Fu Deng
Encyclopedia
| Qin Gaodi ((前)秦高帝) | |
|---|---|
| Family name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Fu (苻; fú) |
| Given name Chinese name Personal names in Chinese culture follow a number of conventions different from those of personal names in Western cultures. Most noticeably, a Chinese name is written with the family name first and the given name next, therefore "John-Paul Smith" as a Chinese name would be "Smith John-Paul"... : |
Deng (登, dēng) |
| Temple name Temple name Temple names are commonly used when naming most Chinese, Korean , and Vietnamese royalty. They should not be confused with era names. Compared to posthumous names, the use of temple names is more exclusive... : |
Shizu (太宗, taì zōng) |
| Posthumous name Posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given to royalty, nobles, and sometimes others, in East Asia after the person's death, and is used almost exclusively instead of one's personal name or other official titles during his life... : |
Gao (高, gāo), literary meaning: "high" |
Fu Deng (苻登) (343–394) was an emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
/Di
Di (ethnic group)
The Di were an ethnic group in China from the 8th century BCE to approximately the middle of the 6th century CE. Note that the character Di is used to differentiate this group from the Beidi , a generic term for "northern barbarians". They lived in areas of the present-day provinces of Gansu,...
state Former Qin
Former Qin
The Former Qin was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Founded by the Fu family of the Di ethnicity, it completed the unification of North China in 376. Its capital had been Xi'an up to the death of the ruler Fu Jiān. Despite its name, the Former Qin was much later and less powerful than...
. He assumed the throne in 386 after the deaths of Fu Jiān
Fu Jian
Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:...
(Emperor Xuanzhao) and Fu Jiān's son Fu Pi
Fu Pi
Fu Pi , courtesy name Yongshu , formally Emperor Aiping of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
(Emperor Aiping), even though he was only a distant relative of theirs, as by that time Former Qin's territory had largely been reduced to the territory under his control. He battled the Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
emperor Yao Chang
Yao Chang
Yao Chang , courtesy name Jingmao , formally Emperor Wuzhao of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin...
for years in a stalemate that neither could conclusively prevail, but in 394, he made a major attack on Later Qin after Yao Chang's death, seriously underestimating Yao Chang's son and successor Yao Xing
Yao Xing
Yao Xing , courtesy name Zilue , formally Emperor Wenhuan of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin. He was the son of the founding emperor Yao Chang . For most of his reign, he did not use the title of emperor, but used the title Heavenly Prince...
, who captured and executed him. Later that year, his son Fu Chong
Fu Chong
Fu Chong was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. He assumed the throne in 394 after the death of his father, Fu Deng...
, who succeeded him, would die in battle, ending Former Qin.
Early career
Fu Deng was born in 343, to Fu Chang (苻敞), a distant grandnephew of Former Qin's founder Fu JiànFu Jiàn
Fú Jiàn , originally named Pú Jiàn , courtesy name Jianye , formally Emperor Jingming of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin....
, while still under Later Zhao
Later Zhao
The Later Zhao was a state of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. It was founded by the Shi family of the Jie ethnicity...
rule. After Fu Jiàn founded Former Qin in 351, Fu Chang served as a general and a commandery governor. During the reign of Fu Jiàn's cruel and whimsical son Fu Sheng
Fu Sheng
Fu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
(r. 355–357), Fu Chang was executed, but he was posthumously honored after Fu Sheng was overthrown by his cousin Fu Jiān
Fu Jian
Fu Jian may refer to:* Fú Jiàn , founding emperor of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Jingming* Fú Jiān , ruler of Former Qin, posthumous name Emperor Xuanzhao-See also:...
. Fu Jiān was impressed by Fu Deng's abilities, and when he grew older, Fu Deng was made the county magistrate of the capital Chang'an
Chang'an
Chang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
. Later, however, for unspecified faults, he was demoted to be the county magistrate for Didao (狄道, in modern Dingxi
Dingxi
-Geography and climate:Dingxi City is located in central Gansu province, 98 km east of Lanzhou, giving it the nickname the "eastern gateway". The Wei River, a tributary of the Yellow River flows through the district and provides it with the majority of its water. Dingxi is semi-arid, with little...
