Background

Yuan Baoju was born in 507, a member of the Tuoba clan of the Xianbei. His father Yuan Yu (元愉), the Prince of Jingzhao, was the son of Emperor Xiaowen and a younger brother of the reigning Emperor Xuanwu. His mother was recorded as Yuan Yu's concubine Yang Aofei. He had three other brothers, at least one of whom, Yuan Baoyue (元寶月), was older, and born of Yang Aofei.

Yuan Yu favored Yang Aofei but not his wife, Princess Yu, a sister to Emperor Xuanwu's wife Empress Yu. Consequently, Empress Yu once summoned Yang Aofei to the palace, beat her severely, and then forced her to become a Buddhist nun. Only after the intercession of Empress Yu's father Yu Jing (于勁) was Yang Aofei returned to Yuan Yu. Meanwhile, in 508, Yuan Yu himself was punished by Emperor Xuanwu for corruption. He was caned 50 times and demoted to the governorship of Ji Province (冀州, modern central Hebei). In anger, he rebelled at the capital of Ji Province, Xindu (信都, in modern Hengshui, Hebei), alleging falsely that Emperor Xuanwu's uncle Gao Zhao had murdered the emperor and declaring himself emperor. Yuan Yu's rebellion was soon defeated by the general Li Ping (李平), and during his being delivered to the capital Luoyang, Gao had him killed. At that time, Yang Aofei was pregnant, and she was permitted to give birth and then was executed. Emperor Xuanwu did not execute any of Yuan Yu's sons, but had them, including Yuan Baoju, put under arrest at Zongzheng Temple (宗正寺). Assuming that Yang Aofei and Lady Yang were in fact the same person, this also meant that Yuan Baoju grew up without either parent. He and his brothers remained at Zongzheng Temple and were released only after Emperor Xuanwu's death in 515. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu's son Emperor Xiaoming, Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu posthumously recreated Yuan Yu the Prince of Lintao, and Yuan Baoju and his brothers then observed a mourning period for their parents. Yuan Baoyue inherited the title, but Yuan Baoju did not possess any titles at the moment, although he was made a general. Despite Empress Dowager Hu's rehabilitation of Yuan Yu, however, Yuan Baoju was not impressed at her toleration of corruption, particularly by her lovers, and he secretly plotted with Emperor Xiaoming to have her lovers killed. When this plot was discovered, he was stripped of the office he held. In 525, he married his wife Lady Yifu, the daughter of a moderately prominent aristocratic family. (In his youth, Yuan Baoju was described by the Book of Wei as frivolous, alcoholic, and sexually immoral, but this description is highly suspect in that the Book of Wei was written by Wei Shou, an official of Eastern Wei, the rival of Western Wei, for which Yuan Baoju would eventually become emperor.) In 528, Emperor Xiaoming created him the Marquess of Shao County, and in 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang created him the Prince of Nanyang.

In 532, after several years of civil war, the victorious general Gao Huan made Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Xiu the Prince of Pingyang emperor (as Emperor Xiaowu). Emperor Xiaowu was not happy about Gao's hold on the military, and he entered into alliances with the independent generals Yuwen Tai and Heba Sheng (賀拔勝), seeking to resist Gao's control. Yuan Baoju served in Emperor Xiaowu's administration as a general. In 534, Emperor Xiaowu planned to act against Gao, but Gao discovered his plan and instead marched on Luoyang. Emperor Xiaowu decided to flee to Yuwen's territory, and Yuan Baoju accompanied Emperor Xiaowu in doing so, arriving at Chang'an in late 534. Also accompanying Emperor Xiaowu was Yuan Baoju's sister Yuan Mingyue (元明月) -- who was in an incestuous relationship with Emperor Xiaowu. Yuwen did not tolerate Emperor Xiaowu's incestuous relationships with Yuan Mingyue and two other cousins, and eventually he had Yuan Mingyue killed. Emperor Xiaowu became angry, and his relationship with Yuwen deteriorated. Around the new year 535, Yuwen poisoned him to death.

Initially, Yuwen was poised to make Emperor Xiaowu's nephew Yuan Zan (元贊) the Prince of Guangping the new emperor. However, under suggestion of Yuan Shun (元順) the Prince of Puyang, who argued that Yuan Zan was too young, Yuwen changed his mind and made Yuan Baoju, then 27, emperor instead (as Emperor Wen). As Gao had earlier declared Yuan Shanjian, the son of Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Dan (元亶) the Prince of Qinghe, emperor, Gao's territory became known as Eastern Wei, with Yuan Shanjian (Emperor Xiaojing) as emperor, and Yuwen's territory became known as Western Wei, with Emperor Wen as emperor.

