventually, he accepted and became Emperor Jiemin.

Emperor Jiemin's Rule

During Emperor Jiemin's time as emperor, the Erzhu family controlled most of the government. Erzhu Shilong managed the central government. Other Erzhu family members controlled different parts of the country and the military.

Even with the Erzhus in charge, Emperor Jiemin tried to make his own decisions. Sometimes, he even refused to follow Erzhu Shilong's wishes. For example, when an official wrote a special announcement for Emperor Jiemin, it described Erzhu Rong's death in great detail. Emperor Jiemin refused to release it as written. Instead, he wrote a shorter announcement himself, using humble words and avoiding details.

He also removed the word huang (皇) from his title, changing it from huangdi (皇帝, meaning "emperor") to just di (帝). He treated the previous emperor, Yuan Ye, with respect, giving him the title Prince of Donghai. Emperor Jiemin also made a new rule: he ordered that the rival Liang Dynasty should no longer be called "false" (偽) Liang. This was unusual because, in Chinese history, rival states usually called each other "false."

Emperor Jiemin honored his father, Yuan Yu, as an emperor after his death. But he only honored his mother, Lady Wang, as a princess dowager. This might have been out of respect for his father's wife, Princess Zheng. He also gave his brother, Yuan Yongye, the title Prince of Gaomi. His son, Yuan Shu, became the Prince of Bohai.

Challenges and Rebellions

The Erzhu family members were very powerful, but they were also involved in violence and corruption. Emperor Jiemin could not stop them. Because of this, two generals, Liu Lingzhu and Gao Huan, started rebellions.

Liu Lingzhu's rebellion was quickly defeated. But Gao Huan, who had many unhappy generals join him, became a very strong opponent. Gao Huan first recognized Emperor Jiemin as emperor. But soon, he declared another distant member of the Yuan imperial family, Yuan Lang, as emperor. In late 531, Gao Huan defeated Erzhu Zhao and captured the important city of Yecheng. This happened because Gao Huan spread rumors that caused disagreements within the Erzhu family.

In the spring of 532, Erzhu Shilong tried to end the disagreements within the Erzhu family. He asked Emperor Jiemin to marry Erzhu Zhao's daughter to become his empress. Soon after, the Erzhu armies gathered at Yecheng to fight Gao Huan. Even though they had more soldiers, Gao Huan defeated them.

Erzhu Zhao and Erzhu Zhongyuan ran back to their bases. Erzhu Tianguang and Erzhu Dulü fled towards Luoyang. At this time, a general named Husi Chun rebelled against the Erzhus in Luoyang. He killed Erzhu Shilong and Erzhu Yanbo. He also captured Erzhu Tianguang and Erzhu Dulü and sent them to Gao Huan, who then executed them.

After the Erzhu Family's Defeat

Emperor Jiemin tried to take control by sending an official to meet Gao Huan. Gao Huan was traveling towards Luoyang with Yuan Lang, the emperor he had declared. Gao Huan thought about letting Emperor Jiemin remain emperor because Yuan Lang's family line was far from the recent emperors.

Gao Huan sent a general named Wei Lan'gen to check on Emperor Jiemin. Wei Lan'gen was also supposed to calm the government officials. After Wei Lan'gen returned, he told Gao Huan that Emperor Jiemin was smart and decisive. He warned that Emperor Jiemin would be hard to control in the future. Because of this, Gao Huan arrested Emperor Jiemin and put him in prison at Chongxun Temple.

Instead, Gao Huan forced Yuan Lang to give up the throne to Yuan Xiu, the Prince of Pingyang. Yuan Xiu then became Emperor Xiaowu.

Emperor Jiemin's Final Days

While imprisoned at Chongxun Temple, Emperor Jiemin wrote a poem. It talks about how power can bring trouble and how things change quickly. He wrote that it is better to follow a true path in life.

About ten days after Emperor Xiaowu became emperor, he sent people to poison Emperor Jiemin. Emperor Jiemin was not buried with full imperial honors. However, his burial was more grand than that of a regular imperial prince. Emperor Xiaowu ordered government officials to attend the funeral.

Family

Emperor Jiemin had:

• An empress from the Erzhu clan (皇后 爾朱氏)
• A son named Yuan Zishu, who was the Prince Pei (沛王 元子恕)