Gao Heng
Gao Heng | |||||||||
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Emperor of Northern Qi | |||||||||
Reign | 4 February - 5 April 577[1] | ||||||||
Predecessor | Gao Wei | ||||||||
Successor | None | ||||||||
Born | 570 | ||||||||
Died | 577 (aged 6–7) | ||||||||
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House | Gao | ||||||||
Dynasty | Northern Qi | ||||||||
Father | Gao Wei | ||||||||
Mother | Mu Sheli |
Gao Heng (Chinese:
Background
[edit]Gao Heng was born in July or August 570, as the oldest son of the emperor Gao Wei. His mother was Gao Wei's then-concubine Consort Mu Sheli. To celebrate his birth, Gao Wei declared a general pardon. Gao Wei's powerful wet nurse Lu Lingxuan, who was also Consort Mu's adoptive mother, wanted Gao Heng to be crown prince and eventually inherit Gao Wei's throne, but was afraid of opposition by Gao Wei's wife Empress Hulü. She therefore, with Gao Wei's approval, gave Gao Heng to Empress Hulü to raise. Later that year, on c.2 November 570,[4] when Gao Heng was only three months old, Gao Wei created him crown prince. After Empress Hulü's father, the general Hulü Guang, was executed under false charges of treason, Empress Hulü was deposed, and while initially Consort Mu was not created empress, in winter 572 she was first created "Right Empress," and then became sole empress in March 573 after Left Empress Hu was deposed.
In 576, rival Northern Zhou launched a major attack on Northern Qi. Gao Wei initially personally led troops to battle Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, but after suffering a great defeat at Pingyang (
Reign
[edit]The young emperor's reign did not last long, as Northern Zhou forces approached Yecheng soon thereafter. Instead of taking a last stand at Yecheng as Gao Mai suggested, Gao Wei decided to flee from Yecheng to the provinces south of the Yellow River, to try to regroup the troops, and if that could not be done, to flee to the Chen dynasty. With that in mind, Gao Wei first sent Grand Empress Dowager Hu, Retired Empress Mu, and Gao Heng to Ji Province (
Meanwhile, Northern Zhou forces continued their pursuit, and Gao Wei, leaving Grand Empress Dowager Hu at Ji Province, fled further south with Retired Empress Mu, Consort Feng Xiaolian, Gao Heng, and some of his other close followers to Qing Province (
Death
[edit]Emperor Wu initially created Gao Wei the Duke of Wen, but in winter 577, he, apprehensive of the Gao clan, falsely accused Gao Wei of plotting rebellion with his former official Mu Tipo, and then ordered him and other members of the Gao clan to commit suicide. Gao Heng died in the massacre. Only during the regency of Yang Jian over Emperor Wu's grandson Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou were members of the Gao clan, including Gao Heng, properly buried north of Chang'an.
Ancestry
[edit]Gao Shusheng (472–526) | |||||||||||||||||||
Gao Huan (496–547) | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Wenmu (d. 496) | |||||||||||||||||||
Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi (538–569) | |||||||||||||||||||
Lou Neigan | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Wuming (501–562) | |||||||||||||||||||
Gao Wei (556–577) | |||||||||||||||||||
Hu Xiang | |||||||||||||||||||
Hu Yanzhi | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Wucheng | |||||||||||||||||||
Lu Daoyue (491–548) | |||||||||||||||||||
Lady Lu of Fanyang | |||||||||||||||||||
Lady Zheng of Xingyang | |||||||||||||||||||
Gao Heng (570–578) | |||||||||||||||||||
Empress Mu (557–577) | |||||||||||||||||||
Mu Qingxiao | |||||||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ (
隆 化 二 年 春 正月 乙 亥 ,即 皇帝 位 ,时八岁,改元 为承光 元年 ,...[三 月 ]乙 亥 ,渡河 入 济州。其日,幼主 禅 位 于大丞相 、任 城 王 湝,...) Bei Qi Shu vol.08 - ^ (
武平 元年 六 月 ,生 皇子 恒 。) Bei Qi Shu, vol.09. The month corresponds to 19 Jul to 16 Aug 570 in the Julian calendar. - ^ Tsiang, Katherine R. (2008-06-01). "Resolve to Become a Buddha (Chengfo)—Changing Aspirations and Imagery in Sixth-Century Chinese Buddhism". Early Medieval China. 2008 (2): 115–169. doi:10.1179/152991008790012916. ISSN 1529-9104. S2CID 162333810.
- ^ According to vol.8 of Bei Qi Shu, Gao Heng was made crown prince on the yi'si day of the 9th month of the 1st year of the Wu'ping era ([
武平 元年 ]九 月 乙 巳 ,立 皇子 恒 为皇太子 。). However, the month does not have a yi'si day; the ji'si (己 巳 ) day corresponds to 2 Nov 570 in the Julian calendar. - ^ Lagerwey, John (2010). Early Chinese religion. Part two, Period of Division (220-589 AD). Pengzhi Lü. Leiden: BRILL. pp. 275–318. ISBN 978-90-474-2929-6. OCLC 714568784.