Wu Ge Ti

Biography

The "Account of Tuyuhun" in the History of the Northern Dynasties records that when Shipi died his sons, including Shuluogan, were still young, and that Shipi's younger brother Wugeti succeeded him. The "Account of Tuyuhun" in the Book of Jin, by contrast, says that Shipi passed the position to Wugeti without making their brotherly relation explicit in that sentence. A summary in another account first calls him "a son of Shipi" and then adds that "one account makes him a younger brother". Because the sources themselves conflict, the text establishes only that Wugeti was the leader after Shipi and keeps the variant readings in the personal relations section.

Wugeti married Nianshi; Nianshi had been the mother of Shuluogan and later bore Mugui and Muliyan. Both encyclopedic accounts and the standard histories record that during Wugeti's rule Nianshi took part in, and even dominated, internal administration. The Book of Jin says that Wugeti raided the former territory of Qifu Qiangui several times, was afterwards defeated by Qiangui's army, lost a large population, fled for protection to Southern Liang and died there. Another account also cites the Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government for the defeat and flight of 405 (1st year of the Yixi era, Eastern Jin).

Two other accounts list Wugeti's reign as 401 to 405, but the Book of Jin says he held power for eight years, so the year in which he began to rule cannot be fixed from the available material. His death in 405 is tied to the defeat, and the timeline lists only that verifiable node. One account alone gives 371 as his birth year while the others do not, so his birth year is described as unknown.

Major Activities

Political and institutional context

The cached record places Wu Ge Ti within the institutions and conflicts of Chinese history.

Source-based record

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 Jin describes Wugeti as weak by nature and given to drink and women, and narrates the conduct of state affairs by Nianshi alongside his military defeats. This is an evaluative summary by the historian and cannot directly replace a record of specific policies. Wugeti's birth year, the year he took power and his relation to Shipi all remain disputed, so any assessment of his rule must stay within what the surviving material shows.