Northern Wei Buddha Maitreya,
443 AD.
The Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏 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.
Unusual features of the early Northern Wei state
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.
Sovereigns of the Northern Wei Dynasty
| Posthumous Names ( Shi Hao 諡號) |
Born Names |
Period of Reigns |
Era Names (Nian Hao 年號) and their according range of years |
| Northern dynasty |
| 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 (道武帝 daò wǔ dì) |
Tuoba Gui (拓拔珪 tuò bá guī) |
386-409 |
Dengguo (登國 dēng 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 (拓拔嗣 tuò bá sì) |
409-423 |
Yongxing (永興 yǒng xīng) 409-413
Shenrui (神瑞 shén ruì) 414-416
Taichang (泰常 tài cháng) 416-423 |
| Tai Wu Di (太武帝 tai4 wu3 di4) |
Tuoba Tao (拓拔燾 tou4 ba2 tao2) |
424-452 |
Shiguang (始光 shi3 guang1) 424-428
Shenjia (神(鹿下加) shen2 jia1) 428-431
Yanhe (延和 yan2 he2) 432-434
Taiyan (太延 tai4 yan2) 435-440
Taipingzhenjun (太平真君 tai4 ping2 zhen1 jun1) 440-451
Zhengping (正平 zheng4 ping2) 451-452 |
| Nan An Wang (南安王 nan2 an1 wang2) |
Tuoba Yu (拓拔余 tou4 ba2 yu2) |
452 |
Yongping (永平 yong3 ping2) or Chengping (承平 cheng2 ping2) 452
|
| Wen Cheng Di (文成帝 wen2 cheng2 di4) |
Tuoba Jun (拓拔濬 tou4 ba2 jun4) |
452-465 |
Xingan (興安 xing1 an1) 452-454
Xingguang (興光 xing1 guang1) 454-455
Taian (太安 tai4 an1) 455-459
Heping (和平 he2 ping2) 460-465 |
| Xian Wen Di (獻文帝 xian4 wen2 di4) |
Tuoba Hong (拓拔弘 tou4 ba2 hong2) |
466-471 |
Tianan (天安 tian1 an1) 466-467
Huangxing (皇興 huang2 xing1) 467-471 |
| Xiao Wen Di (孝文帝 xiao4 wen2 di4) |
Yuan Hong (元宏 yuan2 hong2) |
471-499 |
Yanxing (延興 yan2 xing1) 471-476
Chengming (承明 cheng2 ming2) 476
Taihe (太和 tai4 he2) 477-499 |
| Xuan Wu Di (宣武帝 xuan1 wu3 di4) |
Yuan Ke (元恪 yuan2 ke4) |
500-515 |
Jingming (景明 jing3 ming2) 500-503
Zhengshi (正始 zheng4 shi3) 504-508
Yongping (永平 yong3 ping2) 508-512
Yanchang (延昌 yan2 chang1) 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 (元子攸 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 (節閔帝 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)
or
Chu Di (出帝 chu1 di4) |
Yuan Lang (元朗 yuan2 lang3) |
531-532 |
Zhongxing (中興 zhong1 xing1) 531-532 |
| Xiao Wu Di (孝武帝 xiao1 wu3 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 |
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Wei_Dynasty under GFDL
