Xiao Baojuan
Xiao Baojuan | |||||||||
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Emperor of Southern Qi | |||||||||
Reign | September 498 – 31 December 501[1] | ||||||||
Predecessor | Emperor Ming | ||||||||
Successor | Emperor He | ||||||||
Born | Xiao Mingxian ( 483 | ||||||||
Died | 501 (aged 17–18) | ||||||||
Spouse | Chu Lingqu Consort Pan Yunu Consort Wu Consort Yu Consort Huang Jinghui | ||||||||
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Father | Emperor Ming | ||||||||
Mother | Empress Liu Huiduan |
Xiao Baojuan (
Background
[edit]Xiao Baojuan was born in 483, when his father Xiao Luan was a mid-high-level official and the Marquess of Xichang, as the cousin of Emperor Wu. His original name was Xiao Mingxian. He was Xiao Luan's second son, and his mother Liu Huiduan (
In 494, with Emperor Wu's frivolous and incompetent grandson Xiao Zhaoye as emperor and with Xiao Luan as his prime minister, Xiao Luan carried out a coup d'état and overthrew Xiao Zhaoye. (It was around this time that Xiao Baojuan's name was changed from Mingxian to Baojuan.) Xiao Luan initially made Xiao Zhaoye's younger brother Xiao Zhaowen emperor, but after further cementing his power, including killing many sons of both Emperor Wu and Emperor Wu's father Emperor Gao, Southern Qi's founding emperor, Xiao Luan took over the throne himself (as Emperor Ming). As Xiao Baojuan's older brother Xiao Baoyi was said to be severely disabled and unable to talk, Xiao Baojuan, as the second son and the oldest born of Xiao Luan's wife, was created crown prince.
As crown prince
[edit]Not much is known about Xiao Baojuan's activities as crown prince. What is known was that Emperor Ming often told him about how Xiao Zhaoye had considered killing him, and warning him that he needed to act decisively. It was also said that he disliked studies but rather liked to spend time in games, and that he was an introvert who did not like to talk. In 495, his father gave the daughter of his official Chu Cheng (褚澄), Chu Lingqu, to him as his crown princess in marriage. In 496, he had a coming-of-age ceremony. In 498, during the rebellion of the retired general Wang Jingze (
In fall 498, Emperor Ming died. Xiao Baojuan succeeded to the throne as emperor.
Reign
[edit]Emperor Ming's will left a group of high-level officials in charge of the government—Xiao Baojuan's cousin Xiao Yaoguang (
With the young emperor's lack of virtues becoming evident, Jiang Shi began a discussion among high-level officials to depose him and to replace him with his younger brother Xiao Baoxuan the Prince of Jiangxia. However, Liu Xuan disliked Xiao Baoxuan, and Xiao Yaoguang used this to steer the discussion to making himself emperor. However, Liu opposed this as well, and Xiao Yaoguang, in 499, in anger, unsuccessfully tried to assassinate Liu, who then reported the plot to Xiao Baojuan. Xiao Baojuan immediately had Jiang Shi and Jiang Si arrested and executed. Xiao Yaoguang, in fear, feigned illness and resigned, but subsequently feared that Xiao Baojuan would execute him anyway, and started a rebellion, putting the palace under siege. Xiao Baojuan's forces, commanded by Xiao Tanzhi and two other generals, Zuo Xingsheng (
In the aftermaths of Xiao Yaoguang's rebellion, Xiao Baojuan now controlled more power than before, and initially he promoted Xu Xiaosi, Xiao Tanzhi, Liu Xuan, Cao Hu, as well as the official Shen Wenji (沈文
After Chen was defeated, Xiao Baojuan became even more arbitrary in his behavior. He liked to visit many places outside the palace, but did not like to have people see his face, and so would first send guards to expel people from their homes and business before heading to the location. Anyone who did not evacuate, either willfully or not, would be executed. By this point, the common people began to resent the emperor as well. In spring 500, in fear, the general Pei Zhaoye (裴叔
