Background

Yuan Xiu was born in 510, as the third son of Yuan Huai (元懷) the Prince of Guangping, a son of Emperor Xiaowen and a younger brother of the then-reigning Emperor Xuanwu. His mother Lady Li was Yuan Huai's concubine, although historical records were not clear on the issue. In 517, Yuan Huai died.

In Yuan Xiu's youth, he was considered to be quiet and smart, and he was interested in military matters. In 527, Emperor Xuanwu's son Emperor Xiaoming created Yuan Xiu the Duke of Ruyang. In 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang promoted him to the title of Prince of Pingyang.

In 532, the general Gao Huan defeated the members of the clan of the paramount general Erzhu Rong (who had overthrown and killed Emperor Xiaozhuang after Emperor Xiaozhuang killed Erzhu Rong in 530). During the campaign, Gao had declared Yuan Lang, a distant member of the imperial Yuan clan, emperor, to compete with Emperor Jiemin, whom Erzhu Rong's cousin Erzhu Shilong had made emperor. Gao, after victory, considered Yuan Lang an inappropriate choice to be emperor, given his distant relationship to the recent emperors. He considered keeping Emperor Jiemin on the throne, but decided against it when his generals Wei Lan'gen (魏蘭根) and Cui Ling (name not in Unicode) opined that Emperor Jiemin would be difficult to control in the future; he therefore had Emperor Jiemin imprisoned. He also considered making Yuan Yue (元悅) the Prince of Ru'nan, the only surviving son of Emperor Xiaowen, whom he welcomed back from rival Liang Dynasty (where Yuan Yue had fled earlier), emperor, but later changed his mind after hearing that Yuan Yue was violent and arbitrary. At that time, the imperial princes were all largely in hiding, and Yuan Xiu was hiding at a farm. Gao's ally, the general Husi Chun, located Yuan Xiu, and Gao wanted to make Yuan Xiu emperor. After a meeting with Gao, in which Gao vowed allegiance, Yuan Xiu decided to agree. Gao therefore forced Yuan Lang to yield the throne to Yuan Xiu, who then took the throne as Emperor Xiaowu.

Reign in Luoyang

One thing Emperor Xiaowu immediately started doing—for which he was criticized by historians—was eliminating potential claimants to the throne. Less than 10 days after taking the throne, he poisoned the deposed Emperor Jiemin to death. Six months later, he forced Yuan Lang and another former emperor, Yuan Ye, to commit suicide. He also executed his uncle Yuan Yue.

Although Gao made him emperor, Emperor Xiaowu also almost immediately tried to do what he could to avoid being controlled by Gao. Although he married Gao's oldest daughter as his empress around the new year 533, he, after initially appearing to show deference to Gao, began to rule with Husi Chun and his associate Wang Sizheng (王思政) as his assistants, making decisions contrary to Gao's opinion, particularly after Gao had defeated the final major member of the Erzhu clan, Erzhu Zhao. He secretly communicated with Heba Yue (賀拔岳), who controlled the western provinces, and also commissioned Heba Yue's brother Heba Sheng (賀拔勝) as the commander of the southern provinces, wanting to depend on the Heba brothers to resist Gao's hold. Tensions also increased over Gao's desire to control more provinces and Emperor Xiaowu's corresponding desire to wrest control of the provinces from Gao.

In spring 534, Heba Yue's friend and lieutenant, Houmochen Yue (侯莫陳悅), due to Gao's instigation, assassinated Heba Yue. Heba Yue's troops supported Heba Yue's assistant Yuwen Tai to replace him, and Yuwen soon defeated Houmochen, who committed suicide. Emperor Xiaowu continued to engage in talks with Yuwen (whom Heba Yue had previously sent to Emperor Xiaowu as a liaison) with an eye of depending on Yuwen to face off against Gao. In summer 534, Emperor Xiaowu prepared his troops and, believing he could catch Gao by surprise, issued secret edits to Gao pretending that he was suspecting Yuwen and Heba Sheng of rebellion and planning to attack them with Gao. Gao saw through Emperor Xiaowu's plot, however, and instead marched toward Luoyang. Wang Sizheng, believing that the imperial troops were not strong enough to resist Gao's, suggested Emperor Xiaowu to flee to Yuwen's territory, and Emperor Xiaowu decided to do so, rejecting Husi Chun's offer to take one final stand at Luoyang, particularly when Heba Sheng failed to come to the emperor's aid and when Yuwen's troops failed to arrive quickly. It took Gao only a month to reach Luoyang, and Emperor Xiaowu fled west, encountering Yuwen's troops on the way, and had them escort him back to Yuwen's headquarters at Chang'an, where he reestablished the imperial government and made Yuwen prime minister. He also married his sister Princess Fengyi to Yuwen.

