Sun Deng (Eastern Wu)
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (March 2013) |
| Sun Deng 孫登 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Prince of Eastern Wu | |||||||||
| Tenure | 23 May 229[1] – May or June 241 | ||||||||
| Successor | Sun He | ||||||||
| Born | 209 | ||||||||
| Died | May or June 241 (aged 32)[a] | ||||||||
| Spouse | Consort Zhou Lady Bing | ||||||||
| Issue |
| ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | House of Sun | ||||||||
| Father | Sun Quan | ||||||||
Sun Deng (209 – May or June 241),[a] courtesy name Zigao, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Sun Quan, Eastern Wu's founding emperor, and was crown prince from 229 until his death in 241.
Youth
[edit]Sun Deng was the eldest son of Sun Quan,[3] the founding emperor of Wu. He was born to a low-status mother and raised from childhood by Lady Xu, the second wife of Sun Quan.
When Cao Pi, emperor of the state of Cao Wei, appointed Sun Quan the King of Wu in 221, he enfeoffed Sun Deng as a marquis with a fief of ten thousand households (万户侯), and offered him the position of East General of the Household (東中郎將). However, Sun Deng refused the title and position, claiming that he was ill.[4] In the same year, Sun Quan designated Sun Deng as the Crown Prince.[5] When Cao Pi demanded that Sun Quan send Sun Deng to the Wei capital Luoyang as a hostage, to guarantee his loyalty, Sun Quan refused and declared independence.
Life and death
[edit]It is recorded that Sun Deng was both wise and virtuous, having all the makings of a great man. Sun Quan ordered Zhuge Ke (諸葛恪), Gu Tan (顧譚), Zhang Xiu (張休), Chen Biao (陳表)[6] and others to serve as the Crown Prince's attendants and personal staff. Sun Deng treated his staff kindly. For instance, he allowed others to ride with him and sleep close to him.[7] The Crown Prince's palace was considered to have the largest number of outstanding people in China.[8]
Sun Deng showed his filial piety to both his father and adoptive mother,[9] even through Lady Xu was divorced from Sun Quan in 212. Aged 20, Sun Deng studied the Book of Han under his father's order. When Sun Quan declared himself emperor in 229 and later moved his capital from Wuchang (武昌; in present-day Ezhou, Hubei) to Jianye, Sun Deng and his younger brothers were left in Wuchang. Sun Deng was in charge of the western parts of Eastern Wu with the help of Lu Xun and Shi Yi until his brother Sun Lü died in 232. He then travelled to Jianye to accompany his father and lived there since then.
In 234, Sun Quan personally led a major attack against Wei's border city Hefei. He let Sun Deng remain in the rear. At that time, Sun Deng made some laws to prevent crime, which achieved successful results. However, Sun Deng never succeeded his father, dying from illness aged 33 (by East Asian reckoning).[10] Before he died he wrote a letter to inspire his father and recommend talented individuals. Sun Deng was buried in Jurong, Jiangsu initially, then moved to the Jiang Mausoleum (蔣陵) at the Purple Mountain in Jiangsu. He was posthumously honoured as "Crown Prince Xuan".
Personal life
[edit]In 225, on the arrangement of Sun Quan, Sun Deng married Zhou Che, Zhou Yu's daughter.[11][12] She thus carried the title of Crown Princess. Sun Deng also had another concubine with the title of shuyuan who was Rui Xuan's (芮玄) daughter.[13] Sun Deng had three children: Sun Fan, Sun Ying (孫英), and Sun Xi. The mother's identity of each is unknown. Both Sun Fan and Sun Xi died at their early age. Thus Sun Ying was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wu when he grew up. However, Sun Ying was eventually executed because he was accused of attempting to assassinate Sun Jun, the regent who served under the second Wu emperor Sun Liang.
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ This date was also the date whereby Sun Quan crowned himself emperor (bingshen day of the 4th month of the 1st year of the Huang'long era). Previously, when Sun Quan was King of Wu, Sun Deng was also his crown prince; Sun Quan first became King of Wu on 23 September 221 (dingsi day of the 8th month of the 2nd year of Cao Pi's reign, per vol.69 of Zizhi Tongjian).
- ^ ([赤烏四年]五月，太子登卒。) Sanguozhi vol. 47.
- ^ (孙登字子高，权长子也。) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ (魏黄初二年，以权为吴王，拜登东中郎将，封万户侯，登辞疾不受.) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ (是岁，立登为太子...) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ (于是诸葛恪、张休、顾谭、陈表等以选入，侍讲诗书，出从骑射。) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ (与恪、休、谭等或同舆而载，或共帐而寐。) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ (于是东宫号为多士。) Sanguozhi, vol.59
- ^ Destenay, Anne L. (1986). China. United States: Nagel Publishers. p. 822. ISBN 2826307649.
- ^ (年三十三卒。) Sanguozhi, vol 59.
- ^ (黄武四年，权为太子登娉周瑜女...) Sanguozhi vol.53. This record was listed in Cheng Bing's biography, as Cheng was the official (Minister of Ceremonies) who welcomed Lady Zhou to Wu. (秉守太常，迎妃于吴...)
- ^ According to genealogical records (《江西吉安周氏族谱》), Lady Zhou's name was "Che" and she was a younger sister of Zhou Yin (初，胤公妹周彻，配皇太子孙登。).
- ^ (权为子登拣择淑媛，群臣咸称玄父祉兄良并以德义文武显名三世，故遂娉玄女为妃焉。) Wu Shu annotation in Sanguozhi vol.61. This record was listed in Pan Jun's biography, as Pan took over Rui's troops after his death.
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).