Emperor Xiaowen (孝文皇帝)

Overview

Emperor Xiaowen was an emperor of Northern Wei.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Temple name	Emperor Gaozu	高祖	Gāozǔ

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 471 to AD 499 元魏平定遼東徙洛
Strongly inferred · Old History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 52
AD 485 太和九年
Directly stated · Book of Wei 39, passage 122
AD 499 太和二十三年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 24, passages 141-142
AD 493 太和十七年七月癸丑
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 11
AD 495 太和十九年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 24, passages 36-37
AD 490 太和十四年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 110, passage 129

Show 12 more source-backed claims

AD 494 孝文遷洛
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 5
AD 476 承明元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 24, passage 7
AD 476 承明初
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 39, passage 39
AD 476 承明初
Directly stated · Book of Wei 39, passages 136-137
AD 471 to AD 490 文明太后
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 92, passage 57
AD 532 朕託體孝文
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 110, passage 75
AD 471 to AD 499 高祖
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passage 40
AD 471 to AD 499 高祖孝文皇帝
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 36, passage 48
AD 471 to AD 499 高祖時
Directly stated · Book of Wei 81, passages 88, 93
AD 471 to AD 499 高祖詔原之
Dated from the passage context · Book of Wei 93, passages 57, 59
AD 477 to AD 499 魏太和中
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 18, passage 4
AD 471 to AD 499 魏孝文時
Dated from the passage context · Book of Zhou 43, passage 84

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Empress Wenzhao (文昭皇后)
consort 后妃
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 4
Spouse of Zheng Chonghua (鄭充華)
consort 后妃 · Secondary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 7
Spouse of Lady Luo (羅夫人)
consort 后妃 · Secondary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 6
Spouse of Empress Lin (林皇后)
consort 后妃
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 187
Spouse of Noble Lady Yuan (袁貴人)
consort 后妃 · Secondary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 5
Kin of Xie (諧)
cousin 從弟
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passage 37
Parent of Emperor Xuanwu of Wei (魏宣武帝)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 4
Parent of Yuan Yu (元愉)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 5
Parent of Yuan Yue (元悅)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 6
Parent of Yuan Ti (元恌)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 7
Parent of Yuan Xun (元恂)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 187
Parent of Yuan Yi (元懌)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 6
Parent of Yuan Huai (元懷)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 4
Kin of Maternal uncle Grand Preceptor of Emperor Xiaowen (孝文舅氏太師)
maternal uncle 舅 · maternal line
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passage 21
Kin of Jian (簡)
uncle 叔父 · paternal line
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passages 136, 142

Key source chapters

Places and affiliations

Northern Wei 魏
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Wei 39, passage 36
Polity Northern Wei 北魏 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passage 40

Works and attributed material

burial rules after move to Luoyang
Edict · Author
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passages 60-68
mourning for uncle Jian
Edict · Author
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passage 142
mourning regulations for Xie
Edict · Author
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passages 37-47
Edict · Author
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passages 53-54, 57
Speech · Speaker · With Yuan Xun (元恂)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 27, passages 12-17, 21-25, 36-40, 53-55
Speech · Speaker · With Zhang Lie (張烈)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 81, passages 98-99, 103

Events and relationships

Established Jing Province city
Administrative · Founder
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 18, passage 20
Exempted Sun Yide
Judgment · Sovereign · With Sun Yide (孫益德)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passages 57-58
Moved capital to Luoyang; surname change to Zhangsun
Political · Ruler
Directly stated · Book of Zhou 26, passage 5
Pardoned Zhangsun Zhen
Pardon · Sovereign · With Zhangsun Zhen (長孫真)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 92, passage 40
Personally mourned
AD 495 太和十九年 · Ritual · Mourner · With Xie (諧)
Directly stated · Book of Wei 24, passages 58, 70

References in the histories

Search passages

History

55 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 36Volume 36 Biographies 28: Xing Shao · 3 passages

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仰惟高祖孝文皇帝稟聖自天，道鏡今古，列校序於鄉黨，敦詩書於郡國。 We look up to Emperor Xiaowen of Wei, the High Ancestor, who received the sage from Heaven and whose Way reflects all ages—he ordered schools in the hamlets and spread the Odes and Documents through every commandery.

伏聞朝議以高祖大造區夏，道侔姬文，提記明堂，式配上帝。 We hear the court argues that because the High Ancestor shaped the realm within the four seas and his Way matched King Wen of Zhou, he raised the Bright Hall to sacrifice to the Lord on High.

今若基址不修，乃同丘畎，即使高皇神享，闕於國陽，宗事之典，有聲無實。 If the foundations are not restored, it is but a mound in a field—even the High Emperor's spirit lacks its seat in the national altar; ancestral rite has sound without substance.

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 68Volume 68 Book of Later Tang 44: Biographies 20: Xue Tinggui, Cui Yi, Liu Yue, Liu Ye, Feng Shunqing, Dou Mengzheng, Li Baoyin, Gui Ai, Kong, Miao, Zhang Wenbao, Chen Yi, Liu Zan · 1 passage

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其先遼東襄平人，元魏平定遼東，徙家於代，隨孝文遷洛，遂為洛陽人。 His forebears came from Xiangping in Liaodong. When the Northern Wei pacified the northeast the family was moved to Dai; they followed Emperor Xiaowen to Luoyang and became Luoyang natives.

Book of Wei, Chapter 24Volume 20: Emperor Wencheng's Five Princes · 9 passages

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高祖罰杖三十。 Gaozu had him beaten thirty strokes with the staff.

諧將大殮，高祖素服深衣哭之，入室，哀慟，撫尸而出。 On the eve of Xie's great encoffment Gaozu came in plain white and deep mourning, wept, entered the chamber, was overcome, comforted the corpse, and withdrew.

及葬，高祖親臨送之。 At the burial Gaozu attended in person to see him off.

高祖嘗與簡俱朝文明太后於皇信堂，簡居帝之右，行家人禮。 Gaozu once paid court to Empress Dowager Wenming with Jian at Huangxin Hall. Jian sat to the emperor's right, and they observed family rites.

高祖仁孝，以諸父零落，存者唯簡。 Gaozu was benevolent and filial; his uncles had died off, and only Jian remained.

每見，立以待之，俟坐，致敬問起居，停簡拜伏。 Whenever he saw Jian, he stood to wait for him; once Jian was seated, Gaozu respectfully asked after his health and prevented him from bowing prostrate.

時高祖不豫，詔曰：「叔父薨背，痛慕摧絕，不自勝任，但虛頓床枕，未堪奉赴，當力疾發哀。」 Gaozu was ill at the time and issued an edict: "My uncle has passed away; grief and longing crush me beyond endurance. I am weak and confined to bed, and cannot yet attend in person, but I will force myself through illness to express my mourning."

母常氏，高祖以納不以禮，不許其為妃。 Because his mother, Lady Chang, had not been taken as consort according to proper ritual, Gaozu did not permit her to be made princess.