Tuoba Hong | |||||||||||||
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Emperor of Northern Wei | |||||||||||||
Reign | 465–471 | ||||||||||||
Predecessor | Emperor Wencheng | ||||||||||||
Successor | Emperor Xiaowen | ||||||||||||
Born | 454 | ||||||||||||
Died | 476 (aged 21–22) | ||||||||||||
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Full name | |
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Family name: Tuoba (拓拔; tuò bá) Given name: Hong (弘, hóng) |
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Posthumous name | |
Xianwen (獻文, xiàn wén), literary meaning: "wise and civil" |
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Temple name | |
Xianzu (顯祖, xiǎn zǔ) |
Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei ((北)魏獻文帝) (454–476), personal name Tuoba Hong, was an emperor of the Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was the first emperor in Chinese history who, after retiring in favor of his son Emperor Xiaowen to become Taishang Huang (retired emperor) in 471, continued to hold on to power until his death in 476—when he was killed by his stepmother Empress Dowager Feng over his having executed a lover of hers.
Tuoba Hong was born in 454, as Emperor Wencheng's oldest son. His mother was Consort Li, who had previously been captured in war and had become a concubine of Tuoba Ren (拓拔仁) the Prince of Yongchang, a distant relative of Emperor Wencheng, who was executed in 453 after having been accused of crimes. After Tuoba Ren's death, she was seized and taken into the palace, where she became Emperor Wencheng's concubine. In 456, Emperor Wencheng created Tuoba Hong crown prince—and, at the same time, according to Northern Wei customs, ordered Consort Li to commit suicide.
In 465, Emperor Wencheng died, and the 11-year-old Crown Prince Hong ascended the throne as Emperor Xianwen. Emperor Wencheng's wife Empress Feng was honored as empress dowager, and Emperor Xianwen's deceased mother Consort Li was posthumously honored as Empress Yuan. Power soon fell into the hands of the official Yifu Hun, who assumed dictatorial powers and killed a large number of other officials, including Yang Baoping (楊保平), Jia Airen (賈愛仁) the Duke of Pingyang, and Zhang Tiandu (張天度), Qiumuling Duohou (丘穆陵多侯), Tuoba Yu (拓拔郁) the Duke of Shunyang, and Emperor Wencheng's prime minister Buliugu Li. However, in 466, Empress Dowager Feng staged a coup and had Yifu arrested and executed. She assumed regency herself.
Empress Dowager Feng engaged Jia Xiu (賈秀), Gao Yun, and Gao Lü (高閭) as her assistants in the regency. Later, she also incorporated her brother Feng Xi (馮熙) into the decision-making circle.