Dugu Xin

Dugu Xin (獨孤信) (503[2] – 24 April 557[3]), Xianbei name Qimitou (期彌頭), known as Dugu Ruyuan (獨孤如願) before 540,[2] was a prominent military general and official during the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties period of imperial China. In 534, Dugu Xin followed Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei to the west to join the warlord Yuwen Tai, and in the ensuing years led Western Wei forces against their archnemesis, the Eastern Wei. Despite an early debacle (after which he fled to and stayed for 3 years in the southern Liang dynasty before returning to the northwest), he captured the former Northern Wei capital Luoyang from Eastern Wei in 537. He rose to high ranks under Yuwen Tai, and his eldest daughter married Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Yu. When the Northern Zhou dynasty replaced Western Wei, Dugu Xin was created Duke of Wei (衛國公), but was soon forced by the powerful regent Yuwen Hu to commit suicide for challenging him.

Dugu Xin was described as an extremely handsome man and was fond of wearing strange clothes. He is best remembered today due to his 3 daughters: it is because of their marriages that he was a father-in-law to 2 emperors from 2 Chinese dynasties (Emperor Ming of Northern Zhou and Emperor Wen of Sui), and maternal grandfather to 2 emperors from 2 dynasties (Emperor Yang of Sui and Emperor Gaozu of Tang), all after his death. In fact, every Chinese emperor for 3 centuries (from 604 to 907, with the exception of Wu Zetian and self-proclaimed rebels) was partially descended from him. During the Sui dynasty, Dugu Xin was honored as Duke Jing of Zhao (趙景公) by Emperor Wen of Sui (who married his seventh daughter Dugu Qieluo); in 583, the empress built a temple dedicated to his memory in the capital Daxingcheng.[4] (Remains of the temple were discovered in 1997 on the campus of Xi'an Jiaotong University.[5])