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
).
After Former Qin began to collapse in 384 and Fu Jiān was killed by the Later Qin
Later Qin
The Later Qin was a state of Qiang ethnicity of the Sixteen Kingdoms during the Jin Dynasty in China. Note that the Later Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Western Qin....
general Yao Chang
Yao Chang
Yao Chang , courtesy name Jingmao , formally Emperor Wuzhao of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin...
in 385, Fu Deng became a subordinate of the general Mao Xing (毛興), who sought to control all of the provinces in the west still nominally under Former Qin rule, but his soldiers became weary from all of the battles and assassinated him in 386, replacing him with Wei Ping (衛平), a very old general who was the head of the clan. However, these soldiers soon became convinced that Wei was too old to accomplish much, and they deposed Wei and replaced him with Fu Deng. Fu Deng submitted a report of these events to Fu Jiān's son Fu Pi
Fu Pi
Fu Pi , courtesy name Yongshu , formally Emperor Aiping of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
, the new emperor, and Fu Pi commissioned him as a provincial governor and created him the Prince of Nan'an.
Later in 386, Fu Pi died in battle against Jin
Jìn Dynasty (265-420)
The Jìn Dynasty , was a dynasty in Chinese history, lasting between the years 265 and 420 AD. There are two main divisions in the history of the Dynasty, the first being Western Jin and the second Eastern Jin...
, and the territory under his direct control (modern Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), as well as his officials, fell into the hands of the Western Yan
Western Yan
The Western Yan was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. It was founded by Murong Hong in 384 in the aftermaths of Former Qin's defeat by Jin Dynasty at the Battle of Fei River, with the stated intent of permitting the Xianbei, whom Former Qin's emperor Fu...
emperor Murong Yong
Murong Yong
Murong Yong , courtesy name Shuming , was the last emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Yan. He was the grandson of Murong Yun , the uncle of Former Yan's founder Murong Huang. As a member of Former Yan's imperial clan, he was moved to Guanzhong, Former Qin's capital region, when Former...
. His official Kou Qian (寇遣) escorted his sons Fu Yi (苻懿) the Prince of Bohai and Fu Chang (苻昶, note different character than Fu Deng's father) the Prince of Jibei to Fu Deng's domain. Fu Deng, after mourning for Fu Pi, proposed to have Fu Yi declared emperor, but his subordinates all opined that given the state Former Qin was in (down to holding not much more than the territory under Fu Deng's control), the state needed an older emperor; at their suggestion, Fu Deng himself took the throne. He made Fu Yi his crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
.
Before the Battle of Dajie
Even before he took imperial title, Fu Deng battled Yao Chang continuously, and the wars between Fu Deng and Yao Chang's Later Qin intensified after Fu Deng became Former Qin's emperor. Fu Deng set up a shrine to Fu Jiān in his army, and whenever he made a key decision he would report it to Fu Jiān. He was also described as a master of square and circular formations (although the exact mechanism is not understood well), and initially won a number of battles over Later Qin—so much so that Yao Chang, in fear, also set up a shrine dedicated to Fu Jiān in his army, apologizing for his killing of Fu Jiān and requesting forgiveness. However, after that failed to yield victories, Yao Chang cut off the head of the effigy he had made of Fu Jiān and delivered to Fu Deng. But Fu Deng's victories over Yao Chang did not appear to have lasting impact, and the wars between Former Qin and Later Qin became stalemated. Meanwhile, Fu Deng's shortcomings became exposed—an inability to take decisive action to deal heavy damage to Later Qin, and Yao Chang took advantage of his indecisive tendencies to gradually destroy other semi-independent generals in the GuanzhongGuanzhong
Guanzhong , or Guanzhong Plain, is a historical region of China corresponding to the lower valley of the Wei River. It is called Guanzhong or 'within the passes' to distinguish it from 'Guandong' or 'east of the pass', that is, the North China Plain. The North China Plain is bordered on the west by...
region and consolidate his power base.
