History is a long story filled with a wide variety of people and events. In this long scroll of history, there are dynasties that are deeply remembered for the mediocrity and tyranny of their rulers.
The peculiarity of this dynasty was that all the monarchs from its establishment to its demise were mediocre and tyrannical, and their rule not only led to the decline of the country, but also brought great disasters to the people. This article will give an in-depth look at this dynasty in order to draw historical lessons from it.
The Gaoqi Dynasty was one of the Northern Dynasties regimes during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, founded by Gao Yang, the second son of Gao Huan, a powerful minister of the Eastern Wei Dynasty. After six emperors, he enjoyed the country for 28 years.
Here are all the monarchs of the Gaoqi dynasty:
Emperor Wenxuan Gao Yang.
Deposed Emperor Gao Yin. Emperor Xiaozhao performed.
Emperor Wucheng Gao Zhan.
After the main high latitude. The young lord Gao Heng.
In just 28 years, this dynasty has been completely ruined. These six emperors seem to be inherited from their families, and each one is more mediocre and tyrannical than the other. Now let's break it down one by one.
If the madmen of the world are brought together, I believe that Gao Yang will definitely be able to come out on top and dominate. He was the most fanatical and brutal emperor in Chinese history. To say that he is a tyrant is too polite, to be more precise, he is more like a beast.
Gao Yang's atrocities are terrifying. He ** all the people surnamed Yuan in the Northern Wei royal family, and brutally killed babies in the lactation stage. In addition, he killed his own prime minister, Gao Longzhi, and more than twenty of his sons. However, these atrocities were only an appetizer for him, and the real evil was just beginning.
Gao Yang is passionate about drinking and killing. The palace maids and eunuchs often died inexplicably under his sword. On the temple of Jinluan, he erected a cauldron and a saw knife, and only when he was drunk, he was able to happily satisfy his desire to kill. However, he is also an alcoholic and is in a drunken state almost all day long.
To satisfy his desire to kill, he ordered that prisoners who had been sentenced to death be sent to the palace for his entertainment, but the number was far from sufficient. He then ordered that the defendants, who were on trial, be sent to the palace, calling them "for the royal prisoners." As long as they survive for three months during the high ocean patrol, they will be acquitted.
One of Gao Yang's favorite concubines was Xue Guifei, who had an extramarital affair with Gao Yue, the king of Qinghe. Later, Gao Yang fell in love with her and forcibly married into the palace. Xue Guifei is not only as beautiful as a flower, but also proficient in the art of charm, and Gao Yang is very fond of her. Xue Guifei also has an older sister, who is also bewitching and is occupied by Gao Yang. The sisters did their best to please Gao Yang, and he doted on the sisters very much. Once, the two sisters proposed to Gao Yang to make their father Situ, but Gao Yang angrily refused.
Later, Gao Yang found out that Xue Guifei had had an affair with Gao Yue, which made him angry. Under the influence of alcohol, in front of Xue Guifei, he used a saw knife to dismantle Xue Guifei's sister into eight pieces; Then, he cut off Xue Guifei's head and chopped her into minced meat with a broken knife. He mixed their blood into the wine, and then took Xue Guifei's head to gather and drink with the ministers. They even enjoyed a drink mixed with the blood of Xue Guifei.
The banquet was supposed to be cheerful, and the relationship between the monarch and the minister was harmonious; However, suddenly, Gao Yang took out a round thing from his arms and threw it out. The ministers screamed and vomited, and vomited everything they had eaten. It turned out that it was Xue Guifei's head that Gao Yang threw out.
When the ministers were terrified, Gao Yang began to hug Xue Guifei's head and cry bitterly, playing the pipa. It was an eerie and terrifying scene for the ministers, and it made everyone tremble.
Gao Yang likes to drink, and often gets drunk, and when he gets drunk, he will go crazy. Once, he tore the clothes of his father's concubine, Erzhu, in an attempt to commit violence against her. Erju begged him not to, but instead he stabbed her to death, enjoying the pleasure of her pain.
