Background

Yuan Kuo was born in 537, as the fourth son of Emperor Wen. His mother's name is not recorded in history. In 548, Emperor Wen created him the Prince of Qi. He subsequently served under Dugu Xin as one of Western Wei's twelve great generals. However, nothing else is known about his activities during his father's reign, during which the paramount general Yuwen Tai largely controlled power. Yuwen's hold on power appeared to be even firmer after Emperor Wen died in 551 and was succeeded by Yuan Kuo's older brother Yuan Qin (as Emperor Fei). During Yuan Kuo's stint as the Prince of Qi, he married the daughter of the general Ruogan Hui (若干惠) as his wife and princess.

In 554, Emperor Fei, angry over Yuwen Tai's execution of the official Yuan Lie (元烈) in 553, plotted to have Yuwen killed. However, the news was leaked, and Yuwen deposed him. He selected Yuan Kuo to succeed Emperor Fei (as Emperor Gong). Contemporaneously, Yuwen changed the imperial clan's surname from Yuan back to Tuoba, reversing the change that Emperor Xiaowen ordered in 496.

Reign

Emperor Gong appeared to be even more powerless than his father and brother, and the power remained in Yuwen's hands. He created his wife, Princess Ruogan, empress. Later in 554, Yuwen poisoned the deposed Emperor Fei to death. Later that year, an army dispatched by Yuwen and commanded by Yu Jin (于謹) captured rival Liang dynasty's capital Jiangling (江陵, in modern Jingzhou, Hubei), capturing and executing Liang's Emperor Yuan. In spring 555, Emperor Gong created Xiao Cha, a nephew of Emperor Yuan, the Emperor of Liang (as Emperor Xuan), but Xiao Cha was not recognized by most of Liang generals and officials, who instead recognized Xiao Yuanming, a candidate supported by Northern Qi, as emperor. (Xiao Cha's state is known as the Western Liang in history.)

Later in 555, Yuwen required Tuoba Yu (拓拔育) the Prince of Huai'an to submit to Emperor Gong a proposal to have the imperial princes reduced in rank to dukes, of which Emperor Gong approved. In spring 556, pursuant to Yuwen's desire to reorganize the governmental structure in accordance with the Zhou dynasty governmental structure, the imperial government was reorganized into six departments.

In fall 556, while Yuwen Tai was on a tour of the northern provinces, he became ill at Qiantun Mountain (牽屯山, in modern Guyuan, Ningxia). He summoned his nephew Yuwen Hu to Qiantun and entrusted the affairs of the state as well as his sons to Yuwen Hu. He soon died, and Yuwen Tai's 14-year-old son Yuwen Jue took over his titles, while Yuwen Hu took the reins of the state. Emperor Gong was subsequently forced to create Yuwen Jue the greater title of Duke of Zhou.

In spring 557, Yuwen Hu, believing that Yuwen Jue's youth meant that he needed to take the imperial title to affirm his authority, forced Emperor Gong to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue, ending Western Wei and starting Northern Zhou.

Death

Yuwen Jue (Emperor Xiaomin) initially created Tuoba Kuo the Duke of Song. However, less than two months after Tuoba Kuo yielded the throne, he was killed. His wife, the former Empress Ruogan, became a Buddhist nun.

Personal information

• Father

　• Emperor Wen of Western Wei

• Wife

　• Empress Ruogan (created 554)

• Children

　• Tuoba Chu (555 - killed 557), eldest son, presumably killed along with him

Ancestry

生平

拓跋廓在西魏官至使持節、大將軍、大都督，封齊王。大統十六年（550年），齊文宣帝高洋稱帝，宇文泰發動關中兵馬討伐北齊，西魏文帝元寶炬派遣齊王拓跋廓鎮守隴右，徵召隴右大都督宇文導回朝鎮守咸陽。

元廓的兄長元欽繼位後于554年被權臣宇文泰所廢，宇文泰立元廓為帝，去年號稱元年，並且復姓拓跋。557年被迫禪位于宇文覺，西魏滅亡。恭帝被封為宋國公，住在宇文覺的堂兄大司馬宇文護府上，二月被殺。

家庭

妻妾

• 若干皇后，西魏司空、長樂武烈公若干惠之女

子女

• 拓跋初，長子，周元年（557年）二月去世，虛齡三歲，周明帝二年九月三十日（558年10月27日）葬于小陵原。根據王書欽《北周僭代西魏之史境再審視——從新見〈拓跋初墓誌〉等墓誌和史籍說起》（黃留珠、賈二強主編：《長安學研究（第五輯）》，科學出版社2020年版，253-271頁）及會田大輔《拓抜初の死―西魏宗室の粛清と曆史敘述―》（待刊）等研究，是與父親同日被殺

• 富平公主，西魏驃騎大將軍、開府儀同三司、梁州刺史、安國縣公崔猷之女，《周書》記載為宇文護養女，《北史》記載為魏恭帝養女

影視形象

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