Yang Zhao

Yang Zhao
Yang Zhao
Born	584
Died	606 (aged 21–22)
Spouse	Consort Cui; Consort Wei; Older Lady Liu; Younger Lady Liu
Issue	Yang Yan; Yang Tong; Yang You
Father	Emperor Yang of Sui
Mother	Empress Xiao

Yang Zhao (楊昭) (21 February 584

Sui Dynasty. He was the oldest son of Emperor Yang

(Yang Guang) who predeceased his father. Yang Zhao was described as a fat-looking man with great physical strength.

Background

Yang Zhao was born in February 584, while his father Yang Guang was the Prince of Jin under his grandfather

concubines in 597, Yang Zhao divorced his wife and married the daughter of the official Wei Shou (韋壽) the Duke of Hua as his wife and princess. After his father Yang Guang displaced his uncle Yang Yong

as crown prince in 600, Yang Zhao was created his father's old title of Prince of Jin in 601.

As crown prince

In 604, Emperor Wen died—a death that most traditional historians believed to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang, but admitted a lack of direct evidence—and Yang Guang took the throne as Emperor Yang. Soon, believing the words of the sorcerer Zhangchou Taiyi (章仇太翼) that the geography of the region surrounding the capital Chang'an was unsuitable for him, Emperor Yang took up residence at Luoyang and made it the eastern capital. He left Yang Zhao in charge at Chang'an. In spring 605, Emperor Yang created Yang Zhao crown prince. Emperor Yang considered restoring Princess Cui, but when he sent a messenger to the house of Princess Cui's uncle Cui Hongdu (崔弘度) to discuss the matter, Cui Hongdu did not realize that an imperial messenger had arrived and therefore did not respond. Emperor Yang was displeased, and the matter was not again discussed.

In 606, Yang Zhao went to Luoyang to greet his parents, and he spent several months there. He requested permission to remain longer at Luoyang, but Emperor Yang denied it. Meanwhile, because he was required to kneel before his father and had to do so repeatedly while at Luoyang, and he was severely overweight, he became ill from the fatigue, and he died in summer 606. When his son Yang Tong later took the throne in 618 during the dynasty's disintegration, he was posthumously honored as an emperor.

Family

Consorts and their respective issue(s):

Princess Consort of Henan, of the Cui clan of Boling (河南王妃博陵崔氏)
Crown Princess, of the Wei clan of Jingzhao (太子妃京兆韦氏)
- Yang You, Emperor Gong (隋恭帝楊侑, 605 – 14 September 619 ), third son
Older Lady Liu, of the Liu clan (大刘良娣刘氏)
- Yang Tong, Emperor Gong (隋恭帝楊侗; 600s–619), second son
Younger Lady Liu, of the Liu clan (小劉良娣劉氏)
- Yang Tan, Prince of Yan (燕王楊倓, 603 – 618), first son

References

^ According to Yang Zhao's biography in History of the Northern Dynasties, he was born on the wuchen day of the 1st month of the 4th year of the Kaihuang era of Yang Jian's reign. This corresponds to 21 Feb 584 on the Julian calendar. (初，文帝以开皇三年四月庚午，梦神自天而降，.....明年正月戊辰而生昭.) Bei Shi, vol.71
^ According to Yang Guang's biography in Book of Sui, Yang Zhao died on the jiaxu day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of the Da'ye era of Yang Guang's reign. This corresponds to 30 Aug 606 in the Julian calendar. ([大业二年秋七月]甲戌，皇太子昭薨。) Sui Shu, vol.03

[1] According to Yang Zhao's biography in History of the Northern Dynasties, he was born on the wuchen day of the 1st month of the 4th year of the Kaihuang era of Yang Jian's reign. This corresponds to 21 Feb 584 on the Julian calendar. (初，文帝以开皇三年四月庚午，梦神自天而降，.....明年正月戊辰而生昭.) Bei Shi, vol.71

[2] According to Yang Guang's biography in Book of Sui, Yang Zhao died on the jiaxu day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of the Da'ye era of Yang Guang's reign. This corresponds to 30 Aug 606 in the Julian calendar. ([大业二年秋七月]甲戌，皇太子昭薨。) Sui Shu, vol.03