Emperor Yang of Sui

The Sui Emperor Yangdi (炀 帝) (* 560, † 618, personal name Yang Guang杨广) was the second emperor of the dynasty. He reigned from 604 until his assassination in 618 His name is particularly associated with the construction of the Grand Canal and is evaluated in the traditional historiography as negative.

Life and work

The son of Emperor Wendis (reigned 581-604 ) held for years in the south of China. He is said to have murdered his father and also a brother to succeed despite misconduct may. Once on the throne, he sat Wendis policy continued with great ambition. Emperor Yangdi shunned in his royal household in Luoyang, the aristocracy of the Northwest (usually of Turkish origin ) in favor of Confucian scholars and poets, and let Yangzhou expand (to the south ) for future capital. This led him to support the Sinicized Turkish nobility and promoted his downfall.

The main reason of his fall was the surge of forces of his state wars (especially against Korea 612-614 ) and large construction projects (especially the Grand Canal ) in the face of famine, which was caused by flooding. So under him to nearly eight million people alone to public works (services for the state belonged usually to the control ) have been committed. The peasants rose from 610 and got prompt support from the aristocracy of the Northwest.

In this difficult situation Yangdi pulled back to a cruise to the South, leaving the North alone. Then rose in July 617, a hitherto trusted general named Li Yuan. He formed an alliance with the Osttürkenkhan Shibi (r. 609-21 ) and captured on 9 November 617 the capital Chang'an ( today's Xi'an ), where he earned a minor grandchildren Yangdis ( named Yang Yu ) as a puppet emperor began. He was not the only rebel: To Luoyang for example, had Li Mi, another member of the Northwest aristocracy, set that had to be beiseitekomplimentiert. There were two or three other rebel leaders.

Emperor Yangdi sent in the summer of 617 the General Wang Shichong to Luoyang to hold this against Li Yuan, but his advisers decided otherwise. On the grounds " The sky has the Sui discarded, we take care of ourselves! " Yangdi was in the spring of 618 in Jiangdu (now Yangzhou ) strangled by the counselors, under the leadership of a certain Yuwen Huaji.