Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Last Emperor of Northern Qi

Gao Wei 高緯

Attested AD 562 - AD 577

Passages: 33
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Gao Wei was a Last Emperor of Northern Qi.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	young emperor	少帝

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 565 天統元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 114
AD 565 天統元年
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 28
AD 565 to AD 577 天統至齊亡
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 13, passages 87, 204
AD 572 武平三年正月
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 124
AD 570 武平元年六月
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 147
AD 562 河清元年正月丙戌
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 21

Show 3 more source-backed claims

c. AD 575 to c. AD 577 齊主知之
Strongly inferred · Book of Sui 54, passage 68
AD 576 齊主高緯以大軍至
Directly stated · Book of Sui 54, passage 176
AD 577 齊亡
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 9, passages 118, 126

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Empress Hu (胡皇后)
bore Last Emperor 產後主
son 子
Sources vary in certainty · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 100; Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 21
Child of Emperor Wucheng (武成帝)
bore the Last Emperor 產後主
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 100; Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 21
Spouse of Empress Hulu (斛律皇后)
consort 妃
Primary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 115; Book of Northern Qi 9, passages 122-123
Parent of Gao Heng (高恒)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 147
Spouse of Empress Hu of Houzhu (胡氏)
Marriage
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passages 130, 132
Spouse of Mu Yeli (穆邪利)
Primary marriage
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 154

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Crown Prince 皇太子
AD 562 河清元年正月丙戌 · Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 21
ruler of Qi 齊主
Held
Directly stated · Book of Sui 54, passage 176
Received abdication
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 28
As Houzhu 後主受禪
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 123
AD 565 天統元年
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 7, passage 114

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 113

Events and relationships

Dispatched general to pursue
Military · Commander in chief · With Helan Baozi (賀蘭豹子) · With Person Id Prince of Qi Xian (齊王憲) · Detail sent Helan Baozi with crack cavalry to pursue Xian's retreating troops
Directly stated · Book of Sui 54, passage 177
Drank without measure after installing Mu
Personal · Actor
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 157
Executed Tanxian affair participants
Legal · Authority
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 9, passage 110
Led great army against
AD 576 齊主高緯以大軍至 · Military · Commander in chief · At Jiqiyuan 雞棲原 · With Prince of Qi Xian (齊王憲)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 54, passage 176
Ordered reproach of
AD 575 to AD 577 武帝將伐齊 · Diplomatic · Authority · With Yi Louqian (伊婁謙) · With Person Id Yang Xiuzhi (陽休之)
Directly stated · Book of Sui 54, passage 68

References in the histories

Search passages

History

33 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 7Volume 7 Annals 7: Emperor Wucheng · 3 passages

丙戌，立妃胡氏為皇后，子緯為皇太子。 On bingxu, Consort Hu was made empress and his son Wei was made crown prince.

丙子，乃使太宰段韶兼太尉，持節奉皇帝璽綬傳位於皇太子，大赦，改元為天統元年，百官進級降罪各有差。 On bingzi, Grand Minister Duan Shao, concurrently Grand Commandant, was sent with the credentials to convey the imperial seals and ribbons and transfer the throne to the crown prince. A general amnesty was proclaimed, the era was changed to Tiantong, and officials were advanced and punishments reduced by graded degrees.

又詔皇太子妃斛律氏為皇后。 A further edict made the crown prince's consort, Lady Hulu, empress.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 9Volume 9 Biographies 1: Empresses and Consorts · 17 passages

產後主日，號鳴於產帳上。 On the day she bore the Last Emperor, a bird cried above the birthing pavilion.

帝聞太后不謹而未之信，後朝太后，見二少尼，悅而召之，乃男子也，於是曇獻事亦發，皆伏法，並殺元、山、王三郡君，皆太后之所昵也。 The emperor heard that the empress dowager was unrestrained but did not yet believe it; later, attending upon the empress dowager at court, he saw two young nuns, was pleased and summoned them — they were men; thereupon Tanxian's affair also came to light; all were executed by law, and the three Ladies of Yuan, Shan, and Wang were also killed — all were favorites of the empress dowager.

帝自晉陽奉太后還鄴，至紫陌，卒遇大風。 The emperor himself escorted the empress dowager from Jinyang back to Ye; at Zimo they suddenly encountered a great wind.

帝詐云鄴中有急，彎弓緾槊，馳入南城，令鄧長顒幽太后北宮，仍有敕內外諸親一不得與太后相見。 The emperor feigned an emergency in Ye, strung his bow and wrapped his spear, galloped into the southern city, and ordered Deng Changyang to confine the Empress Dowager in the Northern Palace, with an edict forbidding all kin, near or distant, from seeing her.

久之，帝復迎太后。 After some time the emperor welcomed the Empress Dowager back.

每太后設食，帝亦不敢嘗。 Whenever the Empress Dowager set out a meal, the emperor dared not taste it.

後主斛律后 Houzhu, Empress Hulu

後主受禪，立為皇后。 When Houzhu accepted the abdication, she was installed as empress.

武平三年正月生女，帝欲悅光，詐稱生男，為之大赦。 In the first month of the third year of the Wuping era she bore a girl; the emperor, wishing to please Guang, falsely announced a boy and proclaimed a general amnesty.

