Five Dynasties · Ruler

Yelü Deguang 德光

Deguang

Attested AD 928 - AD 938

Passages: 12
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Yelü Deguang was a ruler.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 928 三年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 97
AD 938 天福三年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 115
AD 936 清泰三年
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passages 106, 108

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Mother of Deguang (德光之母)
son 子
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 107

Career and standing

honorific titles 徽號
AD 938 天福三年 · Received · With Jin Founder (晉高祖)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 115

Places and affiliations

Polity Id liao · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 97

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Yang Guangyuan (楊光遠) · Mode quotation Speaker Yelü Deguang (德光)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 110
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Mother of Deguang (德光之母) · Mode quotation Speaker Yelü Deguang (德光)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 107
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · Mode quotation Speaker Yelü Deguang (德光)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 109

Events and relationships

Chained
AD 936 清泰三年 · Legal · Captor · With Zhao Dejun (趙德鈞), Zhao Yanshou (趙延壽) · Summary Put Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou in fetters to follow his camp.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 113
Enthroned
AD 936 清泰三年 · Political · Kingmaker · With Jin Founder (晉高祖) · Summary Enthroned the Jin founder as Great Jin Emperor, pledged a father-son state, and received Youzhou circuit plus Xin, Wu, Yun, Ying, and Shuo and an annual silk tribute.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 108
Escorted
AD 936 清泰三年 · Diplomatic · Escort · With Jin Founder (晉高祖) · At Luzhou 潞州
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 112
Proclaimed era
AD 928 三年 · Political · Ruler · Summary Proclaimed the Tianxian era in year three.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 97
Proclaimed era
AD 938 會同元年 · Political · Ruler · Summary Changed Tianxian 11 to Huitong 1, made Zhao Yanshou Grand Councilor, elevated Youzhou to Southern Capital.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 117
Rebuked
Diplomatic · Overlord · With Jin Founder (晉高祖) · Summary If the slightest request went unmet he sent rebukes; the Jin founder always humbled himself.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 120

Show 4 more source-backed claims

Routed
AD 936 清泰三年 · Military · Commander · With Zhang Jingda (張敬達) · At Jinyang 晉陽 · Summary Led fifty thousand through Yanmen to Jinyang and routed Zhang Jingda the same day.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 108
Sent relief
AD 928 其年七月 · Military · Commander · At Dingzhou 定州 · Summary Sent the Tiyiin with seven thousand horsemen to relieve Dingzhou.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 99
Took
AD 928 三年 · Military · Commander · At Pingzhou 平州 · With Wang Du (王都) · Summary Took Pingzhou and sent Tunei to relieve Wang Du at Zhongshan.
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passage 98
Relation Sworn father of · Person Jin Founder (晉高祖)
Directly stated · Old History of the Five Dynasties 137, passages 108, 117

References in the histories

Search passages

History

12 passages

Old History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 137Volume 137: Foreign States Biographies 1: Khitan · 12 passages

三年，德光偽改為天顯元年。 In year three Deguang proclaimed the Tianxian era.

是歲，定州王都作亂，求援於契丹，德光陷平州，遣禿餒以騎五千援都於中山，招討使王晏球破之於曲陽，托諾走保賊城。 That year Wang Du of Dingzhou rebelled and called on the Khitan for help. Deguang took Pingzhou and sent Tunei with five thousand horsemen to relieve Du at Zhongshan. The pacification commissioner Wang Yanqiu defeated them at Quyang, and Tuonuo fled into the rebel city.

德光白其母曰：「兒昨夢太原石郎發使到國，今果至矣，事符天意，必須赴之。」 Deguang told his mother, "I dreamed last night that Lord Stone of Taiyuan was sending envoys to us. They have come. Heaven wills this. I must go."

德光乃自率五萬騎由雁門至晉陽，即日大破敬達之眾於城下，尋冊晉高祖為大晉皇帝，約為父子之國，割幽州管內及新、武、雲、應、朔州之地以賂之，仍每歲許輸帛三十萬。 Deguang led fifty thousand horsemen through Yanmen to Jinyang and the same day routed Zhang Jingda beneath the walls. He then enthroned the Jin founder as emperor of Great Jin, pledged a father-and-son alliance, ceded the Sixteen Prefectures including Youzhou, Xin, Wu, Yun, Ying, and Shuo, and promised three hundred thousand bolts of silk each year.

時幽州趙德鈞屯兵於團柏谷，遣使至幕帳，求立己為帝，以石氏世襲太原，德光對使指帳前一石曰：「我已許石郎為父子之盟，石爛可改矣。」 Zhao Dejun of Youzhou was encamped at Tuanbai Valley and sent envoys offering to make him emperor if the Shi family kept Taiyuan in perpetuity. Deguang pointed at a stone before his tent and said, "I have sworn a father-and-son bond with Lord Stone. Only when stone rots may that bond change."

楊光遠等殺張敬達降於契丹，德光戲謂光遠等曰：「爾輩大是惡漢兒，不用鹽酪，食卻一萬匹戰馬。」 Yang Guangyuan and others killed Zhang Jingda and surrendered. Deguang joked to them, "You wicked Han — you won't touch salt or dairy, yet you've devoured ten thousand of our war horses."

晉高祖南行，德光自送至潞州。 The Jin founder marched south, and Deguang escorted him as far as Luzhou.

時趙德鈞、趙延壽自潞州出降於契丹，德光鎖之，令隨牙帳。 Zhao Dejun and Zhao Yanshou surrendered at Luzhou. Deguang put them in chains and kept them with his camp.

天福三年，又遣宰臣馮道、左僕射劉句等持節冊德光及其母氏徽號，賫鹵簿、儀伏、法服、車輅於本國行禮。 In Tianfu 3 he sent Chancellor Feng Dao and Left Vice Director Liu Gou with credentials to invest Deguang and his mother with honorific titles, bearing full imperial regalia to conduct the ceremony in the Khitan homeland.

德光大悅，尋遣使奉晉高祖為英武明義皇帝。 Deguang was delighted and in return honored the Jin founder as Heroic Martial Enlightened Righteous Emperor.

是歲，契丹改天顯十一年為會同元年，以趙延壽為樞密使，升幽州為南京，以趙思溫為南京留守，既而德光請晉高祖不稱臣，不上表，來往緘題止用家人禮，但云「兒皇帝」，晉祖厚賫金帛以謝之。 That year the Khitan proclaimed the Huitong era, made Zhao Yanshou Grand Councilor, elevated Youzhou to Southern Capital with Zhao Siwen as regent, and persuaded the Jin court to drop the language of vassalage. Their letters used family terms only, calling the Jin ruler "Son Emperor." The Jin founder paid lavish gifts in gratitude.

德光每有邀請，小不如意，則來譴責，晉祖每屈己以奉之，終晉祖世，略無釁隙。 If the slightest request went unmet, Deguang sent rebukes. The Jin founder always humbled himself to comply. Through his reign there was almost no open rupture.