Emperor Fei of Chen (陳廢帝) (died 570), personal name Chen Bozong (陳伯宗),
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theob ...
Fengye (奉業), childhood name Yaowang (藥王), also known by his post-deposition title of Prince of Linhai (臨海王), was an
emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
of the Chinese
Chen dynasty. He was the son and heir of
Emperor Wen, but after he came to the throne in 566, the imperial administration fell into infighting almost immediately. The victor, Emperor Fei's uncle
Chen Xu (Emperor Xuan), deposed Emperor Fei in winter 568 and took the throne himself.
Background
Traditionally histories indicate that Chen Bozong was born in 554, but he could have been born in 552 or another year. At the time of his birth, his father
Chen Qian was serving as a general under
Chen Baxian, Chen Bozong's granduncle, who was one of the more prominent generals of
Liang Dynasty
The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was preceded by the South ...
at that time. His mother was Chen Qian's wife
Shen Miaorong. He was their first son. (Lady Shen would bear one more son, Chen Bomao (), after him.)
In 555, Chen Baxian became even more prominent after overthrowing his commanding general
Wang Sengbian
Wang Sengbian (王僧辯) (5th century-555), courtesy name Juncai (君才), was a general of the Chinese dynasty Liang Dynasty. He came to prominence as the leading general under Emperor Yuan (Xiao Yi)'s campaigns against the rebel general Hou ...
and replacing the emperor
Xiao Yuanming
Xiao Yuanming (蕭淵明) (died 556), courtesy name Jingtong (靖通), often known by his pre-ascension title of Marquess of Zhenyang (貞陽侯), at times known by his post-removal title Duke of Jian'an (建安公), honored Emperor Min (閔皇帝) ...
with
Emperor Jing. During the next few years, Chen Baxian consolidated power, and in 557, he had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him, establishing
Chen Dynasty as its Emperor Wu. Chen Qian, as the emperor's nephew and the only close male relative of the new emperor in Chen territory, was created the Prince of Linchuan. In 558, Chen Bozong received the title of
Heir Apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
of Linchuan.
In 559, Emperor Wu died after a sudden illness. As Chen Qian was his only close male relative in Chen territory, the imperial officials supported Chen Qian to succeed him, and Chen Qian did so (as Emperor Wen). He created Chen Bozong
crown prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wi ...
and created Chen Bozong's mother Princess Shen
empress.
In 562, Emperor Wen selected the
daughter
A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between group ...
of the official Wang Gu () to be Chen Bozong's wife. She thereafter carried the title of Crown Princess. She bore him a son, Chen Zhize (), in 566.
In his youth, Crown Prince Bozong was considered to be weak in his personality. In 566, when Emperor Wen grew ill, he, worried that Crown Prince Bozong would not be able to keep his position as emperor, offered to pass the throne to his brother and Crown Prince Bozong's uncle
Chen Xu the Prince of Ancheng. Chen Xu declined, and the official Kong Huan () also opposed. Emperor Wen therefore did not make Chen Xu crown prince, but entrusted the important matters to Chen Xu, Kong, Dao Zhongju (), Yuan Shu (), and Liu Shizhi (). He soon died, and Crown Prince Bozong took the throne (as Emperor Fei).
Reign
Emperor Fei honored his grandaunt (Emperor Wu's wife)
Empress Dowager Zhang Yao'er grand empress dowager and his mother Empress Shen
empress dowager. He created his wife Crown Princess Wang empress. (Her son Chen Zhize was created crown prince in fall 567.)
As per the arrangement left by Emperor Wen, Emperor Fei's reign was characterized initially by a collective leadership of the key officials Emperor Wen left in place. However, by spring 567, the officials have largely coalesced into two factions—one led by Dao Zhongju and Liu Shizhi, and one faction led by Chen Xu. Dao, Liu, and Chen Xu took up residence in the palace and handled most of the sensitive matters. In spring 567, Liu tried to exclude Chen Xu by having the official Yin Buning () informing Chen Xu that he should leave the palace to attend to the affairs of the capital region Yang Province (), of which Chen Xu was also governor. When Chen Xu considered doing so, his associate Mao Xi () and the general
Wu Mingche Wu Mingche (吳明徹) (512–578), courtesy name Tongzhao (通昭), was a general of the Chinese Chen Dynasty. He first served under the dynasty's founder Emperor Wu but became the most prominent general of the state during the reign of Emperor ...
persuaded him that he needed to remain in the palace. Chen Xu therefore invited Liu to a meeting—and while the meeting was still going on, had Mao confirming with Empress Dowager Shen and Emperor Fei that it was not their order that he leave the palace. Once Mao confirmed so, Chen Xu arrested Liu and ordered him to commit suicide, while demoting Dao to a lesser position. From this point on, the administration was controlled by Chen Xu.
