Yang Jian (Sui prince)
Encyclopedia
|This article is about the son of Emperor Yang of Sui
(Yang Guang). For his grandfather, the founding emperor of Sui Dynasty
, see Emperor Wen of Sui
.}}
Yang Jian (楊暕) (585–618), courtesy name Shiku (世胐), nickname Ahai (阿孩), was an imperial prince of the Chinese
dynasty Sui Dynasty
. During the reign of his father Emperor Yang
, he carried the title of Prince of Qi. When his father was killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
in 618, Yang Jian and his sons were also killed.
. He was the second son of Emperor Wen's son Yang Guang
the Prince of Jin and Yang Guang's wife Princess Xiao
. Yang Jian was considered handsome in his childhood, and Emperor Wen loved him. In 593, Emperor Wen created him the Prince of Yuzhang. As he grew in age, he studied the Confucian classics
and histories. In 599, Emperor Wen made him the head of the legislative bureau (Neishi Sheng, 內史省), one of the five main bureaus of government.
In600, due to Yang Guang's machinations, Emperor Wen deposed Yang Jian's uncle Yang Yong
the Crown Prince
, and created Yang Guang crown prince instead. In 601, Yang Jian was made the commandant at Yang Province (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou
, Jiangsu
), to replace his father Yang Guang.
the Crown Prince died, and while under traditional Confucian principles of succession, one of Yang Zhao's sons should be created crown prince, but Emperor Yang did not do so, creating Yang Zhao's sons only imperial princes, and it was commonly believed that Yang Jian would become crown prince. As a result, Yang Jian became particularly honored by others, and when Emperor Yang sought people to serve on Yang Jian's staff, young nobles were anxious to be included, and Yang Zhao's guards were transferred to Yang Jian. He was made the mayor of the eastern capital Luoyang
as well.
As a result, Yang Jian became arrogant, and he and his staff member often carried out illegal deeds, and he particularly liked to seize commoner women to make them his concubines. In one instance, his aunt Yang Lihua
the Princess Leping initially offered a beautiful woman from the Liu (柳) clan to Emperor Yang, but Emperor Yang did not act quickly, and the princess offered Lady Liu to Yang Jian instead. When Emperor Yang subsequently wanted Lady Liu, he found out that Yang Jian already took her, a fact that irritated him. The relationship between father and son further deteriorated when, on a visit to Yulin
, they hunted together—as Emperor Yang's guards were able to kill few animals, they blamed Yang Jian's guards for taking all of the animals, which made Emperor Yang further irritated at Yang Jian. Emperor Yang began to investigate Yang Jian's faults.
Soon, one incident gave Emperor Yang the excuse to investigate further—as one of Yang Jian's favorite officials, Huangfu Xu (皇甫詡) the county magistrate of Yijue County (伊闕, a suburb of Luoyang), was taken by Yang Jian to Fenyang Palace (汾陽宮, in modern Linfen
, Shanxi
) in contravention of regulations that county magistrates were not allowed to leave their counties without good cause. The official Wei Deyu (韋德裕), in order to please Emperor Yang, filed an indictment against Yang Jian. Emperor Yang sent his guards to Yang Jian's palace and searched it, seeking evidence of further wrongdoing, and they found a major scandal. Yang Jian's wife Princess Wei had died sometime ago, and Yang Jian then carried out an affair with her sister who had already married a man from the Yuan clan. Believing in a fortuneteller who told him that Princess Wei's sister would one day be empress and believing Yang Zhao's three sons to be in the way, Yang Jian engaged witches to curse them. In anger, Emperor Yang executed some of Yang Jian's close associates and ordered Princess Wei's sister to commit suicide. Emperor Yang commented, "I only have Yang Jian as a son; otherwise, I would have dragged him to the execution field and had him beheaded, to show the power of laws."
Yang Jian was not removed from his post, but thereafter exerted little influence. Emperor Yang sent a guard commander to watch over Yang Jian, with orders to report any wrongdoing immediately. He also gave Yang Jian a small number of guards, and those who were assigned to Yang Jian were all weak or old. There were few references to Yang Jian in history for the rest of Emperor Yang's reign. One such reference was in spring 610, when a number of people claiming to be incarnations of the Maitreya Buddha entered into Luoyang and seized weapons, intending to attack the palace, but before they could do so, Yang Jian encountered them. Yang Jian seized them and executed all of them.
In 618, with most of Sui territory engulfed in agrarian rebellions, Emperor Yang was at Jiangdu (江都, the capital of Yang Province), and Yang Jian was with him. A coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
killed Emperor Yang. The troops involved in the coup then went to arrest Yang Jian. Yang Jian, believing the troops to be sent by Emperor Yang, pleaded, "Honorable imperial messenger, please do not carry out the edict yet. I will surely not rebel against the state." The troops did not respond, and they dragged Yang Jian and his two sons out to the streets and beheaded them.
