Cao Yu (Three Kingdoms)

Prince of the state of Cao Wei (died 278)

Cao Yu

Duke of Yan (燕公)
Tenure| February 266–278?
Prince of Yan (燕王)
Tenure| 232 – February 266

Born| between 196 and 211[1]
Died| 278 (aged between 67 and 82)
Consorts| Lady Zhang, daughter of Zhang Lu[2]
Issue| Cao Huan
| Names

Family name: Cao (曹)
Given name: Yu (宇)
Courtesy name: Pengzu (彭祖)
House| House of Cao
Father| Cao Cao
Mother| Consort Huan

In this Chinese name, the family name is  Cao.

Cao Yu (before 211–278), courtesy name Pengzu,[3] was a prince of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a son of Cao Cao, a warlord who rose to power towards the end of the Han dynasty and laid the foundation of Wei. Cao Yu's son, Cao Huan, was the fifth and last emperor of Wei.

## Life

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Cao Yu was a son of Cao Cao and his concubine Lady Huan (環夫人). He had two elder brothers who were also born to Lady Huan – Cao Chong and Cao Ju (曹據).[4] He was enfeoffed as a Marquis of a Chief District (都鄉侯) in 211 during the reign of Emperor Xian in the Eastern Han dynasty. In 215, after the warlord Zhang Lu surrendered to his father Cao Cao, Cao Cao married one of Zhang's daughters to Cao Yu. Cao Yu was later promoted to a county marquis under the title "Marquis of Luyang" (魯陽侯) in 217.[5]

In 221, the year after Cao Yu's elder half-brother, Cao Pi, ended the Han dynasty and established the state of Cao Wei, Cao Yu became a duke, and was enfeoffed as the Prince of Xiapi (下邳王) in the following year. In 224, his princedom was changed from Xiapi (下邳; present-day Pizhou, Jiangsu) to Shanfu County (單父縣; present-day Shan County, Shandong).[6]

In 232, during the reign of Cao Rui (Cao Pi's son and successor), Cao Yu's title was changed to "Prince of Yan" (燕王). Cao Rui had been very close to Cao Yu in his childhood and he favoured the latter, so he treated Cao Yu exceptionally after ascending the throne in 226 upon his father's death. In 235, Cao Yu was summoned to serve in the Wei imperial court. He returned to Ye (鄴; in present-day Handan, Hebei) in 237, but was summoned back to the Wei capital Luoyang in the summer of 238. Cao Rui became seriously ill in the winter of 238–239 and he appointed Cao Yu as General-in-Chief (大將軍) in the hope that Cao Yu would assist his successor in governing the state. After serving as General-in-Chief for a few days, Cao Yu had the intention of resigning. At the same time, Cao Rui had also changed his mind so he relieved Cao Yu of his duty. Cao Yu returned to Ye in the summer of 239 after Cao Rui's death.[7]

In 260, after the fourth Wei ruler Cao Mao was killed in a failed coup against the regent Sima Zhao, Cao Yu's son Cao Huan, the Duke of Changdao District (常道鄉公), was chosen to be the new emperor and he ascended the throne shortly after Cao Mao's death. Cao Yu remained as the Prince of Yan when his son was a nominal emperor under Sima Zhao's control. The number of taxable households in his princedom increased throughout the reigns of Cao Rui, Cao Fang, Cao Mao and Cao Huan until it reached 5,500.[8] On 4 February 266, Sima Zhao's son Sima Yan forced Cao Huan to abdicate the throne in his favour, ending the state of Cao Wei and establishing the Jin dynasty. Sima Yan became the emperor and he granted Cao Huan the title "Prince of Chenliu" (陳留王).[9] Cao Yu's status was reduced from that of a prince to a duke, so he became known as the "Duke of Yan" (燕公); he died in 278.[10]

## Family

[edit]

Consorts and Issue:

* Lady, of the Zhang clan (張氏)
* Possibly Cao Huan, Emperor Yuan (元皇帝 曹奐; 246–302)[11]

## Ancestry

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|  |  |  |  | Cao Song (d. 193)

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| Cao Cao (155–220)|

|  |  |
| Lady Ding

| Cao Yu (d. 278)|
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| Lady Huan|

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## See also

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* Cao Wei family trees
* Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms

## References

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1. ^ Cao Yu's full brother Cao Chong was born in 196.
2. ^ Sanguozhi, vol.08 (biography of Zhang Lu)
3. ^ (燕王宇字彭祖。) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
4. ^ (武皇帝二十五男： ... 環夫人生鄧哀王沖、彭城王據、燕王宇， ...) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
5. ^ (建安十六年，封都鄉侯。二十二年，改封魯陽侯。) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
6. ^ (黃初二年，進爵為公。三年，為下邳王。五年，改封單父縣。) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
7. ^ (太和六年，改封燕王。明帝少與宇同止，常愛異之。及即位，寵賜與諸王殊。青龍三年，徵入朝。景初元年，還鄴。二年夏，復徵詣京都。冬十二月，明帝疾篤，拜宇為大將軍，屬以後事。受署四日，宇深固讓；帝意亦變，遂免宇官。三年夏，還鄴。) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
8. ^ (景初、正元、景元中，累增邑，并前五千五百戶。常道鄉公奐，宇之子，入繼大宗。) Sanguozhi vol. 20.
9. ^ (帝初以禮讓，魏朝公卿何曾、王沈等固請，乃從之。 ... 封魏帝為陳留王， ...) Jin Shu vol. 3.
10. ^ ([咸寧]四年，陳留國上，燕公是王之父，王出奉明帝祀，今於王為從祖父。有司奏：“应服周，不以亲疏尊卑为降。”诏曰：“王奉魏氏，所承者重，不得服其私亲。”) Tongdian vol. 93.
11. ^ Cao Huan was born about 30 years after Cao Yu's marriage to Lady Zhang. Thus, it is unlikely that Lady Zhang was Huan's mother.

