Princess Yicheng was a Chinese princess of the

Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

and a khatun of the

Eastern Turkic Khaganate The Eastern Turkic Khaganate () was a Turkic khaganate formed as a result of the internecine wars in the beginning of the 7th century (AD 581–603) after the First Turkic Khaganate (founded in the 6th century in the Mongolian Plateau by ...

. She spent at least 30 years of her life among the Turks.

Family

She was an extended family member of

Sui Dynasty The Sui dynasty (, ) was a short-lived imperial dynasty of China that lasted from 581 to 618. The Sui unified the Northern and Southern dynasties, thus ending the long period of division following the fall of the Western Jin dynasty, and layi ...

. Her father was named Yang Xie (杨谐) and her brother was Yang Shanjing (杨善经).

Life as khatun

With Yami Qaghan

After death of Princess Anyi (安义公主) in 599, she was created a princess by Emperor Wen of Sui and wed to

Yami Qaghan 啓民可汗 , title=First Khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate , image= , caption= , reign=603–609 , coronation= , full name= , successor=Shibi Qaghan , spouse=Princess Anyi (安义公主) Princess Yicheng (義成公主) , issue= , royal hou ...

in ''

heqin ''Heqin'', also known as marriage alliance, refers to the historical practice of Chinese monarchs marrying princesses—usually members of minor branches of the ruling family—to rulers of neighboring states. It was often adopted as an appeaseme ...

''.

With Shibi Qaghan

She was inherited by his step-son

Shibi Qaghan Shibi Khagan (r. 609 or 611–619 AD) succeeded Yami Qaghan as the second khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Reign He succeeded Yami Qaghan in 609 or 611. From 613 to 615 he was actively supporting agrarian rebels inside China. Pei Ju had ...

in 609, in a levirate marriage. She had much influence on khagan, to the point of changing his orders. In the fall of 615, when Emperor Yang of Sui was visiting

Yanmen Commandery Yanmen Commandery was an administrative subdivision (''jùn'') of the state of Zhao Zhao may refer to: * Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname ** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions ** Chiu, fr ...

on the northern frontier, the khagan launched a surprise attack on the area, overrunning most of its Chinese settlements. Warned by the khagan's wife Princess Yicheng — a member of the imperial family who had been well treated by Empress Xiao during an earlier visit — the emperor, empress, and their entourage escaped to the commandery seat at present-day

Daixian Dai County, also known by its Chinese name Daixian, is a county in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, China. Its county seat at Shangguan is also known as Daixian. The county has an area of and had a population of 178,870 at the time of the 2020 c ...

. The Turks besieged them there on September 11. Resources in seat was small. Emperor was reported to cry out of fear seeing Yuwen suggested Emperor Yang select a few thousand elite cavalry soldiers to attempt a break out, but Su Wei and Fan Zigai (樊子蓋) persuaded Emperor Yang not to attempt this. Emperor Yang put Xiao Yu and Pei Ju in charge of planning the military counteroffensive, but was only able to get the siege lifted after he followed the advice of the empress's brother

Xiao Yu Xiao Yu (575 – 19 July 648), courtesy name Shiwen, posthumously known as Duke Zhenbian of Song, was an imperial prince of the Western Liang dynasty who later became an official under the Sui and Tang dynasties. He served as a chancellor dur ...

and sent messengers to Princess Yicheng, who was directing military affairs at the Turkic capital in her husband's absence. She falsely informed Shibi Khagan that the Turks were under attack from the north, and so the khagan lifted the siege.

With Chuluo Qaghan

She was inherited by Chuluo Qaghan in 619, another step-son from her first marriage. Yicheng greeted Empress Xiao and

Yang Zhengdao Yang Zhengdao (, 618 – early 650s) or Yang Min () was a Chinese figurehead installed by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate during the bloody Sui–Tang transition. He was a grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui, and "ruled" as King of Sui () in an area arou ...

, a posthumous son of Yang Jian who was created as puppet King of Sui (隋國王) by Chuluo. This marriage was brief. After Chuluo's death in June, she refused to marry Ashina Momo (阿史那摸末, 607 - 649 was titled Yushe shad (郁射設) and eventually married to someone of Imperial Li (李) clan), claiming he was weak. Instead, married to Ashina Duobi, who was created Illig Qaghan.

With Illig Qaghan

After refusing Yushe Shad, she finally wed to

Illig Qaghan Illig Qaghan (Old Turkic: ; ), born Ashina Duobi (), posthumous name Prince Huang of Guiyi (歸義荒王), was the last qaghan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Background He was a son of Yami Qaghan and his Tuyuhun wife Poshi (婆施). He was ...

in 620, yet another step-son. She was killed in confusion when Tang general Li Jing attacked the khagan's encampment with

Li Shiji Li Shiji (594?The ''Old Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 75 at the time of his death, while the ''New Book of Tang'' indicated that Li Shiji was 85 at the time of his death. Compare ''Old Book of Tang'', vol. 67 with ''New Book of Tang ...

in 630,

Battle of Yinshan The Battle of Yinshan (Chinese: 陰山之戰; pinyin: ''Yīnshān zhī zhàn'') was fought in 630 CE near the Yin mountain range close to the city of Dingxiang (定襄, in modern Hohhot, Inner Mongolia). Emperor Taizong (598-649) commissioned ...

In Popular Media

She was portrayed by Li Xia (李霞) in the 1993 Taiwanese

costume drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swa ...

"Tang Taizong - Li Shimin" (唐太宗李世民). Princess Yicheng is a character in

Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh Bakhtiyar Mahmud oghlu Vahabzadeh (; August 16, 1925 – February 13, 2009) was an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani poet, dramatist, lyricist and translator as well as a college professor and politician. He is often regarded as one of the greatest ...

's "Göytürklər" (Gokturks) play. In the Chinese drama, The Long Ballad (长歌行), she is an antagonist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yicheng, Princess Chinese princesses Sui dynasty Transition from Sui to Tang Göktürks Year of birth unknown 630 deaths