Northern Wei
 |
Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya, 443 AD. |
The
Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏,
pinyin: běi wèi,
386-
534) is most noted for the unification of northern
China in
440, it was also heavily involved in funding the arts and many antiques and art works from this period have survived.
In
493 AD the dynasty moved its capital from
Datong to
Luoyang and started the construction of the artificial
Longmen Caves. More than 30,000
Buddhist images from the time of this dynasty have been found in the caves.
It is thought the dynasty originated from the
Tuoba clan of the non-
Han Xianbei tribe. The Tuobas renamed themselves the Yuans as a part of systematic
Sinicization.
The official state religion was
Taoism as a result of the influence of
Kou Qianzhi (K'ou Ch'ien-chih).
Towards the end of the dynasty there was signicant internal dissidence resulting in a split into
Eastern Wei Dynasty and
Western Wei Dynasty.
Early in Northern Wei history, the state inherited a number of traditions from its initial history as a Xianbei tribe, and some of the more unusual ones, from a traditional Chinese standpoint:
* The officials did not receive salaries, but were expected to requisition the necessities of their lives directly from the people they governed. As the empire's history progressed, this appeared to be a major contributing factor leading to corruption among officials. Not until the second century of the empire's existence did the state begin to distribute salaries to its officials.
* Empresses were not named according to imperial favors or nobility of birth, but required that the candidates submit themselves to a ceremony where they had to personally forge golden statues, as a way of discerning divine favor. Only an imperial consort who was successful in forging a golden statue could become the empress.
* All men, regardless of ethnicity, were ordered to tie their hair into a single braid that would then be rolled and place on top of the head, and then have a cap worn over the head.
* When a
crown prince is named, his mother, if still alive, must be forced to commit suicide. (Some historians do not believe this to be a Tuoba traditional custom, but believed it to be a tradition instititued by the founding emperor
Emperor Daowu based on
Emperor Wu of Han's execution of his favorite concubine Consort Zhao, the mother of his youngest son
Liu Fuling (the eventual Emperor Zhao), before naming Prince Fuling crown prince.)
* As a result, because emperors would not have mothers, they often honored their
wet nurses with the honorific title, "
Nurse Empress Dowager" (保太后, bǎo tài hòu).
As sinicization of the Northern Wei state progressed, these customs and traditions were gradually abandoned.
| Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) | Born Names | Period of Reigns | Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years |
|---|
| Northern Wei Dynasty 386-535 |
| Convention: Northern Wei + posthumous name |
| The imperial Tuoba family changed their family name to 元 (yuán) during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen in 496 so their names in this table will also thus be "Yuan" subsequently. |
| Dao Wu Di ("武帝 daò w" dì) | Tuoba Gui (""珪 tuò bá guī) | 386-409 | Dengguo (登國 d"ng guó) 386-396
Huangshi (皇始 huáng shǐ) 396-398
Tianxing (天興 tiān xīng) 398-404
Tianci (天賜 tiān cì) 404-409 |
| Ming Yuan Di (明元帝 míng yuán dì) | Tuoba Si (""嗣 tuò bá sì) | 409-423 | Yongxing (永興 y'ng xīng) 409-413
Shenrui (神瑞 shén ruì) 414-416
Taichang (泰常 tài cháng) 416-423 |
| Tai Wu Di (太武帝 tài w" dì) | Tuoba Tao (""燾 tuò bá táo) | 424-452 | Shiguang (始光 shǐ guāng) 424-428
Shenjia (神(鹿 over 加) shén jiā) 428-431
Yanhe (延' yán hé) 432-434
Taiyan (太延 tài yán) 435-440
Taipingzhenjun (太平真君 tài píng zh"n jūn) 440-451
Zhengping (正平 zhèng píng) 451-452 |
| Nan An Wang (南安王 nán ān wáng) | Tuoba Yu (""余 tuò bá yú) | 452 | Chengping (承平 chéng píng) 452
|
| Wen Cheng Di (文成帝 wén chéng dì) | Tuoba Jun (""濬 tuò bá jùn) | 452-465 | Xingan (興安 xīng ān) 452-454
Xingguang (興光 xīng guāng) 454-455
Tai'an (太安 tài ān) 455-459
Heping ('平 hé píng) 460-465 |
| Xian Wen Di (獻文帝 xiàn wén dì) | Tuoba Hong (""弘 tuò bá hóng) | 466-471 | Tian'an (天安 tiān ān) 466-467
Huangxing (皇興 huáng xīng) 467-471 |
| Xiao Wen Di (孝文帝 xiào wén dì) | Yuan Hong (元宏 yuán hóng) | 471-499 | Yanxing (延興 yán xīng) 471-476
Chengming (承明 chéng míng) 476
Taihe (太' tìi hé) 477-499 |
| Xuan Wu Di (宣武帝 xuān w" dì) | Yuan Ke (元恪 yuán kè) | 500-515 | Jingming (景明 jǐng míng) 500-503
Zhengshi (正始 zhèng shǐ) 504-508
Yongping (永平 y'ng píng) 508-512
Yanchang (延昌 yán chāng) 512-515 |
| Xiao Ming Di (孝明帝 xiao4 ming2 di4) | Yuan Xu (元詡 yuan2 xu3) | 516-528 | Xiping (熙平 xi1 ping2) 516-518
Shengui (神龜 shen2 gui1) 518-520
Zhengguang (正光 zheng4 guang1) 520-525
Xiaochang (孝昌 xiao4 chang1) 525-527
Wutai (武泰 wu3 tai4) 528 |
| Xiao Zhuang Di (孝莊帝 xiao4 zhuang1 di4) | Yuan Zi You (元子" yuan2 zi5 you1) | 528-530 | Jianyi (建義 jian4 yi4) 528
Yongan (永安 yong3 an1) 528-530 |
Chang Guang Wang (長廣王 chang2 guang3 wang2)
or
Jing Di (敬帝 jing4 di4) | Yuan Ye (元曄 yuan2 ye4) | 530-531 | Jianming (建明 jian4 ming2) 530-531 |
| Jue Min Di (節"帝 jie2 min3 di4) | Yuan Gong (元恭 yuan2 gong1) | 531-532 | Putai (普泰 pu3 tai4) 531-532 |
| An Ding Wang (安定王 an1 ding4 wang2) | Yuan Lang (元朗 yuan2 lang3) | 531-532 | Zhongxing (中興 zhong1 xing1) 531-532 |
Xiao Wu Di (孝武帝 xiao1 wu3 di4) or
Chu Di (出帝 chu1 di4) | Yuan Xiu (元脩 yuan2 xiu1) | 532-535 | Taichang (太昌 tai4 chang1) 532
Yongxing (永興 yong3 xing1) 532
Yongxi (永熙 yong3 xi1) 532-535 |
*
Change of Xianbei names to Han names