One of Yang Jian's concubines was pregnant at the time of his death. Later, she accompanied Yang Jian's mother Empress Xiao to Tujue to join Princess Yicheng, a Sui princess who had married Tujue's Shibi Khan
Ashina Duojishi. Yang Jian's concubine had earlier given birth to a posthumous son, Yang Zhengdao (楊政道), and Yang Zhengdao was created the Prince of Sui by Ashina Duojishi's brother and successor the Chuluo Khan
Ashina Qilifu. Yang Zhengdao later returned to China during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang
and was created a duke.
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
(Yang Guang). For his grandfather, the founding emperor of Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
, see Emperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
.}}
Yang Jian (楊暕) (585–618), courtesy name Shiku (世胐), nickname Ahai (阿孩), was an imperial prince of the Chinese
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
dynasty Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
. During the reign of his father Emperor Yang
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
, he carried the title of Prince of Qi. When his father was killed in a coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against Emperor Yang of Sui, killing him. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao led Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army north, but was then repeatedly defeated by Li Mi, Li Shentong , and...
in 618, Yang Jian and his sons were also killed.
During Emperor Wen's reign
Yan Jian was born in 585, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor WenEmperor Wen of Sui
Emperor Wen of Sui — personal name Yang Jian , Xianbei name Puliuru Jian , nickname Naluoyan — was the founder and first emperor of China's Sui Dynasty . He was a hard-working administrator and a micromanager. As a Buddhist, he encouraged the spread of Buddhism through the state...
. He was the second son of Emperor Wen's son Yang Guang
Emperor Yang of Sui
Emperor Yang of Sui , personal name Yang Guang , alternative name Ying , nickname Amo , known as Emperor Ming during the brief reign of his grandson Yang Tong), was the second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, and the second emperor of China's Sui Dynasty.Emperor Yang's original name was Yang Ying, but...
the Prince of Jin and Yang Guang's wife Princess Xiao
Empress Xiao (Yang)
Empress Xiao , formally Empress Min , was an empress of the Chinese Sui Dynasty...
. Yang Jian was considered handsome in his childhood, and Emperor Wen loved him. In 593, Emperor Wen created him the Prince of Yuzhang. As he grew in age, he studied the Confucian classics
Chinese classic texts
Chinese classic texts, or Chinese canonical texts, today often refer to the pre-Qin Chinese texts, especially the Neo-Confucian titles of Four Books and Five Classics , a selection of short books and chapters from the voluminous collection called the Thirteen Classics. All of these pre-Qin texts...
and histories. In 599, Emperor Wen made him the head of the legislative bureau (Neishi Sheng, 內史省), one of the five main bureaus of government.
In600, due to Yang Guang's machinations, Emperor Wen deposed Yang Jian's uncle Yang Yong
Yang Yong
Emperor Yang Yong , nickname Xiandifa , sometimes known by his posthumous title of Prince of Fangling , was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Emperor Wen and his wife Empress Dugu Qieluo...
the Crown Prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
, and created Yang Guang crown prince instead. In 601, Yang Jian was made the commandant at Yang Province (揚州, roughly modern Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
), to replace his father Yang Guang.
During Emperor Yang's reign
In 604, Emperor Wen died—a death that traditional historians, while admitting a lack of direct evidence, generally believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang. Yang Guang took the throne as Emperor Yang. In 606, Emperor Yang created Yang Jian the greater title of Prince of Qi. Soon thereafter, Yang Jian's older brother Yang ZhaoYang Zhao
Yang Zhao , formally Crown Prince Yuande , posthumously honored as Emperor Xiaocheng with the temple name Shizong during the brief reign of his son Yang Tong, was a crown prince of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty...
the Crown Prince died, and while under traditional Confucian principles of succession, one of Yang Zhao's sons should be created crown prince, but Emperor Yang did not do so, creating Yang Zhao's sons only imperial princes, and it was commonly believed that Yang Jian would become crown prince. As a result, Yang Jian became particularly honored by others, and when Emperor Yang sought people to serve on Yang Jian's staff, young nobles were anxious to be included, and Yang Zhao's guards were transferred to Yang Jian. He was made the mayor of the eastern capital Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
as well.
