Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

Gaozu 高祖

Attested AD 549 - AD 557

Passages: 19
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify Gaozu as a ruler. This record brings together 19 passages from 1 chapter across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	Gaozu	高祖	Gaozu
Temple	Gaozu	高祖	Gaozu
Epithet	Sage Martial	聖武
Title	the Founder

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Named
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0005

Roles

Ruler

Life and dates

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 梁太清末 · Western Year: AD 549
Explicit event contextual date · chenshu:014:s0006
Source Date: Text: 紹泰二年 · Western Year: AD 556
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0065
Source Date: Text: 高祖即位 · Western Year: AD 557
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0014
Source Date: Text: 高祖踐祚 · Western Year: AD 557
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0075

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Spouse of Empress Xuan (宣后)
Kinship Term: Empress Xuan / 宣后 · Union Category: primary-marriage · Relationship State: active
Child of Mother of Gaozu
Kinship Term: mother / 母 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: mother · Line: maternal
Parent of Chen Chang (陳昌)
Kinship Term: sixth son / 第六子 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: son · Object Role: father · Subject Birth Order: 6 · Line: paternal
Sibling of Chen Xiuxian (休先)
Kinship Term: uterine younger brother / 母弟 · Shared Parentage: full · Subject Relative Age: younger · Subject Role: younger-brother · Object Role: elder-brother

Works and attributed material

Kind: speech · Role: speaker · Other Person Id: Chen Xiuxian (休先)
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0054

Events and relationships

Kind: military · Role: commander · Action: defeated Qi forces · Other Person Id: Xiao Gui (蕭軌)
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0071
Kind: execution · Role: authority · Other Person Id: Xiao Gui (蕭軌)
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0073

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Chen, Chapter 14Volume 14: Chen Chang; Chen Tanlang · 19 passages

衡陽獻王昌字敬業，高祖第六子也。 Chen Chang, Prince Xian of Hengyang, styled Jingye, was the Founder's sixth son.

梁太清末，高祖南征李賁，命昌與宣后隨沈恪還吳興。 In the last years of Liang's Taiqing era, Gaozu marched south against Li Ben and sent Chang and Empress Xuan back to Wuxing with Shen Ke.

及高祖東討侯景，昌與宣后、世祖並為景所囚。 When the Founder turned east against Hou Jing, Chang, Lady Xuan, and Emperor Wen were all taken prisoner by Jing.

高祖遣陳郡謝哲、濟陽蔡景歷輔昌為郡，又遣吳郡杜之偉授昌以經書。 The Founder sent Xie Zhe of Chen and Cai Jingli of Jiyang to help him govern the commandery, and Du Zhiwei of Wu to teach him the classics.

荊州陷，又與高宗俱遷關右，西魏以高祖故，甚禮之。 When Jingzhou fell he was moved with Emperor Xuan to the northwest; Western Wei honored him greatly for the Founder's sake.

高祖即位，頻遣使請高宗及昌，周人許之而未遣，及高祖崩，乃遣之。 After Gaozu took the throne he repeatedly sent envoys asking Zhou to return Gaozong and Chang. Zhou agreed but held them back, sending them only after Gaozu died.

及聖武升遐，王師遠次，皇嗣敻隔，繼業靡歸，宗祧危殆，綴旒非喻。 When the sage martial emperor passed away, the royal army was far away; the heir was cut off and the succession unsettled; the ancestral temple trembled and the throne seemed all but lost.

南康愍王曇朗，高祖母弟忠壯王休先之子也。 Chen Tanlang, Prince Min of Nankang, was the son of Prince Zhongzhuang Xiuxian, the Founder's younger brother by the same mother.

高祖之有天下也，每稱休先曰：「此弟若存，河洛不足定也。」 Once the Founder held the realm, he often said of Xiuxian: "If this brother had lived, the Yellow and Luo would not have been hard to recover."

高祖受禪，追贈侍中、車騎大將軍、司徒，封南康郡王，邑二千戶，諡曰忠壯。 When the Founder took the throne, he was posthumously made palace attendant, grand general of chariots and cavalry, and grand tutor, enfeoffed as Prince of Nankang with two thousand households, and given the posthumous name Zhongzhuang.

曇朗少孤，尤為高祖所愛，寵踰諸子。 Tanlang was orphaned young, and Gaozu loved him especially, favoring him even more than his own sons.

高祖北濟江，圍廣陵，宿預人東方光據鄉建義，乃遣曇朗與杜僧明自淮入泗應赴之。 When Gaozu crossed north of the Yangzi and besieged Guangling, Dongfang Guang of Suyu raised a loyal force in his home district. Gaozu sent Tanlang and Du Sengming from the Huai into the Si River region to support him.

高祖誅王僧辯，留曇朗鎮京口，知留府事。 After Gaozu killed Wang Sengbian, he left Tanlang at Jingkou to command the garrison and manage the rear headquarters.

二年，徐嗣徽、任約引齊寇攻逼京邑，尋而請和，求高祖子姪為質。 In year two, Xu Siwei and Ren Yue brought Qi armies against the capital; they then sought peace and demanded the Founder's sons and nephews as hostages.

時四方州郡並多未賓，京都虛弱，糧運不斷，在朝文武咸願與齊和親，高祖難之，而重違眾議，乃言於朝曰：「孤謬輔王室，而使蠻夷猾夏，不能戡殄，何所逃責。 Many provinces had not yet submitted, the capital was weak, and grain transport remained open; court officials all favored peace with Qi, and the Founder was torn—but he could not easily defy them. He told the assembly: "I have poorly served the dynasty and let barbarians ravage the realm without destroying them—how can I escape blame?

高祖慮曇朗憚行，或奔竄東道，乃自率步騎往京口迎之，以曇朗還京師，仍使為質於齊。 The Founder feared Tanlang would refuse or flee east; he went in person with troops to Jingkou to fetch him, brought him back to the capital, and then sent him to Qi as a hostage.

齊果背約，復遣蕭軌等隨嗣徽渡江，高祖與戰，大破之，虜蕭軌、東方老等。 Qi broke the treaty and sent Xiao Gui and others with Siwei across the Yangzi; the Founder defeated them heavily and took Xiao Gui, Dongfang Lao, and others prisoner.

齊人請割地并入馬牛以贖之，高祖不許。 Qi offered to cede land and send horses and cattle as ransom; the Founder refused.

高祖踐祚，猶以曇朗襲封南康郡王，奉忠壯王祀，禮秩一同皇子。 When the Founder became emperor, he still had Tanlang recorded as Prince of Nankang to maintain Prince Zhongzhuang's sacrifices, with honors equal to an imperial prince.