Reign

Yuwen Tai publicly deferred to Emperor Wen on most matters, but Yuwen held actual power, with Emperor Wen not being able to exercise much independent authority. Throughout the early years of his reign, there were serious doubts as to whether Western Wei would survive, as Eastern Wei was then the much stronger state, and Gao Huan made repeated attempts to conquer Western Wei. However, with Yuwen and other generals capably defending the territory, Western Wei was able to withstand Gao's assaults.

In 535, Emperor Wen posthumously honored his father Yuan Yu as Emperor Wenjing, and he posthumously honored his mother Lady Yang as empress. He created his wife Princess Yifu empress, and her son Yuan Qin crown prince. His marriage with Empress Yifu was said to be a happy one, as she was virtuous and beautiful, and Emperor Wen respected her greatly. She bore him 12 children, although only Yuan Qin and Yuan Wu (元戊) the Prince of Wudu survived infancy.

In 538, with Western Wei under the threat of attack by Rouran, Yuwen first tried to alleviate the situation by marrying a daughter of a member of the imperial clan to Yujiulü Tahan (郁久閭塔寒), the brother of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulü Anagui, but then, believing that to be insufficient, he asked Emperor Wen to divorce Empress Yifu and marry Yujiulü Anagui's daughter. Emperor Wen agreed, and divorced Empress Yifu, making her a Buddhist nun. He then married Yujiulü Anagui's daughter and created her empress. For a while, this brought peace with Rouran.

Later in 538, with Western Wei then (temporarily) controlling the old Northern Wei capital Luoyang, but with Luoyang under attack, Emperor Wen (who had wanted to visit the imperial ancestral tombs in Luoyang) and Yuwen led troops to reinforce Luoyang's defenses, leaving the official Zhou Huida (周惠達) and Crown Prince Qin in Chang'an. However, with the forces engaged in battle, Emperor Wen eventually became stuck at Hengnong (恆農, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), when Chang'an was taken by rebelling former Eastern Wei troops who had been taken captive previously by Western Wei, forcing Zhou and Crown Prince Qin to flee as well. Yuwen was eventually able to disengage after abandoning Luoyang, and he put down the rebellion, allowing Emperor Wen to return to Chang'an.

Although the former Empress Yifu had been deposed and made a Buddhist nun, Empress Yujiulü was still not happy about her presence in the capital. in 540, Emperor Wen therefore made Yuan Wu the governor of Qin Province (秦州, roughly modern Tianshui, Gansu), and had Empress Yifu accompany Yuan Wu to Qin Province. However, because he still hoped to welcome her back to the palace one day, he secretly told her to keep her hair uncut, rather than shaved like a Buddhist nun. At this time, however, Rouran made a major attack on Western Wei, and many officials thought that the attack was on behalf of Empress Yujiulü. Emperor Wen felt compelled to order Empress Yifu to commit suicide, and he did. Soon thereafter, Empress Yujiulü, who was pregnant, died during childbirth.

In 548, Yuwen and Yuan Qin were on a grand tour of the provinces when Emperor Wen grew ill, and when they heard the news, Yuwen returned to Chang'an quickly, although by the time they returned, Emperor Wen had recovered.

In 549, Emperor Wen issued an edict—probably as Yuwen requested—ordering that the names of the ethnic Xianbei, changed to Han names during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, be changed back to the original Xianbei names.

In 550, Gao Huan's son Gao Yang forced Eastern Wei's Emperor Xiaojing to yield the throne to him, ending Eastern Wei and starting Northern Qi (as its Emperor Wenxuan). Emperor Wen therefore became the only claimant to the Northern Wei throne. Yuwen, declaring Northern Qi a rebel state, launched a major attack, but Gao Yang himself commanded a large army to defend against the attack, and Western Wei not only did not make gains, but lost a number of provinces to Northern Qi.

In 551, Emperor Wen died and was buried with honors due an emperor, with Empress Yujiulü, although eventually Empress Yifu was buried with him. (It is not clear whether she displaced Empress Yujiulü or not.) Yuan Qin succeeded him (as Emperor Fei of Western Wei.

Era name

• Datong (大統 dà tǒng) 535-551

Personal information

• Father

　• Yuan Yu (元愉) (488-508), the Prince of Jingzhao, son of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, posthumously honored as Emperor Wenjing

• Mother

　• Lady Yang Aofei, Yuan Yu's concubine, posthumously honored as Empress Wenjing

• Wives

　• Empress Yifu (created 535, deposed 538, forced to commit suicide 540), mother of Crown Prince Qin and Prince Wu

　• Empress Yujiulü (created 538, d. 540), daughter of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulü Anagui

• Children

　• Yuan Qin (元欽), the Crown Prince (created 535), later Emperor Fei of Western Wei

　• Yuan Jian (元儉), the Prince of Liang (created 545)

　• Yuan Ning (元寧), the Prince of Zhao (created 547)