後主胡后 Houzhu, Empress Hu

胡太后失母儀之道，深以為愧，欲求悅後主，故飾后於宮中，令帝見之。 Empress Dowager Hu, ashamed at having failed as mother to the realm, wished to please Houzhu; she had the girl dressed and presented in the palace for the emperor to see.

帝果悅，立為弘德夫人，進左昭儀，大被寵愛。 The emperor was pleased, made her Lady of Hongde, promoted her to senior lady of brilliant beauty, and greatly favored her.

帝思之，每致物以通意。 The emperor missed her and repeatedly sent gifts to convey his regard.

後主穆后 Houzhu, Empress Mu

欽道伏誅，黃花因此入宮，有幸於後主，宮內稱為舍利太監。 After Song was executed, Huanghua entered the palace by that connection, won Houzhu's favor, and was known within the inner quarters as Director Sheli.

後主既立穆皇后，復為營之。 After Houzhu installed Empress Mu, such garments were commissioned again.

言黃花不久也，後主自立穆后以後，昏飲無度，故云清觴滿杯酌。 It meant Huanghua would not endure; after Houzhu made Mu empress, he drank without measure—hence "brim the clear cup and pour."

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 13Volume 13 Biographies 5: Gao Chen; Gao Rui (Northern Qi); Gao Yue (Northern Qi); Gao Mai · 4 passages

世祖崩，葬後數日，叡與馮翊王潤、安德王延宗及元文遙奏後主云：「和士開不宜仍居內任。」 When Gao Zhan died, several days after the burial, Rui, together with Prince of Fengyi Gao Run, Prince of Ande Gao Yanzong, and Yuan Wenyao, memorialized the Last Emperor, saying, "He Shikai should not continue to hold an inner appointment."

後主晉州敗，太后從土門道還京師，敕勱統領兵馬，侍衛太后。 When Houzhu was defeated at Jin Province, the Empress Dowager returned to the capital by the Tumen Road; an edict put Mai in overall command of troops to escort her.

勱因奏後主曰：「今所翻叛，多是貴人，至於卒伍，猶未離貳。 Mai therefore memorialized Houzhu: "Those who have turned are mostly nobles; among the common ranks many have not yet gone over.

後主卒不能用。 Houzhu in the end would not take his counsel.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 40Volume 40 Biographies 32: Yu Jin (Northern Qi); Feng Zicong; Helian Ziyue; Tang Yong; Bai Jian · 6 passages

又奉別詔，令共胡長粲輔遵太子，轉庶子。 By a separate edict he was to assist the crown prince with Hu Changcai and was transferred to heir-apparent subprefect.

天統元年，世祖禪位後主。 In the first year of Tiantong, Shizu abdicated in favor of the Later Sovereign.

世祖御正殿，謂子琮曰：「少君左右宜得正人，以卿心存正直，今以後事相委。」 Shizu sat in the main hall and told Zicong, "The young lord should have upright men around him. Because your heart is upright and true, I now entrust later affairs to you."

世祖在晉陽，旣居舊殿，少帝未有別所，詔子琮監造大明宮。 When Shizu was at Jinyang, he occupied the old palace, while the young emperor had no separate residence, so he ordered Zicong to supervise construction of the Daming Palace.

時太尉錄尚書事趙郡王叡先恒居內，預帷幄之謀，子琮素知士開忌叡及領軍臨淮王婁定遠，恐其矯遺詔出叡外任，奪定遠禁衛之權，因答云：「大行，神武之子，今上又是先皇傳位，群臣富貴者皆是至尊父子之恩，但令在內貴臣一無改易，王公已下必無異望。 At the time grand mentor and recorder of the masters of writing affairs, Prince of Zhao commandery Rui, had long lived inside the palace and shared counsel at the curtain. Zicong knew He Shikai resented Rui and general-in-chief of the guards Prince of Linhuai Lou Dingyuan and feared they might forge the final edict to send Rui out on provincial duty and strip Dingyuan of the guard command. He answered, "The late emperor was Gao Huan's son, and the present sovereign too received the throne from his predecessor. Every minister's wealth came from the sovereign father and son. Leave the great men inside the court unchanged, and the princes and dukes below will surely have no other wish.

子琮除州，非後主本意，中旨殷勤，特給後部鼓吹，加兵五十人，並聽將物度關。 Zicong's provincial appointment was not what the Later Sovereign had first intended; the central edict was warm and earnest, and he was specially given rear guard musicians, fifty more troops, and leave to bring goods across the passes.

Book of Sui, Chapter 54Volume 54 Biographies 19: Wang Zhangshu, Li Yan, Yi Louqian, Tian Rengong, Yuan Heng, Du Zheng, Li Che, Cui Peng · 3 passages

齊主知之，令其僕射陽休之責謙曰：「貴朝盛夏徵兵，馬首何向？」 When the Qi ruler learned of this, his vice premier Yang Xiuzhi challenged Qian: "Your court is mobilizing in high summer—where are your armies heading?"

齊主高緯以大軍至，憲引兵西上，以避其鋒。 The Qi ruler Gao Wei arrived with a great army; Xian led his troops westward to avoid their spearhead.

緯遣其驍將賀蘭豹子率勁騎躡憲，戰于晉州城北。 Wei sent his fierce general Helan Baozi with crack cavalry to pursue Xian, and they fought north of Jizhou city.