Princess Qianjin

Princess Qianjin () was a 6th-century Sino-Tuoba poet and the wife of Taspar Qaghan, Ishbara Qaghan and Tulan Qaghan. She was killed by her husband in a political conflict.

Biography

She was born to Yuwen Zhao, Prince of Zhao, the seventh son of Yuwen Tai.

In 579, Taspar Qaghan hoped to ally with the Northern Zhou through marriage. Emperor Xuan sent Taspar his cousin Princess Qianjin in return for a Northern Qi prince, an enemy of the Zhou who had taken refuge amongst the Turks.Jay, Jennifer W. "Yuwen, Princess Qianjin of Northern Zhou." In ''Biographical dictionary of chinese women'', edited by Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A.D. Stefanowska and Sue Wiles, 378-380. Armonk (N.Y.): M. E. Sharpe. pp. 378–380. .Wright, David Curtis. “A Chinese Princess Bride's Life and Activism Among the Eastern Türks, 580-593 CE.” ''Journal of Asian History.'' Harrassowitz Verlag, n.d. Taspar and Qianjin married after the traditional nomadic continual marriage. Later that year, the Northern Zhou were defeated and the Sui dynasty was established. In this attack, Qianjin's father, three brothers, and two uncles were executed.

Qianjin mourned her family's slaughter and tried to convince Taspar to attack the Sui. After Taspar's death, she married his successor, Ishbara, whom she persuaded to attack the Sui in 582. The Turks joined forces with Yingzhou officer Gao Baoning to attack the Sui, prompting the Sui Emperor to fortify the Great Wall.

The Sui hoped to ally themselves with Ishbara, so Ishbara appointed an ambassador. This angered Apa Qaghan and Da Luobian, who joined forces to defeat Ishbara. In response to this, Qianjin wrote to Emperor Wen, expressing her submission as a preliminary act of outreach. Through their correspondence, Ishbara proposed that Emperor Wen be considered Qianjin's father, making the Emperor his father-in-law and allying the Turks and Sui. Emperor Wen accepted the terms and sent an envoy to visit his "daughter". Emperor Wen also changed Qiajin's name to Princess Dayi and bestowed on her the Sui imperial family surname Yang. Qianjin went on to provide the Sui with diplomatic advice, urging them not to request ritual indications of Ishbara's status as a son-in-law.

After Ishbara died in 587, his brother Chuluohou ruled briefly. Following his death the next year, Dayi married her third husband Ishbara's son and the new ruler, Tulan Qaghan.

In 593, a Chinese turncoat fled to the Turks with claims that the former rulers of the Northern Zhou dynasty, the Yuwen family, were plotting to attack the Sui. While these rumors were false, Dayi's marriage may have been harmed by these claims.

In 589, Emperor Wen sent Dayi a room panel belonging to the recently destroyed Chen dynasty. This gift disheartened her, and she wrote a poem expressing her sorrow. When Emperor Wen learned of this poem, he was displeased. When she was suspected of resuming contact with the Western Turks, Emperor Wen feared an attack on the Sui.

In 593, when Yami Qaghan contacted the Sui regarding a marriage alliance after the death of his first wife, they replied with the demand that Dayi be killed. Ultimately, Tulan was incensed to kill Dayi in her tent. The cause of this decision was unclear, with some sources claiming it was because she gossiped about Tulan, and others claimed Tulan was slandered. Others claim that she had committed adultery.{{Cite book , last=Romane , first=Julian , title=Rise of the Tang dynasty: the reunification of China and the military response to the steppe nomads (AD581-626) , date=2018 , publisher=Pen & Sword Military , isbn=978-1-4738-8777-0 , location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire , pages=13 Although Tulan also requested a Sui wife, he was denied.

References

593 deaths
6th-century monarchs in Asia
Ashina house of the Turkic Empire
Northern Zhou
Murdered Chinese royalty