Tuoba Yu (
Tuoba Yu | |||||||||||||
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Emperor of Northern Wei | |||||||||||||
Reign | 12 March[1] - 29 October 452 | ||||||||||||
Predecessor | Emperor Taiwu | ||||||||||||
Successor | Emperor Wencheng | ||||||||||||
Died | 29 October 452 | ||||||||||||
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House | Tuoba | ||||||||||||
Dynasty | Northern Wei | ||||||||||||
Father | Emperor Taiwu | ||||||||||||
Mother | Lu Zuo Zhaoyi |
Background
editIt is not known when Tuoba Yu was born, but it is known that he was the youngest of Emperor Taiwu's six sons who survived childhood. His mother Consort Yujiulü (i.e. Lu Zuo Zhaoyi) was a sister of Rouran's Chilian Khan Yujiulü Wuti, who had become an imperial consort of Emperor Taiwu's as part of a peace-marriage arrangement in 434, whereby he married Consort Yujiulü while marrying his sister or cousin Princess Xihai to Yujiulü Wuti. He was created the Prince of Wu in 442, and 450, when his father was counter-attacking after a major Liu Song attack, and Crown Prince Huang was defending the northern borders against a potential Rouran attack, Prince Yu was left in charge of the capital Pingcheng (
Sometime late in Emperor Taiwu's reign, Tuoba Yu became friendly with Emperor Taiwu's eunuch Zong Ai, who in 451 had falsely accused Crown Prince Huang's associates Chouni Daosheng (
Brief reign
editTuoba Yu honored Empress Helian as empress dowager, and he bestowed Zong a number of high level posts, including prime minister, making it clear that Zong was actually in control of the regime, as well as creating him the Prince of Fengyi. Tuoba Yu's ascension to the throne was apparently largely without major opposition, but he knew that he bypassed his older brothers, as well as his nephew (who by Confucian principles of succession should have been emperor), and therefore tried to gather officials' support by giving them rewards so large that the treasury was exhausted.
It was also described that Tuoba Yu drank often, and often spent time on entertainment and hunting, with little time for important matters of state. Zong, as prime minister, was in charge of imperial guards as well, and he became extremely arrogant. Eventually, Tuoba Yu grew tired of Zong's antics and planned to strip him of his authority. Zong heard about this, and in winter 452, while Tuoba Yu was making a sacrifice to his great-grandfather Emperor Daowu at night, Zong sent his assistant Jia Zhou (賈周) to assassinate him. He was on the throne for only slightly over seven months. Several officials subsequently overthrew Zong and made Tuoba Jun emperor (as Emperor Wencheng). Emperor Wencheng buried Tuoba Yu with honors due an imperial prince, but not due an emperor, and gave him a posthumous name.
Era name
edit- Chengping (
承 平 chéng píng) 452
Ancestry
editTuoba Shi (d. 371) | |||||||||||||||||||
Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei (371–409) | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Xianming (351–396) | |||||||||||||||||||
Emperor Mingyuan of Northern Wei (392–423) | |||||||||||||||||||
Liu Juan (d. 385) | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Xuanmu (d. 409) | |||||||||||||||||||
Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei (408–452) | |||||||||||||||||||
Du Bao | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Mi (d. 420) | |||||||||||||||||||
Lady Wei | |||||||||||||||||||
Tuoba Yu (d. 452) | |||||||||||||||||||
Yujiulü Disuyuan | |||||||||||||||||||
Yujiulü Puhun | |||||||||||||||||||
Yujiulü Datan (d. 429) | |||||||||||||||||||
Lady Yujiulü | |||||||||||||||||||
In popular culture
edit- Portrayed by Vanness Wu in the 2016 Chinese TV series The Princess Weiyoung.
References
edit- Book of Wei, vol. 18.
- History of Northern Dynasties, vol. 16.[1]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 124, 125, 126.