　• Yuan Kuo (元廓), the Prince of Qi (created 548), later Emperor Gong of Western Wei

　• Yuan Ru (元儒), the Prince of Yan (created 550)

　• Yuan Gong (元公), the Prince of Wu (created 550)

　• Yuan Wu (元戊), the Prince of Wudu

　• Princess Anle

　• Princess Yiyang

　• Yuan Humo (元胡摩), the Princess Jin'an, later empress to Emperor Xiaomin of Northern Zhou

　• Princess Jinming, married Yuchi Jiong and was the grandmother of Yuchi Chifan

生平

元寶炬在魏宣武帝時因為父親獲罪受牽連，年幼的一眾兄弟皆被幽禁在宗正寺，在宣武帝死後才重獲自由，被叔叔元懌收養。武泰年間封邵縣侯，530年被封為南陽王。534年跟隨堂弟魏孝武帝元修入關中投靠宇文泰。

永熙三年閏十二月癸巳（535年2月3日）宇文泰毒死魏孝武帝後，秘密不發布喪事，宇文泰與群臣商議冊立新皇帝，眾人大多推舉魏孝武帝哥哥的兒子廣平王元贊為嗣君。濮陽王元順在正室以外的房間流下眼淚對宇文泰說：「高歡逼迫驅逐先帝，冊立幼年的君主來獨攬大權，您應該反其道而行之。廣平王雖然與先帝親近，但是年幼，不適合居于皇帝之位，不如冊立年長的君主來奉戴。」宇文泰深深地贊同元順的意見，因此發布國家的喪事，向太宰、南陽王元寶炬奉上帝號，改元大統，政權實際上由宇文泰控制。

元寶炬和原配乙弗皇后感情甚好，乙弗皇后生性溫良節儉，堪稱賢后。然而，此時北方的柔然國力強盛，而西魏在東面還和東魏開戰，嚴重威脅到了西魏的統治。擔心兩面作戰，害怕已經疲憊不堪的西魏會雪上加霜的宇文泰勸說元寶炬迎娶柔然可汗阿那瑰之女鬱久閭氏為後，元寶炬無實權，迫于政治壓力無奈廢掉乙弗皇后，乙弗皇后出家為尼。鬱久閭皇后生性善妒，十分不滿乙弗氏還住在都城。元寶炬只好派遣武都王元戊為秦州刺史，與母親乙弗氏一同赴鎮。而元寶炬和原配生有十二個子女，夫妻感情深厚，對乙弗氏依舊是念念不忘，對不得已的政治聯姻並不甘心。

大統六年（540年）春天，柔然再次大舉南侵，不少人認為這是因為乙弗氏的緣故，權臣宇文泰偕同西魏其他大臣們請求皇帝逼迫乙弗氏自盡。元寶炬無奈說：「哪有為了一個女子而徵發百萬人的事情呢？雖然如此，可是讓人說出這樣的話，我還有什麼面目見將帥？」忍痛賜令乙弗氏自盡。乙弗氏哭著說：「願皇上活千萬歲，天下得以平安，如果這一切都能實現，我死了也沒有什麼怨恨！」說完乙弗氏進入室內，用被子自壓而死，時年三十一歲。鑿麥積崖為龕而葬，號寂陵。後追尊為文皇后，與元寶炬合葬于永陵。同年，鬱久閭氏懷孕待產，住在瑤華殿，聽見狗吠之聲，心情很不愉快。又見到一名婦人盛裝打扮來到其居所，鬱久閭氏問旁人此女是誰，但眾人都沒看到有人出沒，于是有人認為她看見的是乙弗氏的冤魂。不久鬱久閭氏難產而死，年僅十六歲。

大統十七年三月庚戌（551年3月28日），元寶炬去世，虛歲四十五，四月庚辰（551年4月27日）葬于永陵，上謚曰文皇帝，史稱西魏文帝。嫡長子皇太子元欽嗣位。

家庭

后妃

• 文皇后乙弗皇后，生子女十二人，除元欽、元戊外，多早夭

• 悼皇后鬱久閭皇后

子女

• 廢帝元欽，長子

•

• 武都王元戊

• 恭帝拓跋廓，第四子

• 拓跋寧，第五子，趙王，後改封魏郡公

• 梁王元儉

• 拓跋儒，第九子，燕王，後改封燕郡公

• 吳王元公

• 金明公主，長女，嫁尉遲迥

• 廣寧公主，第三女，嫁隋朝使持節、大將軍、趙州諸軍事、趙州刺史、安平平公于儀（于謹子）

• 晉安公主元胡摩，第五女，嫁宇文覺

• 義陽公主，嫁竇照

• 襄樂公主，嫁韋世康

• 元氏，嫁宇文震

• 元氏，嫁辛威