Depraved Emperor (東昏)

Overview

Depraved Emperor was a ruler.

PeriodThree Kingdoms and Six Dynasties

IdentityHistorical · Male

Roles

Found in

Life and dates

Death

Assassinated · At Hede Hall 含德殿 · Authority Zhang Qi (張齊)
Directly stated · Book of Liang 16, passage 108
AD 501 十二月丙寅旦
Beheaded · Authority Wang Zhenguo (王珍國)
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 17, passage 24

Attested activity

AD 501 十二月丙寅旦
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 17, passage 24
AD 499 to AD 501 東昏
Directly stated · Book of Liang 16, passage 20
AD 499 東昏
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 234
AD 499 to AD 501 東昏在位
Dated from the passage context · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 73
AD 499 to AD 501 東昏改用玉
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 17, passage 210
AD 499 to AD 501 東昏時
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 185; Book of Liang 19, passage 30

Show 6 more source-backed claims

AD 501 永元三年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 15, passages 64-65
AD 501 永元三年
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 214
AD 499 to AD 501 永元中
Directly stated · Book of Liang 23, passage 25
AD 499 永元元年
Directly stated · Book of Liang 20, passage 22
AD 501 to AD 502 義師起
Directly stated · Book of Liang 20, passage 101
AD 501 義師起
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 17, passage 20

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Parent of Song (誦)
crown prince 太子
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 75
Spouse of Chu Lingque (褚令璩)
Marriage
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passages 70-71, 73

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Deposed
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 75

Places and affiliations

Polity Southern Qi · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 17, passage 210
Polity Southern Qi 南齊 · Relation Ruled
Strongly inferred · Book of Southern Qi 47, passage 234
Polity Southern Qi 齊 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Liang 7, passage 185

Works and attributed material

Edict · Issuer · With Xie Tiao (謝朓)
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 47, passages 246-255

Events and relationships

Acceded
Political · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Liang 20, passage 22
Changed hairpins to jade
Administrative · Sovereign
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 17, passage 210
Set seal keeper as carriage companion at southern suburb
AD 501 永元三年 · Ritual · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 214
Summoned
AD 501 義師起 · Political · Ruler · With Wang Zhenguo (王珍國)
Dated from the passage context · Book of Liang 17, passage 20

Assessments and attributes

Assessment abandoned the Way; extravagant · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 20, passage 88
Assessment unprecedented-refusal-to-face-court-gentlemen · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 214

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Southern Qi 16, passage 214

References in the histories

Search passages

History

23 passages

Book of Liang, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses · 1 passage

Open chapter

遙光敗，入東昏宮。 When Yaoguang fell, she was taken into the Depraved Emperor's palace.

Book of Liang, Chapter 15Volume 15: Xie Fei; Xie Lan · 1 passage

Open chapter

時東昏皆下在所，使迫遣之，值義師已近，故並得不到。 By then Emperor Donghun was confined at the palace; messengers were sent to hurry them, but the righteous army was already near, so neither was reached.

Book of Liang, Chapter 16Volume 16: Wang Liang; Zhang Ji; Wang Ying · 3 passages

Open chapter

旣而東昏肆虐，淫刑已逞，亮傾側取容，竟以免戮。 Then Eastern Depravity raged and cruel punishments ran their course—Liang bent to please and barely escaped death.

時東昏淫虐，義師圍城已久，城內思亡而莫有先發。 Donghun was depraved and cruel; the righteous army had long besieged the city, and everyone inside wished to turn, yet none dared move first.

北徐州刺史王珍國就稷謀之，乃使直閤張齊害東昏于含德殿。 North Xuzhou inspector Wang Zhenguo plotted with Ji; Ji had Direct Attendant Zhang Qi kill Donghun in Hede Hall.

Book of Liang, Chapter 17Volume 17: Wang Zhenguo; Ma Xianpin; Zhang Qi · 5 passages

Open chapter

義師起，東昏召珍國以衆還京師，入頓建康城。 When the Righteous Army rose, Donghun summoned Zhenguo with his troops to the capital; he entered and garrisoned Jiankang.

義師至，使珍國出屯朱雀門，爲王茂軍所敗，乃入城。 When the Righteous Army arrived, Donghun sent Zhenguo to camp at Zhuque Gate; Wang Mao's army defeated him and he re-entered the city.

十二月丙寅旦，珍國引稷於衛尉府，勒兵入自雲龍門，卽東昏於內殿斬之，與稷會尚書僕射王亮等於西鐘下，使中書舍人裴長穆等奉東昏首歸高祖。 On the morning of day bingyin in the twelfth month, Zhenguo led Ji to the Ministry of Guard headquarters, mustered troops through Cloud Dragon Gate, and at once beheaded Donghun in the inner hall; with Ji he met right vice director Wang Liang and others below the western bell and had palace scribe Pei Changmu and others present Donghun's head to Gaozu.