In 387, Fu Deng created the ruler of Western Qin
Western Qin
The Western Qin was a state of Xianbei ethnicity during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China. Note that the Western Qin is entirely distinct from the ancient Qin Dynasty, the Former Qin, and the Later Qin....
, Qifu Guoren
Qifu Guoren
Qifu Guoren , formally Prince Xuanlie of Wanchuan , was the founding ruler of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Qin....
, the Prince of Wanchuan, and Qifu Guoren accepted, signifying at least nominal submission to Fu Deng. After Qifu Guoren died in 388 and was succeeded by his brother Qifu Gangui
Qifu Gangui
Qifu Gangui or Qifu Qiangui , formally Prince Wuyuan of Henan , was a prince of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Qin. He was a brother of the founding prince, Qifu Guoren , who became prince after Qifu Guoren's death in 388 because Qifu Guoren's son Qifu Gongfu was considered too young for...
, the relationship continued.
In summer 388, Fu Yi the Crown Prince died, and Fu Deng created his own son Fu Chong
Fu Chong
Fu Chong was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. He assumed the throne in 394 after the death of his father, Fu Deng...
to be the crown prince.
In summer 389, a battle would greatly damage Fu Deng. He had set up a base of operations at Dajie (大界, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), guarded by his wife Empress Mao
Empress Mao (Gao)
Empress Mao was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. Her husband was Fu Deng ....
, while attacking Later Qin's city of Pingliang
Pingliang
Pingliang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu Province in China. Pingliang is famous for a local mountain range that includes Kongtong Mountain, a site sacred to Taoism and mythical meeting place of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi, an immortal....
and capturing it. Meanwhile, however, Yao Chang made a surprise attack on Dajie, capturing and killing Empress Mao and Fu Deng's sons Fu Bian the Prince of Nan'an and Fu Shang the Prince of Beihai. Some 50,000 of Fu Deng's people were captured.
After the Battle of Dajie
After the Battle of Dajie, Fu Deng appeared to be no longer able to again make major attacks against Later Qin, although the two states continued to battle continuously, and Yao Chang appeared to be equally unable to destroy Fu Deng. However, Yao Chang continued the consolidation process by destroying other semi-independent generals, and Later Qin grew stronger and stronger.In 392, Fu Deng created one of his concubines, Consort Li
Empress Li (Gao)
Empress Li was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. Her husband was Fu Deng .Very little is known about her. She was already Fu Deng's concubine by 392, when Fu Deng created her empress to replace Empress Mao, who had been captured and killed by the rival Later Qin's emperor Yao Chang...
, empress.
Later in 392, Yao Chang grew ill, and Fu Deng, hearing this, made a major attack on the important Later Qin city Anding (安定, in modern Pingliang
Pingliang
Pingliang is a prefecture-level city in eastern Gansu Province in China. Pingliang is famous for a local mountain range that includes Kongtong Mountain, a site sacred to Taoism and mythical meeting place of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi, an immortal....
, Gansu
Gansu
' is a province located in the northwest of the People's Republic of China.It lies between the Tibetan and Huangtu plateaus, and borders Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia to the north, Xinjiang and Qinghai to the west, Sichuan to the south, and Shaanxi to the east...
), but Yao Chang, in his illness, nevertheless faced him in battle, forcing Fu Deng to withdraw—and then, in the engagement, made a clean evasive maneuver with his troops and disengaged, to Fu Deng's surprise, and Fu Deng commented:
- What kind of a man is Yao Chang? I could not tell when he would go and when he would come. Everyone thought that he is near death, but he lives to fight. It is unfortunate that I live at the same time as this old Qiang.
Death
Yao Chang died around the new year 394 and was succeeded by his son Yao XingYao Xing
Yao Xing , courtesy name Zilue , formally Emperor Wenhuan of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin. He was the son of the founding emperor Yao Chang . For most of his reign, he did not use the title of emperor, but used the title Heavenly Prince...
