Zhao Defang (; c. 959–981) was an imperial
prince
A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...
of
imperial China's
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the res ...
. He was the fourth son of
Emperor Taizu and the younger brother of
Zhao Dezhao
Zhao Dezhao (趙德昭) (951 – 26 August 979) was an imperial prince of the Chinese Song Dynasty.
Officially the Prince Yi of Yan (燕懿王), he was the second son of Emperor Taizu and the crown prince since his elder brother died young. H ...
.
He was the 3rd great-grandfather of
Emperor Xiaozong of Song
Emperor Xiaozong of Song (27 November 1127 – 28 June 1194), personal name Zhao Shen, courtesy name Yuanyong, was the 11th emperor of the Song dynasty of China and the second emperor of the Southern Song dynasty. He started his reign in 1 ...
.
Family
*Parents
**
Zhao Kuangyin, Taizu (太祖 趙匡胤; 21 March 927 – 14 November 976)
**
Empress Xiaohui, of the He clan (孝惠皇后 賀氏; 929–958)
*Consorts and Issue:
**Lady Jiao, of the Jiao clan (焦氏), daughter of Jiao Jixun (焦继勋)
***Zhao Weixu (趙惟敘; 977–1011), first son
***Zhao Weixian (趙惟憲; 979–1016), second son
**Lady Fu, of the Fu clan of Weiguo (卫国符氏), granddaughter of Fu Yanqing (符彥卿)
***Zhao Weining (趙惟能; 979 – 1008), third son
**Lady Wang, of the Wang clan of Qinguo (秦国王氏)
**Lady Li , of the Li clan of Yingchuan (颖川李氏)
**Unknown:
***Princess Yongshou (永寿县主)
****married Cui Congshi (崔从湜)
Biography
In 976, Zhao Defang had his first official appointment as the Defense Commissioner of
Guizhou
Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to t ...
, which was quickly followed by appointments of
Prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
of Xingyuan (興元, today's
Hanzhong
Hanzhong (; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gansu to the west.
The founder of the Han dynasty, Liu Bang, was once enfeoffed as t ...
),
Military Commissioner of Shannanxi Circuit (山南西道, around today's
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of th ...
) and
chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
. In the winter of 978 he was named Grand Commandant of Inspection (檢校太尉). He died in 981 from an unnamed illness at the young age of 23.
Emperor Taizong, his uncle, visited his coffin in tears and cancelled imperial court meetings for 5 days to commemorate him.
In fiction
In popular stories, including the ''
Generals of the Yang Family'' legends and ''
Seven Heroes and Five Gallants'', Zhao Defang is known as the "Eighth Prince" (八王爺) or "Eighth Virtuous Prince" (八賢王), but this character seems to be a "merger" between Zhao Defang and Zhao Defang's cousin
Zhao Yuanyan.
The breakdown:
The "Eighth Virtuous Prince" in ''
Seven Heroes and Five Gallants'' was clearly based on the historical
Zhao Yuanyan, who
* was the only paternal uncle during
Emperor Renzong's reign
* had conflicts with
Empress Dowager Liu
* eventually revealed the secret about the
Emperor Renzong's real birth mother (see
Consort Li)
Notes and references
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhao, Defang
950s births
Year of birth uncertain
981 deaths
Song dynasty princes