Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei
| Yuan Shanjian 元善見 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor of Eastern Wei | |||||||||
| Reign | 534–550 | ||||||||
| Regent |
Gao Huan Gao Cheng Gao Yang |
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| Born | 524 | ||||||||
| Died | 552 (aged 27–28) | ||||||||
| Spouse | Empress Gao | ||||||||
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| Father | Yuan Dan, Prince Wenxuan of Qinghe 清河文宣王 | ||||||||
| Mother | Consort Hu | ||||||||
| Full name | |
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Family name: Yuan (元, yuán) Given name: Shanjian (善見, shàn jiàn) |
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| Posthumous name | |
| Xiaojing (孝靜, xiào jìng), literary meaning: "filial and meek" |
Emperor Xiaojing of Eastern Wei ((東)魏孝靜帝) (524–552), personal name Yuan Shanjian (元善見), was the only emperor of the Eastern Wei – a branch successor state to Northern Wei. In 524, Northern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan, after Emperor Xiaowu had fled the capital Luoyang to reestablish the imperial government at Chang'an, made Emperor Xiaojing emperor as Emperor Xiaowu's replacement, and moved the capital from Luoyang to Yecheng, thus dividing Northern Wei into two, and Emperor Xiaojing's state became known as Eastern Wei. Although Gao Huan treated him with respect, real power was in the hands of Gao Huan, and then Gao Huan's sons Gao Cheng and Gao Yang. In 550, Gao Yang forced Emperor Xiaojing to yield the throne to him, ending Eastern Wei and establishing Northern Qi (as its Emperor Wenxuan). Around the new year 552, the former Emperor Xiaojing was poisoned to death on the orders of the new emperor.
Yuan Shanjian was born in 524. His father Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe was a son of the well-regarded Yuan Yi (元懌), also Prince of Qinghe and a son of Emperor Xiaowen. His mother Princess Hu was Yuan Dan's wife and was a granddaughter of Hu Zhen (胡真), an uncle of Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu. Yuan Shanjian was Yuan Dan's oldest son, and was his heir apparent.
In 534, Emperor Xiaowu, a cousin of Yuan Shanjian's father Yuan Dan, seeking to resist the control of the paramount general Gao Huan, entered into an alliance with independent generals Yuwen Tai and Heba Sheng (賀拔勝). When Gao, in response, marched toward the capital Luoyang, Emperor Xiaowu fled to Yuwen's territory. Yuan Dan initially joined Emperor Xiaowu on his flight, but quickly abandoned Emperor Xiaowu and returned to Luoyang. After Gao entered Luoyang, he had Yuan Dan assume acting imperial powers, and Yuan Dan began to become arrogant, viewing himself as the next emperor. Gao, who was in fact looking for a new emperor to replace Emperor Xiaowu, felt that Yuan Dan was inappropriate, and therefore, under the excuse that a cousin should not succeed another, chose Yuan Shanjian and declared him emperor (as Emperor Xiaojing). (Yuan Dan, in embarrassment and fear, tried to flee south, presumably to rival Liang Dynasty, but Gao tracked him down and brought him back to Luoyang.) This formally divided Northern Wei into Eastern Wei (with Emperor Xiaojing as emperor) and Western Wei (with Emperor Xiaowu as Emperor).
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