Dugu Xin
Dugu Xin (Dugu Ruyuan) | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 503 Luoyang, Northern Wei |
| Died | April 24, 557 (aged 53–54)[1] Chang'an, Northern Zhou |
| Cause of death | Forced suicide |
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Dugu Xin (獨孤信) (503[2] – 24 April 557[3]), Xianbei name Qimitou (期彌頭), known as Dugu Ruyuan (獨孤如願) before 540,[2] was a prominent military general and official during the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties period of imperial China. In 534, Dugu Xin followed Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei to the west to join the warlord Yuwen Tai, and in the ensuing years led Western Wei forces against their archnemesis, the Eastern Wei. Despite an early debacle (after which he fled to and stayed for 3 years in the southern Liang dynasty before returning to the northwest), he captured the former Northern Wei capital Luoyang from Eastern Wei in 537. He rose to high ranks under Yuwen Tai, and his eldest daughter married Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Yu. When the Northern Zhou dynasty replaced Western Wei, Dugu Xin was created Duke of Wei (衛國公), but was soon forced by the powerful regent Yuwen Hu to commit suicide for challenging him.
Dugu Xin was described as an extremely handsome man and was fond of wearing strange clothes. He is best remembered today due to his 3 daughters: it is because of their marriages that he was a father-in-law to 2 emperors from 2 Chinese dynasties (Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou and Emperor Wen of Sui), and maternal grandfather to 2 emperors from 2 dynasties (Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Gaozu of Tang), all after his death. In fact, every Chinese emperor for 3 centuries (from 604 to 907, with the exception of Wu Zetian and self-proclaimed rebels) was partially descended from him. During the Sui dynasty, Dugu Xin was honored as Duke Jing of Zhao (趙景公) by Emperor Wen of Sui (who married his seventh daughter Dugu Qieluo); in 583, the empress built a temple dedicated to his memory in the capital Daxingcheng.[4] (Remains of the temple were discovered in 1997 on the campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University.[5])
Notes and references
- ^ Volume 167 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Dugu died on the jiyou day of the 3rd month of the 1st year of the Yongding era of Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu's reign. This date corresponds to 24 Apr 557 on the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ a b Bei Shi, ch. 61.
- ^ Zizhi Tongjian, ch. 167.
- ^ Tang Liang Jing Cheng Fang Kao, ch. 3.
- ^ "【校史故事365】81 交大校址上出土的唐代文物". Xi'an Jiaotong University (in Chinese).
- Li Dashi; Li Yanshou (659). Bei Shi (北史) [History of the Northern Dynasties] (in Chinese).
- Sima Guang (1086). Zizhi Tongjian (資治通鑑) [Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government] (in Chinese).
- Xu Song (1848). Tang Liang Jing Cheng Fang Kao (唐兩京城坊考) [A Survey of the Two Tang Dynasty Capitals] (in Chinese).
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