Even more insanely, on one occasion, he gathered all the women of his family in the palace, stripped naked, and then ordered his ministers to engage in disorderly sexual acts with these women. And Gao Yang was on the side**, laughing wildly. Such a terrifying scene is chilling.
It can be seen that after Gao Yang became the emperor, his behavior became completely different, acting completely according to his own preferences, regardless of the pain of others.
In addition to doing evil things to his favorite concubines and family members, Gao Yang even didn't let go of his aunt.
Gao Yang's aunt is the wife of Yuan Ang, the prince of Wei whom he forcibly killed, and she is equally beautiful and moving. Under the pretext that he was going to his mother-in-law's house to drink, he molested his aunt after drinking. He killed his aunt, and in order to possess her, he shot Yuan Ang with an arrow. This made the court ** frightened, and did not dare to blatantly take concubines.
Gao Yang is moody, tyrannical, and frightening. He did the same with his own mother.
He often gets drunk, goes insane when drunk, and loves to kill, but later regrets what he did. His mother, Empress Dowager Lou, was very angry that he was indulging in wine all day. Once, Empress Dowager Lou couldn't bear it anymore and raised her cane to hit Gao Yang. Gao Yang yelled at his mother and threatened to marry her to Hu Ren. This made her mother very angry, and then Gao Yang quickly ran to apologize to her mother, but accidentally fell and knocked her down.
For such a drunken and tyrannical emperor all day long, the ministers were helpless and could only pray to heaven in their hearts: "Take this madman away quickly, let him go to heaven to scourge." God probably felt the same way, when Gao Yang was 34 years old, his life finally came to an end.
With an extraordinary background and outstanding talent, Gao Yin, as the son of Gao Yang, the emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, is full of royal demeanor and elegant personality. His reign, however, is a dramatic and tragic one. As the crown prince, Gao Yin showed a smart, cheerful and kind character, a keen interest in literature and knowledge, and demonstrated outstanding leadership talents. However, due to his kind and tolerant character, Gao Yin faces fatal taboos and weaknesses. Despite being revered, he rarely received the attention of his father, Gao Yang, who was known for his brutality and ruthlessness.
In 559, Gao Yang died and was succeeded by Gao Yin, who was only fifteen years old, as emperor of Northern Qi. However, he did not expect that his half-brother Gao Yan would also take action against him.
At that time, Gao Yang appointed an auxiliary minister on his deathbed, hoping to prevent usurpation and rebellion. However, these auxiliary ministers strengthened the imperial power in the course of the reform, and dismissed many people from their posts, causing a shock in the government and the opposition. Those who were dismissed took refuge in Gao Yang's half-brothers, Gao Yan and Gao Zhan, who had been working hard to expand his power and prepare for the seizure of the throne. Yang Su's reforms sparked tensions between the two sides, culminating in Gao Yin's deposition and Gao Yan's ascension to the throne.
Faced with the fate of dethronement, Gao Yin had no power to resist. His youth and kindness made him impossible to contend with the ill-known emperors of Northern Qi. Eventually, Gao Yan seized the throne and assassinated Gao Yin in 561, resulting in his untimely death at the age of seventeen. As a member of the Northern Qi royal family, Gao Yin's tragic fate was doomed to be irreversible.
He was a figure who attracted much attention in the history of the Northern Qi Dynasty, Emperor Suzong Xiaozhao was highly appreciated, and he was also the sixth son and third son of Gao Huan. Since childhood, he has shown a smart and brave side, and has been personally taught by his father Gao Huan and favored by his mother Lou Zhaojun.
After the establishment of the Northern Qi Dynasty, he was named the King of Changshan and assisted Gao Yang in handling state affairs. He was highly respected and admired, both at court and in the outside world.
However, when Gao Yang indulged in a luxurious life in his old age, he repeatedly advised his brother to quit indulgence, but Gao Yang only verbally agreed and did not take action. On the contrary, he indulged in pleasure and frequently executed ministers, which was worrying.
It was precisely because of excessive indulgence that Gao Yang died suddenly. In his dying moments, he passed the throne to the young Gao Yin and asked Gao Yan to assist the young master. With tears in his eyes, Gao Yan agreed to his request.
