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Liang Jingdi 梁敬帝 Xiao Fangzhi 蕭方智

Jun 13, 2025 © Ulrich Theobald

Liang Jingdi 梁敬帝 (r. 555-557), personal name Xiao Fangzhi 蕭方智 (543-558), courtesy name Huixiang 慧相, was the last legal emperor of the Liang dynasty 梁 (502-557), one of the Southern Dynasties 南朝 (420-589). He was the ninth son of Emperor Yuan 梁元帝 (r. 552-554), and his mother was Lady Xia 夏貴妃 (see female offices).

He was first invested as Marquis of Xingliang 興梁侯, and in 552 as Prince of the Commandery of Jin'an 晉安郡王, concurrently holding the office of regional inspector (cishi 刺史) of the province of Jiangzhou 江州.

In 554, an army of the Western Wei 西魏 (535-556) invaded central China, and Emperor Yuan was killed. At that occasion, the Defender-in-Chief (taiwei 太尉), Wang Sengbian 王僧辯 (d. 555) and General Chen Baxian 陳霸先 (503-559) urged Xiao Fangzhi to adopt the title of Prince of Liang 梁王 and take formally over the post of Counsellor-in-Chief (taizai 太宰), which made him regent of the Liang empire.

A year later, the Northern Qi empire 北齊 (550-577) made Xiao Yuanming 蕭淵明 (d. 556) the sovereign of the Liang empire, escorting him to the capital in Jiankang 建康 (today's Nanjing 南京, Jiangsu). Xiao Fangzhi was made Heir Apparent. Not for long, Chen Baxian demoted Xiao Yuanming and enthroned Xiao Fangzhi. Chen Baxian was made Director of the Imperial Secretariat (shangshu ling 尚書令), given the command over all troops in the capital and in the provinces (dudu zhong-wai zhujun shi 都督中外諸軍事), and invested as King of Chen 陳. In 557, the powerful regent forced Xiao Fangzhi to abdicate and demoted him to King of Jiangyin 江陰. A year later, Xiao was killed.

Sources:
Chen Quanli 陳全力, and Hou Xinyi 侯欣一, eds. 1988. Diwang cidian 帝王辭典, 101. Xi’an: Shaanxi renmin jiaoyu chubanshe.
Xiong Tiejin 熊鐵基, and Yang Youli 楊有禮, eds. 1994. Zhongguo diwang zaixiang cidian 中國帝王宰相辭典, 221. Wuhan: Hubei jiaoyu chubanshe.