Yang Hao (Sui Dynasty)
Encyclopedia
Yang Hao (died 618), often known by his princely title of Prince of Qin (秦王), was one of the claimants of the throne of the Chinese
Sui Dynasty
at the dynasty's end.
. His father Yang Jun
was the Prince of Qin. Yang Hao was one of Yang Jun's two sons, and his mother was Yang Jun's wife Princess Cui. In 597, angry and jealous over Yang Jun's favor for his concubines, Princess Cui poisoned melons that he was eating. Yang Jun grew ill, and went back from his defense post at Bing Province (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan
, Shanxi
) to the capital Chang'an
for treatment. After he did so, Princess Cui's poisoning of him was discovered. Emperor Wen ordered that she be divorced and sent back to the household of her brother Cui Hongdu (崔弘度), and then ordered her to commit suicide.
Yang Jun never completely recovered from his illness. He died in 600. Emperor Wen, reasoning that Princess Cui's crime tainted Yang Hao and that his brother Yang Zhan (楊湛) was born of a concubine and therefore unfit to inherit the title, did not allow either to inherit the title of Prince of Qin, and in fact ordered that Yang Jun's staff members serve as his mourners, suggesting that both Yang Hao and Yang Zhan were excluded from the funeral proceedings.
took the throne as Emperor Yang. In 606, he created Yang Hao the Prince of Qin and Yang Zhan the Marquess of Jibei. By 613, Yang Hao was serving as the commander of the militia in Heyang Commandery (河陽, roughly modern Jiaozuo
, Henan
) when the general Yang Xuangan
rebelled nearby. Emperor Yang, then at the front of a campaign against Goguryeo
, sent the general Yuwen Shu
back to Sui territory to attack Yang Xuangan, and Yuwen and Yang Hao exchanged letters, and they further met and joined forces against Yang Xuangan. However, after Yang Xuangan's rebellion was suppressed, Yang Hao was indicted for communicating with imperial officials—an act not allowed for imperial princes—and removed from his post.
In spring 618, with the Sui state engulfed in various rebellions, Yang Hao was with Emperor Yang at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
), when a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
(Yuwen Shu's son) killed Emperor Yang. The coup leaders also killed many of Emperor Yang's relatives and high level officials. However, as Yang Hao was friendly with Yuwen Huaji's brother Yuwen Zhiji (宇文智及), Yuwen Zhiji persuaded Yuwen Huaji to spare Yang Hao, and subsequently, Yang Hao was declared emperor by an edict issued in the name of Emperor Yang's wife Empress Xiao
, although Yuwen Huaji wielded actual powers, as regent
.
, Hebei
). As he saw his military power waning, he became depressed. He then resolved to be emperor while he was still alive, and therefore poisoned Yang Hao, declaring himself emperor of a state of Xu.
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...
Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
at the dynasty's end.
Background
Yang Hao was a grandson of Sui's founder Emperor WenEmperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
. His father Yang Jun
Yang Jun (Sui Dynasty)
Yang Jun , nickname Azhi , formally Prince Xiao of Qin , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Wen and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo, who died as a result of an illness caused by poisoning by his jealous wife Princess Cui...
was the Prince of Qin. Yang Hao was one of Yang Jun's two sons, and his mother was Yang Jun's wife Princess Cui. In 597, angry and jealous over Yang Jun's favor for his concubines, Princess Cui poisoned melons that he was eating. Yang Jun grew ill, and went back from his defense post at Bing Province (并州, roughly modern Taiyuan
Taiyuan
Taiyuan is the capital and largest city of Shanxi province in North China. At the 2010 census, it had a total population of 4,201,591 inhabitants on 6959 km² whom 3,212,500 are urban on 1,460 km². The name of the city literally means "Great Plains", referring to the location where the Fen River...
, 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....
) to 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...
for treatment. After he did so, Princess Cui's poisoning of him was discovered. Emperor Wen ordered that she be divorced and sent back to the household of her brother Cui Hongdu (崔弘度), and then ordered her to commit suicide.
