Tuoba Henu

Biography

The Empress Dowager's Coup and Succession as King of Dai

Henu's father Yituo was an earlier leader of the Tuoba, and his mother, of the Wei clan, appears in Northern Dynasties histories as "Empress of Emperor Huan". In 321 (4th year of the Daxing era, Eastern Jin) the then leader Tuoba Yulü was gaining military prestige, and the Wei clan, fearing that he would harm her sons, carried out a coup and killed him, installing Henu instead. The Book of Wei records that several dozen tribal leaders died as well, and a further Chinese account describes the same attendant slaughter. Henu thus succeeded, but did not personally direct decisions in the early part of his rule. The Wei clan held court, once sending envoys to Shi Le, and a contemporary called her envoy "the envoy of the woman's state". This expression comes from the history and does not mean that an independent "woman's state" was founded at the time.

Personal Rule and Removal

In 324 (2nd year of the Taining era, Eastern Jin) Henu began to rule in person. Relations among the tribal groups were not yet stable, and the Book of Wei says that "the feelings of the various groups were not all compliant", so he built a city at East Mugen Mountain and moved there in search of a position easier to defend. Another account summarises this action as "moving the capital", but what the history shows more directly is the building of a city and the removal of residence, without a complete change in administrative structure. Nor is there any record that he introduced new laws or an official system at this time, and no comprehensive reform should be inferred from the building of one city.

In 325 (3rd year of the Taining era, Eastern Jin) Henu died and Gena succeeded him. Another account says that he died "of grief and anger", a further account records only the death, and the Book of Wei gives no cause; the text does not treat grief and anger as a medical or political cause. After the founding of the Northern Wei he was honoured as Emperor Hui. Henu was called king of Dai in his lifetime, and a posthumous honour cannot be turned back into a title used at the time.

Major Activities

Political and institutional context

The cached record places Tuo Ba He Nu within the institutions and conflicts of Eastern Jin.

Source-based record

His descent and dates are as follows: his father Yituo was an earlier leader of the Tuoba and his mother, of the Wei clan, appears in Northern Dynasties histories as "Empress of Emperor Huan"; in 321 (fourth year of the Daxing era, Eastern Jin) the Wei clan killed Tuoba Yulü and installed Henu, herself holding court and once sending envoys to Shi Le, whom a contemporary called "the envoy of the woman's state"; in 324 (second year of the Taining era) Henu took personal rule and, as the tribal groups would not submit, built a city at East Mugen Mountain and moved there; he died in 325 (third year of the Taining era), his younger brother Tuoba Gena succeeding him, and after the founding of the Northern Wei he was honoured posthumously as Emperor Hui, having been styled King of Dai in his lifetime.

Two points may be added about his accession and death: the Book of Wei records that several dozen tribal leaders died in the coup of 321, and another account describes the same attendant slaughter, showing that his accession was accompanied by a large-scale purge within the tribe; as to the cause of his death, one account says he died "of grief and anger", another records only the death, and the Book of Wei gives none, so grief and anger is not treated as a medical or political cause.

Personal Relations

• Relationships are recorded from the cached source text and should be read together with the related entries listed below.

Historical Assessment

The Book of Wei records Henu chiefly in three matters: the empress dowager holding court, the non-compliance of the tribal groups, and his building of a city after taking personal rule, and it offers no systematic judgement of his personal character. Another account calls him "weak by nature", but attributing the complex disaffection of the various groups entirely to his character goes beyond the material. His four years in power form the transition between the coup of 321 (4th year of the Daxing era, Eastern Jin) and the accession of Gena in 325 (3rd year of the Taining era, Eastern Jin); the posthumous title "Hui" conferred by the Northern Wei shows his place in later dynastic ritual but does not directly prove the success or failure of his policies.