Flight to Changan and death

Meanwhile, Gao Huan took over the Luoyang region, and soon also defeated Heba Sheng, taking over his territory and forcing him to flee to Liang. Gao then wrote repeated petitions to Emperor Xiaowu, requesting that he return to Luoyang and indicating that he was willing to return to the status quo ante. Emperor Xiaowu did not respond to any of Gao's overtures. Gao therefore made Yuan Shanjian, the son and heir apparent of Emperor Xiaowu's cousin Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe emperor (as Emperor Xiaojing) and moving the capital from Luoyang to Yecheng, thus formally dividing the empire into two (Eastern Wei under Emperor Xiaojing and Western Wei under Emperor Xiaowu), albeit with each claiming to be the rightful one.

Meanwhile, Emperor Xiaowu's relationship with Yuwen Tai was deteriorating. While at Luoyang, he had previously entered into incestuous relationships with three of his cousins—Yuan Mingyue (元明月) the Princess Pingyuan, the Princess Ande, and Yuan Jili (元蒺藜), who was also created princess. Yuan Mingyue accompanied him on his flight to Chang'an, but Yuwen disapproved of the relationship, and persuaded the imperial princes to arrest and kill her. Emperor Xiaowu was very angry, and he often used his bow or pounded his table inside the palace as demonstrations of his displeasure. Around the new year 535, he drank wine spiked by poison—in all likelihood placed by Yuwen's assassins—and died. Yuwen made his cousin Yuan Baoju the Prince of Nanyang (Yuan Mingyue's brother) emperor (as Emperor Wen).

Era names

• Taichang (太昌 tài chāng) 532

• Yongxing (永興 yǒng xīng) 532

• Yongxi (永熙 yǒng xī) 532–534

Family

Consorts and Issue:

• Empress Yongxi, of the Gao clan of Bohai (永熙皇后 渤海高氏)

• Unknown

　• Yuan Guangji, Prince Wu (吳王 元光基; 527–545), fourth son

Ancestry

生平

他曾被封為汝陽縣公、通直散騎侍郎、中書侍郎。建義年間，辭散騎常侍，為平東將軍、太常卿，後來又為鎮東將軍、宗正卿。530年封為平陽王。普泰初年，轉任侍中、鎮東將軍、儀同三司、兼為尚書右僕射，後又改加侍中、尚書左僕射。河陰之變後政局一片混亂，諸王大多各自逃生，元脩逃亡民間，隱居務農。

中興二年（532年）高歡擊敗爾朱氏，欲立元悅為帝，因無法服眾，只得退而選擇元脩。斛斯椿從元脩的心腹好友王思政輾轉尋到元脩，元脩道：「這該不是把我出賣了吧？」高歡遂親自前來表達誠心，泣下沾襟。元脩方才入京，四月廿五日（6月13日）即位。登基十天就殺死廢帝節閔帝元恭和叔父元悅，半年後又殺死曾被擁立為帝的東海王元曄、安定王元朗。

元脩即位後與高歡的長女結成政治婚姻，夫妻彼此都沒有感情。元脩與三個堂姊妹姘居，將她們都封為公主。534年與高歡決裂，高歡帶兵從晉陽南下時，元修于七月廿八日（8月22日）率一部士兵，偕同情婦元明月及元明月的哥哥南陽王元寶炬等入關中投奔其妹夫宇文泰。

當時有「熒惑侵斗」的現象，童謠：「熒惑入南斗，天子下殿走」，讓梁武帝感到緊張，赤腳下殿跑步，希望能符應天意，化解災厄。當梁武帝得知元修西奔的消息後，羞慚地以華夷之辨的理論說：「綁著辮子的胡虜（索虜）也配符應天象嗎？」，因為這一天象應在元脩身上，意味元脩才是真命天子。

同年十月十七日（11月8日），高歡以元脩棄國逃跑，另立元善見為帝，十日後遷都鄴城。宇文泰讓元氏諸王殺死元明月，元脩非常不高興，閏十二月癸巳（535年2月3日），宇文泰用毒酒毒死了元脩，改立元寶炬為帝。

元脩死後被宇文泰下令埋進草堂佛寺，十餘年後才得正式安葬。西魏上諡號為孝武皇帝。

家庭

后妃

• 高皇后，權臣高歡之女

• 邢同娥，淑儀嬪，使持節、都督滄州諸軍事、輔國將軍、滄州刺史邢晏第三女，後改嫁開府參軍事李世君

情婦

• 平原公主元明月

• 安德公主

• 公主元蒺藜

兒子

• 元光基，第四子，吳郡王