Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou
| Yuwen Yong | |
|---|---|
A painting of Yuwen Yong , by the Tang Dynasty artist Yan Liben.
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| Emperor of Northern Zhou | |
| Born | 543 |
| Died | 578 (age 35) |
| Reign | 561-578 |
| Predecessor | Yuwen Yu |
| Successor | Yuwen Yun |
| Names | |
| Traditional Chinese | 宇文雍 |
| Simplified Chinese | 宇文雍 |
| Pinyin | Yǔwén Yōng |
| Wade–Giles | Yu-wen Yung |
| Posthumous name | Emperor Wu (Chinese: 武帝; pinyin: Wǔ Dì; Wade–Giles: Wǔ Tì) |
| Era names |
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| Temple name | Gaozu (Chinese: 高祖; pinyin: Gāozǔ; Wade–Giles: Kao-tsu) |
| Other names | Miluotu |
Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou ((北)周武帝) (543–578), personal name Yuwen Yong (宇文邕), nickname Miluotu (禰羅突), was an emperor of the Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou. As was the case of the reigns of his brothers Emperor Xiaomin and Emperor Ming, the early part of his reign was dominated by his cousin Yuwen Hu, but in 572 he ambushed Yuwen Hu and seized power personally. He thereafter ruled ably and built up the power of his military, destroying rival Northern Qi in 577 and annexing its territory. His death the next year, however, ended his ambitions of uniting China, and under the reign of his erratic son Emperor Xuan (Yuwen Yun), Northern Zhou itself soon deteriorated and was usurped by Yang Jian in 581.
Yuwen Yong was born in 543, as the fourth son of the Western Wei paramount general Yuwen Tai. His mother was Yuwen Tai's concubine Lady Chinu. He was born at Yuwen Tai's then-headquarters at Tong Province (同州, roughly modern Weinan, Shaanxi). He was considered filially pious, respectful, and intelligent in his youth. In 554, Emperor Fei of Western Wei created him the Duke of Fucheng.
Yuwen Tai died in 556, and in spring 557, Yuwen Yong's cousin Yuwen Hu, entrusted with the governing authority by Yuwen Tai, forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Yong's older brother Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and establishing Northern Zhou. Yuwen Jue took the throne as Emperor Xiaomin, but used the alternative title of "Heavenly Prince" (Tian Wang). Yuwen Hu served as regent, and later that year, when Emperor Xiaomin tried to seize power from him, Yuwen Hu deposed Emperor Xiaomin and then killed him, replacing him with another older brother of Yuwen Yong's, Yuwen Yu, who took the throne as Emperor Ming. Emperor Ming created Yuwen Yong the greater title of Duke of Lu and often consulted Yuwen Yong on important matters. Although Yuwen Yong did not speak much, Emperor Ming made the observation, "He did not often speak, but whatever he spoke was always right."
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