Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou 北周武帝
Tang dynasty portrait of Emperor Wu by Yan Liben
Emperor of Northern Zhou
Reign	561–578
Predecessor	Emperor Ming
Successor	Emperor Xuan
Regent	Yuwen Hu (until 572)
Born	543
Died	578 (aged 34–35)
Consorts	Empress Wucheng Li Ezi
Issue	Emperor Xuan Yuwen Zan Yuwen Zhi Yuwen Yun Yuwen Chong Yuwen Dui Yuwen Yuan Princess Qingdou Princess Yiyang
Full name Family name: Yuwen (宇文) Given name: Yong (雍) Era dates Bǎodìng (保定): 561-565 Tiānhé (天和): 566-572 Jiàndé (建德): 572-578 Xuānzhèng (宣政): 578 Posthumous name Emperor Wu (武皇帝) Temple name Gaozu (高祖)
Dynasty	Northern Zhou
Father	Yuwen Tai
Mother	Empress Xuan

Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou (born Yuwen Yong) was an important emperor of the Northern Zhou dynasty in China. He was part of the Xianbei people, who led this dynasty.

For the first part of his rule, his cousin, Yuwen Hu, held most of the power. But in 572, Emperor Wu cleverly took control himself. He then became a strong leader, making his military powerful. In 577, he defeated the rival Northern Qi dynasty and took over their lands. He hoped to unite all of China. However, he died the next year. His son, Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou, became emperor. But the Northern Zhou dynasty soon weakened and was taken over by Yang Jian in 581.

Early Life and Becoming Emperor

Yuwen Yong was born in 543. He was the fourth son of Yuwen Tai, a very powerful general of the Western Wei dynasty. His mother was Lady Chinu. From a young age, Yuwen Yong was known for being respectful, intelligent, and caring towards his family.

After his father died in 556, his cousin, Yuwen Hu, took charge. In 557, Yuwen Hu made Yuwen Yong's older brother, Yuwen Jue, the first emperor of the new Northern Zhou dynasty. Yuwen Jue was called "Heavenly Prince." Yuwen Hu was the regent, meaning he ruled for the emperor. When Yuwen Jue tried to take power from him, Yuwen Hu removed him and replaced him with another older brother of Yuwen Yong's, Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou.

Emperor Ming often asked Yuwen Yong for advice. People noticed that even though Yuwen Yong didn't speak much, his ideas were always good. In 560, Emperor Ming died, and Yuwen Yong became Emperor Wu. However, Yuwen Hu still held most of the power in the government.

Ruling with Yuwen Hu

In the early years of his reign, Emperor Wu seemed quiet and let Yuwen Hu manage everything. But secretly, he was building a group of loyal officials. Yuwen Hu was given control over the military and all government departments.

During this time, Northern Zhou had some conflicts with the Chen Dynasty over land. In 562, to make peace, Northern Zhou returned some important people to the Chen Dynasty. In return, Chen gave a city to Northern Zhou.

Emperor Wu also made some changes to how nobles were paid. He made sure they received money based on their land. In 563, he introduced a new criminal law code with 25 different types of punishments.

Northern Zhou also formed an alliance with the Gokturks (Tujue) against the Northern Qi dynasty. As part of this, Emperor Wu was supposed to marry the daughter of the Tujue leader. They launched attacks on Northern Qi, showing that Northern Zhou was becoming stronger.

In 564, Northern Qi returned Yuwen Hu's mother and aunt to Northern Zhou. This was a big event, and Emperor Wu showed great respect to Yuwen Hu's mother.

Taking Control

By 572, Yuwen Hu had controlled the military for 16 years. Emperor Wu had long wanted to rule on his own. He secretly planned with some trusted relatives and officials.

In the spring of 572, Emperor Wu made his move. After a meeting, he struck Yuwen Hu from behind. Yuwen Hu fell, and Yuwen Zhi, who was hiding, killed him. This ended Yuwen Hu's long control. Yuwen Hu's family members and close friends were also executed.

After taking full power, Emperor Wu honored his brother, Emperor Xiaomin, who Yuwen Hu had previously refused to recognize. He also made his son, Yuwen Yun, the crown prince. Emperor Wu disliked luxury and ordered the destruction of overly fancy palaces and decorations.

He also learned that the Northern Qi emperor had executed his powerful general, Hulü Guang. This made Emperor Wu happy, and he declared a general pardon.

Later Reign and Major Changes

Emperor Wu noticed that his son, Crown Prince Yun, was not serious about his duties. He assigned strict teachers to the crown prince, which made his son unhappy.

In 574, Emperor Wu held a big debate between followers of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. He decided that Confucianism was the most important, followed by Taoism, and then Buddhism. Later that year, he banned both Taoism and Buddhism, ordering their monks to return to normal life. He also banned the worship of minor gods not officially recognized by the government. This event is known as one of the "Three Disasters of Wu."

In the fall of 574, his brother, Yuwen Zhi, who wanted more power, rebelled in the capital. But his rebellion was quickly defeated, and Yuwen Zhi was captured and executed.

By 575, Emperor Wu planned a major attack against Northern Qi, believing they were weak. He attacked the city of Luoyang but couldn't capture it and became ill. He had to withdraw.

In 576, Emperor Wu's son, Crown Prince Yun, led a campaign against the Tuyuhun. However, the crown prince's behavior during the campaign angered Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu was very strict with his son, even whipping him and threatening to remove him as crown prince. This made the crown prince pretend to be good.

In the winter of 576, Emperor Wu attacked Northern Qi again, this time focusing on Pingyang. He captured it quickly. The Northern Qi emperor, Gao Wei, tried to fight back but panicked and fled, causing his army to collapse. Emperor Wu chased him. Gao Wei eventually gave up and was captured.

In 577, Emperor Wu returned to his capital, Chang'an, with Gao Wei and his family. Later that year, fearing the Gao family, Emperor Wu had Gao Wei and other members of his clan executed.

In 578, Emperor Wu was fighting on two fronts: against the Tujue in the north and the Chen Dynasty in the south. However, he suddenly became ill and died at the age of 35. His son, Yuwen Yun, became Emperor Xuan. Just three years later, in 581, the Northern Zhou dynasty fell when Emperor Xuan's father-in-law, Yang Jian, took the throne.

Relation with Xiangqi

Emperor Wu really enjoyed playing xiangqi, which is a Chinese board game similar to chess. He even wrote a book about it called Xiang Jing in 569 AD.

Family

Emperor Wu had several consorts and children:

• Empress Wucheng, from the Ashina clan
• Empress Dowager Li Ezi
  • Yuwen Yun, who became Emperor Xuan
  • Yuwen Zan, Prince Han
• Shifu, from the Xue clan
  • Yuwen Dui, Prince Cai
• Lady, from the Kuhan clan
  • Yuwen Zhi, Prince Qin
  • Yuwen Yun, Prince Cao
• Lady, from the Feng clan
  • Yuwen Chong, Prince Dao
• Lady, from the Zheng clan
  • Yuwen Yuan, Prince Jing
• Unknown mothers
  • Princess Qingdou
  • Princess Yiyang
  • A daughter (born 570)

Popular Culture

• He was played by Daniel Chan in the TV series Prince of Lan Ling.
• He was played by Hanson Ying in the TV series The Legend of Dugu.