After Gao Yin ascended the throne, he carried out the reform of Northern Qi politics, implemented benevolent governance, and restored the Northern Qi government to normal. In fact, Gao Yin was also a Ming monarch, which did not match the later evaluation of the negative rumors about the Northern Qi Emperor.
However, due to Gao Yan's coup d'état, Gao Yin's reign was short-lived. In 560 AD, Gao Yan took advantage of his reputation in Northern Qi and the precarious power of Gao Yin to seize the throne of Gao Yin.
Although Gao Yan usurped the throne and became emperor, during his reign, he diligently governed the country, implemented more perfect reforms and policies, and made outstanding contributions to the governance of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
In 561 AD, Gao Yan decided to kill the deposed Gao Yin after weighing the pros and cons, claiming that Gao Yin died in an emergency.
However, just after killing Gao Yin, Gao Yan seems to feel pain and anxiety in his heart about killing his nephew Gao Yin.
In November of the same year, due to his injuries, Gao Yan died at the age of 26. He was posthumously crowned Emperor Suzong Xiaozhao, and a generation of British lords of the Northern Qi Dynasty left the stage of history.
On his deathbed, Gao Yan feared that his son and crown prince Gao Bainian would suffer the same fate as Gao Yin, and he promised to pass the throne to his younger brother Gao Zhan, and hoped that Gao Zhan would treat Gao Bainian well. However, after Gao Zhan ascended the throne, he broke his agreement with Gao Yan and immediately killed the deposed crown prince Gao Bainian. Perhaps Gao Yan did not foresee that his younger brother Gao Zhan would betray the agreement before he died, which may be regarded as a punishment from God for Gao Yan to kill Gao Yin.
As the fourth emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, he did not win people's recognition. His elder brother seized his son's crown prince and passed the throne to him. Subsequently, the emperor unscrupulously seized his imperial sister-in-law and brutally murdered many of his nephews. Eventually, he died young at the age of 32 due to his addiction to alcohol. Emperor Gao Zhan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, his story has left a deep imprint on Chinese history.
In 550 AD, Gao Yang, a powerful minister of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, overthrew Emperor Xiaojing and established the Northern Qi Dynasty. This period is known as the Qi regime in the "Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen" periods of the Northern and Southern Dynasties of China. In order to distinguish it from the Qi state of the Spring and Autumn period, people called it Northern Qi or Later Qi.
In 559 AD, after the death of Emperor Gao Yang of Northern Qi Wenxuan, the eldest son Gao Yin, who was 15 years old, ascended the throne. However, the emperor's uncle Gao Yan (Gao Yang's sixth brother), who actually held power, was not convinced, and in 560 AD he deposed Gao Yin and proclaimed himself Emperor Xiaozhao. However, Gao Yan only served as emperor for two years and was seriously injured during a hunting trip on horseback and was on the verge of death. In order to protect his son, Gao Yan deprived his son of the crown prince before his death, and made Gao Zhan, the king of Changguang, the crown prince.
In 561 AD, Gao Zhan became Emperor Wucheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty. He has been fascinated by the beauty of his brother Gao Yang's wife, Li Zu'e, since he was a child, and has ** many times. After becoming the emperor, he was full of longing for his imperial sister-in-law Li Zu'e, who had lived in the deep palace for a long time, and even entered her boudoir without permission.
Gao Zhan threatened her in a coercive way, saying that if she did not sleep with him, she would kill Gao Shaode, the king of Taiyuan. Li Zu'e had no choice but to endure Gao Zhan's insult. As a result, Li Zu'e became pregnant and pregnant with Gao Zhan's child. When Gao Zhan learned that his daughter died shortly after birth, he accused Li Zu'e in person and beat her to death. Gao Zhan also killed his nephew Gao Shaode with his own hands. Gao Zhan has been criticized for his brutality.
Gao Zhan's brother's son Gao Xiaoyu is of the same age as Gao Zhan, and the relationship between uncle and nephew is very good. Gao Xiaoyu became the king of Henan. However, Gao Xiaoyu once publicly told about the scandal of Gao Zhan's empress Hu and He Shikai, which caused Gao Zhan's dissatisfaction.
