Yang Zhong Explained

Yang Zhong
Full Name:Family name

Yang (Chinese: , Yáng)
Given name: Zhong (Chinese: 忠|, Zhōng)

Succession:Duke of Sui
Reign:2 November 559[1] – 17 August 568
Predecessor:none (first holder)
Successor:Yang Jian
Temple Name:Taizu (太祖)
Posthumous Name:
  • Before 4 March 581:

Duke Huan of Sui (隨桓公)

  • After 4 March 581:

Emperor Wuyuan (武元皇帝)

Father:Yang Zhen (杨祯)
Mother:Lady Gai (盖氏)[2]
Birth Date:507
Birth Place:Wuchuan County, Shuozhou, Inner Mongolia
Spouse:Lü Kutao
Lady Li
Spouse-Type:Consorts
Issue:Yang Jian
Yang Zheng
Yang Zan 
Yang Shuang
Yang Song
Princess Cheng'an
Princess Changle
Princess Yang

Yang Zhong (楊忠, 507 – 17 August 568),[3] Xianbei name Puliuru Nunu (普六茹奴奴),[4] formally known as Duke of Sui (隨國公), was a soldier, later general of the Northern Wei dynasty. He is the father of Yang Jian, the founder of the Sui dynasty.

Life

Yang Zhong was Yang Zhen's son, titled General of Ningyuan County (寧遠將軍). He is described as a tall handsome man with a long beard.

In 534, Dugu Xin attacked Jingzhou (then part of Eastern Wei), and brought Yang Zhong along. After conquering Jingzhou (and killing Eastern Wei's Inspector of Jingzhou (荆州刺史) Xin Zhuan (辛纂)), Yang and Dugu Xin managed to hold it for about half a year, before fleeing to Liang after Eastern Wei counterattacked.[5] While Emperor Wu of Liang bestowed titles upon them, both men returned to Western Wei in 537.[6]

After the establishment of the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was appointed as a marshal and commanded more than ten generals including Yang Zuan (楊纂), Li Mu (李穆), Wang Jie (王傑), Tian Hong (田弘), and Murong Yan (慕容延). Later, together with the 100,000 troops of the Turkic Khanate, they attacked Jinyang, a city located in Northern Qi. In the Northern Zhou dynasty, Yang Zhong was named Duke of Chenliu (陳留郡公), later changed to Duke of Sui (隨國公).

After his son became emperor, he was honored with the title of Emperor Wuyuan (武元皇帝) and his legal wife and the biological mother of Yang Jian, Lady Lü was named Empress Yuanming (元明皇后呂氏).

Research

According to the Book of Zhou and Book of Sui (both compiled during the Tang dynasty), Yang Zhong was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong (弘農楊氏), but this statement is difficult to confirm.

Chen Yinke (陈寅恪), a Chinese historian, did not agree that Yang Jian's family was born in Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia.[7] According to him, Yang Zhong was from a Han Chinese family. Judging from the intermarriage practice of families at that time, Yang Zhong may have been born in the Yang clan of Shandong (山东杨氏).[8]

However, scholar Wang Tongling (王桐齡) deduced that Yang Jian's family might have Xianbei blood, or perhaps even purely Xianbei, leading to the belief that he was born in the Yang clan of Hongnong.[9]

Family

Consort and their respective issue(s):

Notes and References

  1. ([武成元年九月]辛未,...陈留公杨忠为随国公)
  2. 《周书·卷十九·列传第十一》:追封母盖氏为北海郡君。
  3. ren'yin day of the 7th month of the 3rd year of the Tian'he era, per Emperor Wu's biography in Book of Zhou. Yang Zhong's biography in the same work indicate that he was 62 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died.
  4. [History of the Northern Dynasties]
  5. Vol.05 of Bei Shi recorded that Jingzhou was conquered by Hou Jing on 6 March 535 ([大统元年春正月]甲子,...东魏将侯景攻陷荆州。). Dugu Xin's biography in Book of Zhou also mentioned that Gao Aocao was also in the Eastern Wei army attacking Jingzhou.
  6. (东魏荆州刺史辛纂据穰城,忠从独孤信讨之,纂战败退走。信令忠与都督康洛儿、元长生为前驱,驰至其城,叱门者曰:“今大军已至,城中有应,尔等求活,何不避走!”门者尽散。忠与洛儿、长生乘城而入,弯弓大呼,纂兵卫百馀人莫之敢御,斩纂以徇,城中慑服。居半岁,以东魏之逼,与信奔梁。梁武帝深奇之,以为文德主帅、关外侯。大统三年,与信俱归阙。) Book of Zhou, vol.19. Dugu Xin's biography in the same work indicated that they stayed at Liang for about three years (东魏又遣其将高敖曹、侯景等率众奄至。信以众寡不敌,遂率麾下奔梁。居三载,梁武帝方始许信还北。) Book of Zhou, vol.16.
  7. 万绳楠整理《陈寅恪魏晋南北朝史讲演录》:"〈杨忠传〉谓杨忠‘出武川,过故宅,祭先人’,是因为他的高祖杨元寿,魏初曾作武川镇司马,因家于神武树颓。吾人不能据此谓杨氏出于武川。"
  8. 万绳楠整理《陈寅恪魏晋南北朝史讲演录》第十七篇之六〈杨隋李唐非出自六镇〉,黄山书社,1987年4月第一版。
  9. 王桐齡〈楊隋李唐先世系統考〉,發表於《女師大學術季刊》,1932年。
  10. Book: 荣新江 . 唐研究.第二十三卷 . Peking University Press . 2017 . 9787301293737 . Chinese.
  11. [Book of Sui]
  12. [Book of Sui]
  13. He married Princess Shunyang (順陽公主), daughter of the regent Yuwen Tai.
  14. Book of Sui, Vol.44
  15. [History of the Northern Dynasties]