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Yang Guang

Type Figure Region China Time 569–618 Also known as Emperor Ming of Sui

Yang Guang (569–618), second emperor of the Sui dynasty, posthumously titled Emperor Yang (a pejorative name given by Tang);…

Timeline

  1. 569–604Daxing · GuanzhongYang Guang was second son of Emperor Wen of Sui, enfeoffed as Prince Jin. In 589 he was ordered to command the army that destroyed Chen; through this merit and a carefully cultivated image of virtue, he was made crown prince in 600, replacing the eldest son Yang Yong. In 604 Emperor Wen died and Yang Guang ascended; historical records allege he murdered his father and usurped the throne during his illness.
  2. 604–611Luoyang · Central PlainsAfter accession Yang Guang built the eastern capital Luoyang and vigorously excavated the great canal linking north and south, connecting Zhuo Commandery to Jiangdu over some two thousand kilometers, conscripting millions of laborers in a massive project. Its completion profoundly affected subsequent north–south economic exchange, though it consumed enormous human and material resources.
  3. 611–618Jiangdu · JianghuaiFrom 612 to 614 Yang Guang personally campaigned three times against Goguryeo, all ending in failure, draining the state and triggering widespread chaos with uprisings everywhere. Yang Guang took refuge in Jiangdu and never returned north after 614. In 618 the imperial guard mutinied, Yuwen Huaji launched a coup, and Yang Guang was strangled at Jiangdu, aged 50, bringing the Sui dynasty to an end.

Sources