In 563 AD, Gao Zhan's son Gao Wei married. Gao Xiaoyu had a private conversation with Gao Zhan's maid Erzhu Mo Nu while attending the wedding banquet, and was discovered by Gao Zhan on the spot. Gao Zhan forced Gao Xiaoyu to drink a lot of alcohol, and then sent someone to send him home. Gao Xiaoyu was thrown into the moat of the castle and falsely claimed to have committed suicide.
In 568 AD, Gao Zhan, the emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty, passed the throne to his son Gao Wei, and finally died young at the age of 32. He was known as Emperor Wucheng of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the temple name Shizu, and was buried in the Yongping Mausoleum.
There have been many rulers throughout history who may not have been politically prowess, but who have shown unique talents in other areas. For example, although Song Huizong had little interest in politics and was not talented, he excelled in calligraphy and painting, showing an amazing artistic talent.
Similarly, Zhu You, the Ming Xizong, knew nothing about politics, but was an excellent carpenter, and the Ming Dynasty stood firm under his rule. With the goal of becoming a qualified monk, Emperor Xiao Yan of the Southern Liang Dynasty sponsored temples and wrote Buddhist works. Although these emperors were inadequate in governing the country, they could at least be seen as ordinary people, except that their ambition was not to become good rulers. If they had lived in modern times, perhaps they might have become outstanding artists, carpenters, or monks.
Cushman & Wakefield, however, is different. His absurd behavior completely subverted people's impression of the emperor, like a child who will never grow up, willful and irrational. Recalling his absurd deeds, people can't help but laugh and cry.
First of all, he was fascinated by beauty. As soon as he sees a beautiful woman, he immediately enters the harem, but he quickly loses interest in this novelty, and then begins to look for new beauties. He frequently changed his concubines, which made Queen Mu very jealous. In order to divert his favor from the harem concubines, the queen sent her maid Feng Xiaolian to seduce Gao Wei.
However, Feng Xiaolian is so beautiful that Gao Wei doesn't even want to let her enjoy it alone. He asked Feng Xiaolian to lie naked in the court for the ministers to watch. And he thinks, how can beauty be appreciated for nothing? **Charges apply. So, he put forward the request of "a thousand daughters and a view".
In that era when men and women could not even see their feet, Feng Xiaolian became a mannequin with a naked body and dedicated herself to art. This is also the origin of the word "jade body Hengchen".
However, Cushman & Wakefield's absurdity doesn't stop there. When Yuwen Yong led his army to attack Pingyang City, Gao Wei was still immersed in his own pleasures. It wasn't until the walls fell that he realized he needed to send troops to defend it, but it was too late. So, he decided to personally lead his troops against the Northern Zhou army.
The Northern Qi army had the upper hand at the beginning, especially after the death of the Northern Zhou commander, the Northern Zhou was demoralized and retreated one after another. However, when the Northern Qi army was about to break through the city gate, Gao Wei suddenly ordered the attack to be stopped. This made everyone feel confused and puzzled, and they were also overwhelmed by the anxiety. Victory is at hand, why stop? It wasn't until the end that they realized that Gao Wei did this just to wait for Feng Xiaolian to come and enjoy the "pomp" of the siege.
Since Feng Xiaolian usually likes Gao Wei's hunting, Gao Wei thought that the scene of siege must be much more interesting than hunting, so he decided to invite her over to make her happy. However, by the time Feng Xiaolian finished her makeup and arrived, the army led by Emperor Wu of Zhou, Yuwen Yong, had also arrived. The tide of the battle was reversed, and the Northern Zhou army had the upper hand, but Gao Wei still had to confront it despite the dissuasion of his subordinates. In the end, Gao Wei fled in a hurry with Feng Xiaolian.
Cushman & Wakefield's many absurd behaviors make him unfit to be the emperor, he is more like a spoiled child who never grows up, thinking strangely and behaving ridiculously. It is unbelievable that a dynasty should not perish under the rule of such an emperor. However, each era has its own special background and reasons, and perhaps it is precisely because of such alternative rulers that history is more colorful.