. While Yao Xing tried to keep news of Yao Chang's death a secret, the news still got to Fu Deng. Fu Deng, extremely glad to hear about Yao Chang's death, prepared to launch a major assault against Later Qin—he had his brother Fu Guang (苻廣) defend the base of Yongcheng (雍城, in modern Baoji
Baoji
Baoji is a prefecture-level city in Shaanxi province, China.-Geography:The prefecture-level city of Baoji has a population of 3,716,731 according to the 2010 Chinese census, inhabiting an area of . The city itself has a population of approximately 800,000. Surrounded on three sides by hills,...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) and Fu Chong defend the base of Hu Kong Castle (胡空堡, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
), and, in his anxiety, did not make sure that his army had sufficient water supply. Yao Xing set up his army at Mawei (馬嵬, in modern Xianyang
Xianyang
Xianyang is a former capital of China in Shaanxi province, on the Wei River, a few kilometers upstream from Xi'an. It has an area of...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
) to prevent Former Qin forces from reaching the river near Mawei, and Former Qin forces collapsed in thirst. Upon hearing the defeat, Fu Guang and Fu Chong abandoned the two bases that they were holding, and Fu Deng was unable to recapture them. He instead fled to Pingliang and then into the mountains. He sent his son Fu Zong the Prince of Ruyin to Qifu Gangui and married his sister the Princess Dongping
Princess Fu (Wuyuan)
Princess Fu was a princess of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Qin. Her husband was Qifu Gangui .She was a younger sister of the Former Qin emperor Fu Deng , and he created her Princess Dongping...
to Qifu Gangui as his princess, seeking aid from Qifu Gangui. Qifu Gangui sent his general Qifu Yizhou (乞伏益州) to aid Fu Deng, but as Fu Deng came out of the mountains to join Qifu Yizhou's forces, Yao Xing ambushed and captured him, and then executed him. He disbanded Fu Deng's troops and gave Fu Deng's Empress Li to his general Yao Huang (姚晃).
Personal information
- Father
- Fu Chang (苻敞), killed by Fu ShengFu ShengFu Sheng , originally named Pu Sheng , courtesy name Changsheng , formally Prince Li of Yue , was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin...
- Fu Chang (苻敞), killed by Fu Sheng
- Wives
- Empress MaoEmpress Mao (Gao)Empress Mao was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. Her husband was Fu Deng ....
(created 387, killed by Yao ChangYao ChangYao Chang , courtesy name Jingmao , formally Emperor Wuzhao of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin...
389), daughter of Mao Xing (毛興) - Empress LiEmpress Li (Gao)Empress Li was an empress of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. Her husband was Fu Deng .Very little is known about her. She was already Fu Deng's concubine by 392, when Fu Deng created her empress to replace Empress Mao, who had been captured and killed by the rival Later Qin's emperor Yao Chang...
(created 392, captured by Yao XingYao XingYao Xing , courtesy name Zilue , formally Emperor Wenhuan of Qin , was an emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin. He was the son of the founding emperor Yao Chang . For most of his reign, he did not use the title of emperor, but used the title Heavenly Prince...
394 and awarded to Yao Huang (姚晃))
- Empress Mao
- Children
- Fu ChongFu ChongFu Chong was an emperor of the Chinese/Di state Former Qin. He assumed the throne in 394 after the death of his father, Fu Deng...
(苻崇), initially the Prince of Dongping (created 387), later the Crown Prince (created 388), later emperor - Fu Bian (苻弁), the Prince of Nan'an (created 388, killed by Yao ChangYao ChangYao Chang , courtesy name Jingmao , formally Emperor Wuzhao of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin...
389) - Fu Shang (苻尚), the Prince of Beihai (created 388, killed by Yao ChangYao ChangYao Chang , courtesy name Jingmao , formally Emperor Wuzhao of Qin , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Qiang state Later Qin...
389) - Fu Zong (苻宗), the Prince of Ruyin
- Fu Chong