Dynasties of ChinaNorthern and Southern DynastiesNorthern Wei Dynasty
Tianan · Huangxing · Reign 465—471
When he was young, he took advantage of the civil strife in Liu Song Dynasty to seize Qing Qi in Huaibei. He was at odds with Fengtaihou. He abdication at the age of eighteen and collapsed at the age of twenty-three.
Tuoba Hong is the eldest son of Emperor Wencheng, and his biological mother Li Guiren ordered him to die when he was made Crown Prince. He came to the throne in 465, when he was only twelve years old. The powerful minister Yi Hun had the power to kill Yi Hun. The following year, Fengtaihou killed Yi Hun and governed as regent. In 467, the prince Tuoba Hong was born, and Fengtaihou returned to Emperor Xianwen. He was diligent in political affairs and took advantage of the civil strife in the Liu Song Dynasty to accept Xue Andou and other surrendered generals, seize the lands of Huaibei and Qingqi, and personally conquer Rouran.
The conflict between Emperor Xianwen and Fengtaihou deepened, and in 470 AD Fengtaihou's favored minister Li Yi was executed. In 471, he wanted to pass the throne to his uncle Tuoba Zitui, but was opposed by the officials, so he passed the throne to the five-year-old Crown Prince Tuoba Hong, who claimed to be the Retired Emperor and was still in charge of military and state affairs. He died suddenly in 476 at the age of twenty-three. "Book of Wei" said that "the Queen Mother of Shi Yan was responsible for him."
PoliticsFengtaihou punishes Yi Hun
Yi Hun appointed himself prime minister, specialized in government affairs, and killed Lu Li and other ministers. Fengtaihou made a secret plan to kill Yi Hun, and then governed as regent and began her first reign.
MilitaryAccept Xue Andou
When the Yijia Disaster broke out in the Liu Song Dynasty, Xuzhou Governor Xue Andou and others sent Pengcheng and other places to surrender to Wei. Emperor Xianwen sent Wei Yuan and others south to assist, and the Northern Wei Dynasty thus obtained the land of Huaibei.
PoliticsFengtaihou returned to power
In August, the prince Tuoba Hong was born. Fengtaihou personally raised him and stopped attending the court. The fourteen-year-old Emperor Xianwen began to rule personally.
CultureBuild Yongning Temple
Yongning Temple was built in Pingcheng. The seven-level pagoda in the temple is more than 300 feet high, known as the highest in the world. He also cast a standing statue of Sakyamuni in Tiangong Temple, 43 feet high, with 100,000 catties of red gold and 600 catties of gold.
MilitaryPut down Qingqi
General Murong Baiyao captured Dongyang, the Liu Song seat of Qingzhou, and captured Shen Wenxiu, the governor of Qingzhou. The lands of Qing and Qi were all returned to the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Northern Wei Dynasty moved local scholars and people to the vicinity of Pingcheng and established Pingqi County for resettlement.
MilitaryWomen's Water Victory
Rouran invaded the border, Emperor Xianwen personally led the generals to march north, and defeated Rouran on the shore of Nvshui, beheading 50,000 people and surrendering more than 10,000 people.
PoliticsKill Li Yi
Li Fu, the Minister of the South, was accused of accepting bribes and other crimes, and Li Fu and his younger brother Li Yi were executed together. Li Yi was Fengtaihou's favorite, and this incident made the rift between mother and son public.
PoliticsabdicationCrown Prince
In August, he wanted to pass the throne to his uncle King Jingzhao, Tuoba Zitui, but due to the dissent of the ministers, he changed the throne to Crown Prince Tuoba Hong. He called himself the Retired Emperor and moved to Chongguang Palace, where he still took charge of the military affairs.
PoliticsCollapse
He died suddenly in June, at the age of twenty-three, and the "Book of Wei" said that "the Empress Dowager Shi Yan died". Fengtaihou then governed as regent again as the empress dowager.
Queen Emperor Wencheng, Emperor Xianwen's aunt. In 466, he came to the court for the first time after killing Yi Hun. After returning to power, the conflict with Emperor Xianwen deepened, and Emperor Xianwen came back to power after his death.
Emperor Wencheng, a powerful minister of Xianbei, took over the government as a chariot-riding general after his death, killed ministers without permission, and appointed himself prime minister. He was executed by Fengtaihou in 466.
A descendant of the former Yan royal family, he led an army to capture the land of Liu Song and Qing Qi, and was granted the title of King of Jinan for his merits. In 470, he was accused of being an accomplice of Yi Hun and was unjustly killed.
A native of Fenyin in Hedong Province, he was originally the governor of Xuzhou in the Liu Song Dynasty. He supported Liu Zixun during the Yijia Disaster. After the defeat, he surrendered Pengcheng to the Wei Dynasty, allowing the Northern Wei Dynasty to seize the important territory of Huaibei without bloodshed.