齊永元中，義師起，東昏徵稷歸，都督宮城諸軍事，居尚書省。 In Qi Yongyuan, the righteous army rose; Donghun recalled Ji, made him commander of palace-city forces, and lodged him in the Masters of Writing complex.

明旦，與稷、珍國卽東昏於內殿，齊手刃焉。 At dawn he, Ji, and Zhenguo seized Donghun in the inner hall; Qi himself killed him with his blade.

Book of Liang, Chapter 19Volume 19: Zong Guai; Liu Tan; Yue Ai · 1 passage

Open chapter

時東昏遣安成太守劉希祖破西臺所選太守范僧簡於平都，希祖移檄湘部，於是始興內史王僧粲應之。 Donghun's Liu Xizu defeated the western court's Fan Senjian at Pingdu and issued a call across Xiang; Shixing interior governor Wang Sengru answered.

Book of Liang, Chapter 20Volume 20: Liu Lijian; Chen Bozhi · 4 passages

Open chapter

東昏卽位，永元元年，徵季連爲右衛將軍，道斷不至。 When Eastern Depravity took the throne, in Yongyuan year one Lijian was summoned as Right Guard General; the roads were cut and he never came.

季連聞東昏失德，京師多故，稍自驕矜。 Hearing Eastern Depravity's loss of virtue and the capital's many troubles, he grew proud.

義師起，東昏假伯之節、督前驅諸軍事、豫州刺史，將軍如故。 When the righteous army rose, Dong Hun lent Bozhi his staff, named him overseer of the vanguard, and inspector of Yuzhou; his rank stayed the same.

會東昏將鄭伯倫降，高祖使過伯之，謂曰：「城中甚忿卿，欲遣信誘卿以封賞。 When Dong Hun's general Zheng Bolun came over, Gaozu sent him to Bozhi, saying, "The city is furious with you and will try to lure you back with honors.

Book of Liang, Chapter 23Volume 23: Ye, Prince of Changsha; Boyou, Prince of Yongyang; Yuanjian, Prince of Hengyang; Xiang, Prince of Guiyang · 2 passages

Open chapter

時東昏肆虐，茹法珍、王咺之等執政，宿臣舊將，並見誅夷，懿旣立元勳，獨居朝右，深爲法珍等所憚，乃說東昏曰：「懿將行隆昌故事，陛下命在晷刻。」 At that time Emperor Donghun ruled with savage cruelty; Ru Fazhen, Wang Xuanzhi, and their faction held power, and veteran ministers and old generals were slaughtered one after another. Yi, who had won the founding merit, stood alone at the summit of the court and was deeply feared by Fazhen and his allies. They told Donghun, 'Yi is about to repeat what happened in the Longchang era—Your Majesty's life is measured in moments.'

東昏信之，將加酷害，而懿所親知之，密具舟江渚，勸令西奔。 Donghun believed them and was about to have Yi killed. Those close to Yi learned of the plot, secretly prepared boats on the riverbank, and urged him to flee west.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 16Volume 16 Treatises 8: Official Posts · 1 passage

Open chapter

永元三年，東昏南郊，不欲親朝士，以主璽陪乘，前代未嘗有也。 In Yongyuan's third year Emperor Donghun, going to the southern suburb, refused to face the court gentlemen and set the keeper of the imperial seal beside him in the carriage—a thing no age before had seen.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 17Volume 17 Treatises 9: Caraiges and Dress · 1 passage

Open chapter

舊用駮犀簪導，東昏改用玉。 Once mottled rhinoceros horn hairpins guided the cap; Donghun switched them to jade.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 20Volume 20 Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 3 passages

Open chapter

東昏卽位，爲皇后。 When Dong Hun took the throne, she was made empress.

黃淑儀生太子誦，東昏廢，竝爲庶人。 Honored Lady Huang had borne Crown Prince Song; when Dong Hun was deposed, mother and son were both reduced to commoners.

東昏喪道，侈風大扇，銷糜海內，以贍浮飾，哲婦傾城，同符殷、夏。 Dong Hun abandoned the Way; luxury blazed across the land; he melted the empire to pay for idle display—wise women toppled cities, in the manner of Yin and Xia.

Book of Southern Qi, Chapter 47Volume 47 Biographies 28: Wang Rong, Xie Tiao · 1 passage

Open chapter

東昏失德，江祐欲立夏王寶玄，末更回惑，與弟祀密謂朓曰：「江夏年少輕脫，不堪負荷神器，不可復行廢立。 When Emperor Donghun lost virtue, Jiang You wished to make the Prince of Xia, Bao Xuan, emperor, but later wavered; he and his brother Si secretly told Tiao, "The Prince of Jiangxia is young and frivolous and cannot bear the throne; we cannot depose and establish again.