As a result, Yang Jian became arrogant, and he and his staff member often carried out illegal deeds, and he particularly liked to seize commoner women to make them his concubines. In one instance, his aunt Yang Lihua
Empress Yang Lihua
Empress Yang Lihua was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and later a princess of Sui Dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou , and her father was Emperor Wen of Sui ....
the Princess Leping initially offered a beautiful woman from the Liu (柳) clan to Emperor Yang, but Emperor Yang did not act quickly, and the princess offered Lady Liu to Yang Jian instead. When Emperor Yang subsequently wanted Lady Liu, he found out that Yang Jian already took her, a fact that irritated him. The relationship between father and son further deteriorated when, on a visit to Yulin
Yulin, Shaanxi
Yulin is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanxi province of the People's Republic of China. It has an area of 43,578 km² and a population of 3,380,000.-Geography and climate:...
, they hunted together—as Emperor Yang's guards were able to kill few animals, they blamed Yang Jian's guards for taking all of the animals, which made Emperor Yang further irritated at Yang Jian. Emperor Yang began to investigate Yang Jian's faults.
Soon, one incident gave Emperor Yang the excuse to investigate further—as one of Yang Jian's favorite officials, Huangfu Xu (皇甫詡) the county magistrate of Yijue County (伊闕, a suburb of Luoyang), was taken by Yang Jian to Fenyang Palace (汾陽宮, in modern Linfen
Linfen
-Administrative divisions:The prefecture-level city of Linfen is divided in one district, two cities and fourteen counties. The information here presented uses the metric system and data from 2010 Census.-Pollution:...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
) in contravention of regulations that county magistrates were not allowed to leave their counties without good cause. The official Wei Deyu (韋德裕), in order to please Emperor Yang, filed an indictment against Yang Jian. Emperor Yang sent his guards to Yang Jian's palace and searched it, seeking evidence of further wrongdoing, and they found a major scandal. Yang Jian's wife Princess Wei had died sometime ago, and Yang Jian then carried out an affair with her sister who had already married a man from the Yuan clan. Believing in a fortuneteller who told him that Princess Wei's sister would one day be empress and believing Yang Zhao's three sons to be in the way, Yang Jian engaged witches to curse them. In anger, Emperor Yang executed some of Yang Jian's close associates and ordered Princess Wei's sister to commit suicide. Emperor Yang commented, "I only have Yang Jian as a son; otherwise, I would have dragged him to the execution field and had him beheaded, to show the power of laws."
Yang Jian was not removed from his post, but thereafter exerted little influence. Emperor Yang sent a guard commander to watch over Yang Jian, with orders to report any wrongdoing immediately. He also gave Yang Jian a small number of guards, and those who were assigned to Yang Jian were all weak or old. There were few references to Yang Jian in history for the rest of Emperor Yang's reign. One such reference was in spring 610, when a number of people claiming to be incarnations of the Maitreya Buddha entered into Luoyang and seized weapons, intending to attack the palace, but before they could do so, Yang Jian encountered them. Yang Jian seized them and executed all of them.
In 618, with most of Sui territory engulfed in agrarian rebellions, Emperor Yang was at Jiangdu (江都, the capital of Yang Province), and Yang Jian was with him. A coup led by the general Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji
Yuwen Huaji was a general of the Chinese dynasty Sui Dynasty who, in 618, led a coup against Emperor Yang of Sui, killing him. He subsequently declared Emperor Yang's nephew Yang Hao led Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army north, but was then repeatedly defeated by Li Mi, Li Shentong , and...
killed Emperor Yang. The troops involved in the coup then went to arrest Yang Jian. Yang Jian, believing the troops to be sent by Emperor Yang, pleaded, "Honorable imperial messenger, please do not carry out the edict yet. I will surely not rebel against the state." The troops did not respond, and they dragged Yang Jian and his two sons out to the streets and beheaded them.
One of Yang Jian's concubines was pregnant at the time of his death. Later, she accompanied Yang Jian's mother Empress Xiao to Tujue to join Princess Yicheng, a Sui princess who had married Tujue's Shibi Khan
Shibi Khan
Shibi Khagan , 611 - 619 AD, succeeded Qimin Khan as the ninth khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate...
Ashina Duojishi. Yang Jian's concubine had earlier given birth to a posthumous son, Yang Zhengdao (楊政道), and Yang Zhengdao was created the Prince of Sui by Ashina Duojishi's brother and successor the Chuluo Khan
Chuluo Khan
Chulo Khagan was the khagan of the Eastern Turkic Khaganate, and second son of Qimin, former title: Ilteber Shad . He succeeded his elder brother Shibi and ruled for 18 months...
Ashina Qilifu. Yang Zhengdao later returned to China during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang
Emperor Taizong of Tang , personal name Lǐ Shìmín , was the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649...
and was created a duke.