In 570 AD, an ill-fated emperor was born and silently descended in Yedu. This emperor was Gao Heng, the last ruler of the Northern Qi Dynasty. What is less known is that Gao Heng's father was Gao Wei, the queen of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and his mother was an empress named Mu Xili. This queen served Cushman & Wakefield's first queen, Empress Hulu, and her life story is legendary. After entering the palace, she actively integrated, gradually gained the favor of Gao Wei, and eventually became the queen of Northern Qi.
On a scorching summer day in 570 AD, Mu Xili gave birth to a prince for Gao Wei, who was Gao Heng. His growth was not treated by ordinary princes, but was carefully raised by his nurse Lu Lingxuan. Lu Lingxuan regarded Mu Xili as her own, and even successfully recommended her to become Mrs. Hongde.
Mu Xili's status gradually rose, and although she came from an ordinary background, she became the new queen. In this process, Lu Lingxuan's son Luo Tipo did not hesitate to change his surname to Mu Huanghua in order to please Mu Huanghua, and regarded Lu Lingxuan as his mother, cutting off his relatives, which made his biological mother Qingxiao extremely sad. Just when Mu Huanghua had just ascended the throne of the queen, Gao Wei once wanted to depose her and make the maid Feng Xiaolian the queen. However, the threat of the Northern Zhou forced this plan of Gao Wei to come to an end.
In the winter of 576 AD, the Northern Zhou began to attack Jinju, and Gao Wei ordered an amnesty for the world and changed the Yuan to the first year of Longhua. In the first month of the following year, Gao Wei passed the throne to Gao Heng, who had just ascended the throne, and Gao Heng became the new emperor of Northern Qi. Gao Wei enjoyed the rest of the year as the "Supreme Emperor", while Gao Heng was praised as the "King of Defending the Country".
As the Northern Zhou army approached, Gao Heng made a decision to cede the throne to Gao Huan, the prime minister stationed in Yingzhou. Chan Rang's book and jade seal were personally sent to Yingzhou by Gao Heng, but they were handed over to Emperor Wu Yuwen Yong of the Northern Zhou Dynasty by Hu Lu Xiaoqing.
After Chan Rang, Gao Wei stayed in Jeju, while Gao Heng fled to Cheongju with his family. The Northern Zhou army pursued relentlessly, eventually capturing Gao Wei and escorting him to Yecheng. The Northern Qi Dynasty fell, and Gao Wei was named the Duke of Wen.
Unfortunately, in 577 AD, Cushman was falsely accused of rebellion and assassinated. And just a month after Gao Heng ascended the throne, the Northern Qi Dynasty was declared dead, and Gao Wei could not get a mausoleum for burial.
Although Gao Heng's reign was short, he had a unique hobby: cockfighting and lackeying. This may also reflect his helplessness and distress as the last emperor of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
The fate of the Gao family in Northern Qi seems to have gradually dimmed since Gao Huan, which is regrettable. The once glorious Gao family is now unrecognizable, and Gao Huan's wisdom and courage are no longer there, replaced by incompetent descendants who are not as good as the generation.
In the demise of the Northern Qi Dynasty, the mediocre emperor did play a key role. The Northern Qi Dynasty went through six emperors and enjoyed the country for 28 years. Among them, Emperor Wucheng Gao Zhan was famous for his mediocrity and lust, and he had no way to govern the country, which led to the great decline of the national power of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and was succeeded by the later lord Gao Wei after his death. Gao Wei is also mediocre and lustful, often messing up national politics, and even killing the famous general Hu Luguang. The mediocrity of these two emperors put the regime of the Northern Qi in jeopardy.
In addition, all the royal family members of the Northern Qi Dynasty were surnamed Gao, so they were also called Gaoqi. However, with the exception of Gao Huan and Emperor Xiaozhao Gao Yan, the rest of the emperors were all dumb kings, and their actions made the Northern Qi one of the dirtiest, dumb, and shameless dynasties in Chinese history. In general, the mediocre emperors undoubtedly hastened the process of the demise of the Northern Qi.