Xiao Baojuan sent the generals Cui Huijing (
After Cui's death, Xiao Baojuan grew even more confident, and his associates quickly controlled the government. He favored his concubine Consort Pan Yunu, awarding her and her father Pan Baoqing (
To award Xiao Yi, Xiao Baojuan had made him prime minister after he defeated Cui Huijing, but he soon grew suspicious of Xiao Yi as well, and with his associates persuading him to, he soon forced Xiao Yi to commit suicide in winter 500. Xiao Yi's brother Xiao Yan, the governor of Yong Province (雍州, modern northwestern Hubei) thus declared a rebellion from his provincial capital Xiangyang. Xiao Baojuan sent the general Liu Shanyang (
Xiao Yan's progress was not fast but was steady, and by spring 501 the western half of the empire was under the control of his forces. Meanwhile, Xiao Yingzhou had Xiao Baorong declared emperor (as Emperor He). For the next several months, then, Southern Qi had two emperors. Initially Emperor He nominally demoted Xiao Baojuan to commoner rank, and when his officials suggested Xiao Baojuan be created Marquess of Lingyang, he declined, instead he agreed their suggestion to create Xiao Baojuan Prince of Fuling. Meanwhile, two other Jiankang-based plots to kill Xiao Baojuan—one by his cousin Xiao Zhaozhou (
Around the new year 501, Xiao Baojuan's associates told him that, in their opinion, it was because Wang Zhenguo and Zhang Ji were not wholehearted that Xiao Yan's army could not be defeated. Hearing of this, in fear, Wang and Zhang had Xiao Baojuan assassinated, and had his head presented to Xiao Yan. Xiao Baojuan was posthumously demoted to the title of Marquess of Donghun. Consort Pan and his other associates were executed, and Empress Chu and Crown Prince Song were both demoted to commoner rank. By 502, Xiao Yan had taken over the throne from Xiao Baorong as well and had ended Southern Qi and established Liang Dynasty.
Family
[edit]Consorts and Issue:
- Empress, of the Chu clan of Henan (
皇后 河南 褚氏), personal name Lingqu (令 璩) - Noble Consort, of the Pan clan (
貴 妃 潘 氏 ; d. 501), personal name Yu'er (玉 儿) or (玉 奴 )- Unnamed daughter
- Noble Concubine, of the Huang clan (
貴 嬪黃 氏 )- Xiao Song, Crown Prince (
皇太子 蕭 誦; d. 501), 1st son
- Xiao Song, Crown Prince (
- Consort, of the Wu clan (
吳 妃 ), personal name Jinghui (景 暉 )- Xiao Zan, Prince of Yuzhang of Southern Liang (
南 梁 豫 章 王 蕭 贊 ; 501/502 – 531), believed himself to be 2nd son of Baojuan
- Xiao Zan, Prince of Yuzhang of Southern Liang (
Ancestry
[edit]Xiao Chengzhi (384–447) | |||||||||||||||
Xiao Daosheng (427–482) | |||||||||||||||
Empress Dowager Gong | |||||||||||||||
Emperor Ming of Southern Qi (452–498) | |||||||||||||||
Jiang Zun | |||||||||||||||
Empress Yi | |||||||||||||||
Xiao Baojuan (483–501) | |||||||||||||||
Liu Daohong | |||||||||||||||
Liu Jingyou | |||||||||||||||
Empress Mingjing (d. 489) | |||||||||||||||
Lady Wang | |||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ Xiao Baojuan's biography in Nan Qi Shu indicate that he was emperor until his death on 31 December 501. This contradicts Xiao Baorong's biography in Nan Qi Shu, which indicate that Baorong was made emperor on 14 Apr 501.
- ^ bing'yin day of the 12th month of the 3rd year of the Yong'yuan era, per Xiao Baojuan's biography in Nan Qi Shu. The same biography indicate that he was 19 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died.
- ^ The term "Donghun" (
東 昏) does not denote a place, but a derogatory description of Xiao Baojuan. Historically, the Chinese word "Hun" (昏), when used to describe rulers, means "incompetent" or "mediocre". In that context, the title "Marquess of Donghun" can be translated as the "Eastern Incompetent Marquess".
- Book of Southern Qi, vol. 7.
- History of Southern Dynasties, vol. 5.[1]
- Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144.