Fearful of what would come next, Dao and the general Han Zigao () considered actions against Chen Xu, but before they could take any actions against Chen Xu, their plot was reported to Chen Xu, and Chen Xu arrested them and then had Emperor Fei issue an edict ordering them to commit suicide. Emperor Fei's brother Chen Bomao the Prince of Shixing, whom Chen Xu believed to have participated in both Liu's and Dao and Han's plots, was stripped of his governmental posts and ordered to keep Emperor Fei company.
The deaths of Liu and Han, both of whom were close associates of Emperor Wen, brought fear into the heart of another associate of Emperor Wen—Hua Jiao () the governor of Xiang Province (湘州, modern central
Hunan
Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...
). In summer 567, Hua therefore submitted himself to
Northern Zhou
Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern dynasties of China's Northern and Southern dynasties period, it succeeded the Western Wei dynasty a ...
and Northern Zhou's vassal state,
Western Liang. Chen Xu sent Wu and Chunyu Liang () to lead a fleet against the joint forces of Hua, Northern Zhou, and Western Liang. The opposing sides met at Dunkou (沌口, in modern
Wuhan
Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city an ...
,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
). Wu and Chunyu were able to ram Hua's, Northern Zhou's, and Western Liang's fleets, causing them to collapse. Both Hua and the Northern Zhou general Yuwen Zhi () the Duke of Wei fled to Western Liang's capital Jiangling (江陵, in modern
Jingzhou
Jingzhou () is a prefecture-level city in southern Hubei province, China, located on the banks of the Yangtze River. Its total residential population was 5,231,180 based on the 2020 census, 1,068,291 of whom resided in the built-up (''or metro' ...
,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The ...
), while the Northern Zhou general Yuan Ding () were captured. Wu followed up by putting Jiangling under siege in spring 568, but was not able to capture it and subsequently forced to withdraw.
Meanwhile, Chen Xu was receiving greater formal titles and authorities. Chen Bomao, angry over the situation, was making repeated denigrations of Chen Xu, who then resolved to take the throne himself. In winter 568, Chen Xu had an edict issued in Grand Empress Dowager Zhang's name, falsely accusing Emperor Fei of having been part of the plots of Liu and Hua. The edict further stated that Emperor Wen had already known that Emperor Fei was unsuitable, and that Emperor Wen's stated desire to have Chen Xu take the throne should be carried out. Emperor Fei was deposed and demoted to the title of Prince of Linhai, while Chen Bomao was demoted to Marquess of Wenma and subsequently assassinated.
After reign
More than a month after Emperor Fei was deposed, Chen Xu took the throne (as Emperor Xuan). Little is known about the Prince of Linhai's activities during his uncle's reign. He died in spring 570, and his title was inherited by his son Chen Zhize.
Family
Consorts and Issue:
*
Princess consort
Princess consort is an official title or an informal designation that is normally accorded to the wife of a sovereign prince. The title may be used for the wife of a king if the more usual designation of queen consort is not used.
More informal ...
, of the Wang clan of Langya (), personal name Shaoji ()
** Chen Zhize, Prince Linhai (; b. 566), first son
Ancestry
References
* ''
Book of Chen
The ''Book of Chen'' or ''Chen Shu'' (''Chén Shū'') was the official history of the Chen dynasty, one of the Southern Dynasties of China. The ''Book of Chen'' is part of the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by ...
'',
vol. 4.
* ''
History of Southern Dynasties
The ''History of the Southern Dynasties'' () is one of the official Chinese historical works in the ''Twenty-Four Histories'' canon. It contain 80 volumes and covers the period from 420 to 589, the histories of Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang dy ...
'', vol.
* ''
Zizhi Tongjian
''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song (960–1127), Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959&n ...
'', vols.
167,
169,
170.
Chén Bózōng 陳伯宗, Emperor Fei of Chen, 108, 100, 67, 20, 4世
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fei of Chen
Chen dynasty emperors
554 births
570 deaths
People from Zhenjiang
6th-century Chinese monarchs