Sui and Tang · Sui Ruler and Prince

Emperor Gong (Yang You) 恭皇帝

Gōng Huángdì

c. AD 605 - AD 619

Passages: 8
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Emperor Gong (Yang You) was a Sui Ruler and Prince.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal name	Yang You	侑

Life and dates

Death

AD 619 武德二年夏五月
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 59

Age

15
AD 619 武德二年夏五月 · Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 59

Attested activity

AD 607 大業三年
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 4
AD 606 大業二年後敘
Strongly inferred · Book of Sui 59, passages 94, 265
AD 615 大業十一年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 5, passage 7
AD 608 to AD 614 後數載
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 5, passages 4-5
AD 619 武德二年夏五月
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 59
AD 618 義寧二年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 5, passages 33, 44, 58

Show 1 more source-backed claim

AD 617 義寧元年十一月壬戌
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 10

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Consort Wei (韋妃)
bore 生
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Sui 59, passage 94; Book of Sui 5, passage 2
Child of Yuande Heir Apparent (元德太子)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 1
Child of Yang Zhao, Prince of Jin (晉王昭)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Sui 59, passage 94

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Governor of Taiyuan 太原太守
AD 615 大業十一年 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 7
Prince of Dai 代王
AD 608 to AD 614 後數載 · Transferred · At Dai 代 · Fief Households 10000
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 5
Prince of Chen 陳王
AD 607 大業三年 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 4
Duke of Xi 酅國公
AD 618 義寧二年 · Enfeoffed
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 58
AD 617 義寧元年十一月壬戌
At Daxing Hall 大興殿
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 10
Abdicated
AD 618 義寧二年
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 58

Places and affiliations

Polity Sui · Relation Associated with
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 59, passages 94, 265
AD 615 大業十一年
At capital 京師 · Relation Posted to
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 8
AD 615 大業十一年
At Jinyang 晉陽 · Relation Traveled to
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 7

Works and attributed material

Edict · Author · Mode quotation Speaker Emperor Gong (Yang You) (恭皇帝)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passages 11-17, 19-24, 44-56

Events and relationships

Oversaw capital affairs
AD 612 to AD 614 煬帝親征遼東 · Political · Regent · With Emperor Yang of Sui (隋煬帝)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 6

Assessments and attributes

Assessment youth amid dynastic collapse; abdication inevitable like Yao and Shun · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passages 60-62
intelligent, quick-witted, dignified presence
Character
Directly stated · Book of Sui 5, passage 3

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

Book of Sui, Chapter 5Volume 5 Annals 5: Emperor Gong · 7 passages

恭皇帝諱侑，元德太子之子也。 Emperor Gong, whose personal name was You, was the son of the Yuande Crown Prince.

大業三年，立為陳王。 In Daye year three, he was enfeoffed as Prince of Chen.

後數載，徙為代王，邑萬戶。 A few years later he was transferred to the title of Prince of Dai, with a fief of ten thousand households.

義兵入長安，尊煬帝為太上皇，奉帝纂業。 When the volunteer army entered Chang'an, Emperor Yang was given the title of Retired Emperor, and Yang You was enthroned to continue the dynasty.

予本代王，及予而代，天之所廢，豈期如是！ I was originally Prince of Dai—and now "Dai" has become "replacement." What Heaven casts aside, who could have foreseen such an end!

是日，上遜位於大唐，以為酅國公。 On that day the emperor abdicated in favor of Great Tang and was enfeoffed as Duke of Xi.

史臣曰：恭帝年在幼沖，遭家多難，一人失德，四海土崩。 The historian writes: Emperor Gong was still in his tender youth when his house met calamity upon calamity—one man's loss of virtue brought the realm crumbling to ruin.

Book of Sui, Chapter 59Volume 59 Biographies 24: Three Sons of Emperor Yang · 1 passage

有子三人，韋妃生恭皇帝，大劉良娣生燕王倓，小劉良娣生越王侗。 He had three sons: Consort Wei bore the future Emperor Gong; the elder Worthy Companion Lady Liu bore Prince Tan of Yan; the younger Worthy Companion Lady Liu bore Prince Tong of Yue.