Yang Jun never completely recovered from his illness. He died in 600. Emperor Wen, reasoning that Princess Cui's crime tainted Yang Hao and that his brother Yang Zhan (楊湛) was born of a concubine and therefore unfit to inherit the title, did not allow either to inherit the title of Prince of Qin, and in fact ordered that Yang Jun's staff members serve as his mourners, suggesting that both Yang Hao and Yang Zhan were excluded from the funeral proceedings.
During Emperor Yang's reign
Emperor Wen died in 604, and Yang Hao's uncle Yang GuangEmperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
took the throne as Emperor Yang. In 606, he created Yang Hao the Prince of Qin and Yang Zhan the Marquess of Jibei. By 613, Yang Hao was serving as the commander of the militia in Heyang Commandery (河陽, roughly modern Jiaozuo
Jiaozuo
Jiaozuo is a prefecture-level city in northern Henan province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yellow River, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the south, Xinxiang to the east, Jiyuan to the west, Luoyang to the southwest, and the province of Shanxi...
, Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
) when the general Yang Xuangan
Yang Xuangan
Yang Xuangan was an official of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was the son of the powerful official Yang Su, and, as he knew that Emperor Yang was apprehensive of his father, was never quite secure. In 613, when Emperor Yang was attacking Goguryeo, he rebelled near the eastern capital...
rebelled nearby. Emperor Yang, then at the front of a campaign against Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
, sent the general Yuwen Shu
Yuwen Shu
Yuwen Shu , courtesy name Botong , formally Duke Gong of Xu , was an official and general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
back to Sui territory to attack Yang Xuangan, and Yuwen and Yang Hao exchanged letters, and they further met and joined forces against Yang Xuangan. However, after Yang Xuangan's rebellion was suppressed, Yang Hao was indicted for communicating with imperial officials—an act not allowed for imperial princes—and removed from his post.
In spring 618, with the Sui state engulfed in various rebellions, Yang Hao was with Emperor Yang at Jiangdu (江都, in modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), when a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against Emperor Yang of Sui, killing him. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao led Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army north, but was then repeatedly defeated by Li Mi, Li Shentong , and...
(Yuwen Shu's son) killed Emperor Yang. The coup leaders also killed many of Emperor Yang's relatives and high level officials. However, as Yang Hao was friendly with Yuwen Huaji's brother Yuwen Zhiji (宇文智及), Yuwen Zhiji persuaded Yuwen Huaji to spare Yang Hao, and subsequently, Yang Hao was declared emperor by an edict issued in the name of Emperor Yang's wife Empress Xiao
Empress Xiao (Yang)
Empress Xiao , formally Empress Min , was an empress of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
, although Yuwen Huaji wielded actual powers, as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
.
Reign
There was no evidence that suggested that Yuwen Huaji permitted Yang Hao to actually exercise any imperial powers. Yuwen Huaji soon abandoned Jiangdu and led the remaining Sui court and the elite Xiaoguo Army (驍果) north. During the procession, Yang Hao was effectively put under house arrest at the mobile executive bureau (尚書省, Shangshu Sheng), under heavy guard. Edicts were signed by Yang Hao, but he was not even permitted to meet with the officials. Yuwen Huaji soon engaged the rebel leader Li Mi but suffered several defeats against Li and eventually forced to withdraw to Wei (魏縣, in modern HandanHandan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
). As he saw his military power waning, he became depressed. He then resolved to be emperor while he was still alive, and therefore poisoned Yang Hao, declaring himself emperor of a state of Xu.
Personal information
- Father
- Yang JunYang Jun (Sui Dynasty)Yang Jun , nickname Azhi , formally Prince Xiao of Qin , was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was a son of Emperor Wen and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo, who died as a result of an illness caused by poisoning by his jealous wife Princess Cui...
, Prince Xiao of Qin
- Yang Jun
- Mother
- Princess Cui (forced to commit suicide 597), Yang Jun's wife, sister of Cui Hongdu (崔弘度)