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
* Du, You (8th century). Tongdian.
* Fang, Xuanling (648). Book of Jin (Jin Shu).

* v
* t
* e

Prominent people of Cao Wei

Emperors|

* Cao Cao (posthumously)
* Cao Pi
* Cao Rui
* Cao Fang
* Cao Mao
* Cao Huan

Empresses|

* Empress Dowager Bian
* Lady Zhen
* Empress Wende
* Empress Mingdao
* Empress Mingyuan
* Empress Huai
* Empress Zhang
* Empress Wang
* Empress Bian (Cao Mao's wife)
* Empress Bian (Cao Huan's wife)

Princes and male royal figures|

* Cao Biao
* Cao Gan
* Cao Gong
* Cao Gun
* Cao Hui
* Cao Jian
* Cao Ju (Prince of Pengcheng)
* Cao Jun (Prince of Chenliu)
* Cao Li
* Cao Lin (Prince of Donghai)
* Cao Lin (Prince of Pei)
* Cao Mao
* Cao Rui
* Cao Xie
* Cao Xun
* Cao Yan
* Cao Yong
* Cao Yu
* Cao Zhang
* Cao Zhi
* Cao Zhi (Yungong)

Princess and female royal figures|

* Duquess Cao
* Cao Hua
* Cao Xian
* Princess Dongxiang
* Princess Jinxiang
* Princess Anyang
* Princess Changle
* Princess Qinghe
* Lady Yu
* Princess Linfen

Regents|

* Cao Shuang
* Sima Yi
* Sima Shi
* Sima Zhao
* Sima Yan

Civil officers|

* Bao Xun
* Bi Gui
* Cang Ci
* Chang Lin
* Chen Jiao
* Chen Qun
* Cui Lin
* Deng Yang
* Dong Zhao
* Du Ji
* Du Xi
* Fu Jia
* Fu Xuan
* Fu Xun
* Gao Rou
* Gaotang Long
* Guan Ning
* Han Ji
* He Kui
* He Qia
* He Yan
* Hu Zhi
* Hua Xin
* Huan Fan
* Huan Jie
* Jia Chong
* Jia Xu
* Jiang Ji
* Li Dian
* Li Feng
* Li Sheng
* Liang Xi
* Liu Shao
* Liu Ye
* Liu Yi
* Lu Yu
* Pang Yu
* Pei Qian
* Pei Xiu
* Sima Fu
* Sima Zhi
* Su Ze
* Wang Chen
* Wang Guan
* Wang Lang
* Wang Jing
* Wang Su
* Wang Xiang
* Wang Ye
* Wei Ji
* Wei Zhen
* Wu Zhi
* Xiahou He
* Xiahou Hui
* Xiahou Wei
* Xiahou Xuan
* Xin Pi
* Xing Yong
* Xu Miao
* Xu Shu
* Xu Xuan
* Xun Xu
* Xun Yi
* Yang Fu
* Yang Jun
* Yu Huan
* Zhang Hua
* Zhang Ji (Derong)
* Zhang Ji (Jingzhong)
* Zheng Hun
* Zhong Yao
* Zhong Yu

Military officers|

* Cao Hong
* Cao Ren
* Cao Xiu
* Cao Zhang
* Cao Zhen
* Chen Tai
* Deng Ai
* Du Yu
* Fei Yao
* Gongsun Yuan
* Guanqiu Jian
* Guo Huai
* Hao Zhao
* Huang Quan
* Jia Kui
* Liu Jing
* Lü Qian
* Man Chong
* Meng Da
* Niu Jin
* Pang De
* Qian Hong
* Qian Zhao
* Qin Lang
* Sima Wang
* Sima Zhou
* Sun Li
* Tang Zi
* Tian Xu
* Tian Yu
* Wang Chang
* Wang Hun
* Wang Ji
* Wang Jun
* Wang Ling
* Wang Shuang
* Wang Zhong
* Wei Guan
* Wen Ping
* Wen Qin
* Wen Yang
* Wei Guan
* Xiahou Ba
* Xiahou Dun
* Xiahou Mao
* Xiahou Shang
* Xu Chu
* Xu Huang
* Xu Zhi
* Yang Hu
* Yang Qiu
* Yin Li
* Yu Jin
* Yue Jin
* Zang Ba
* Zhang He
* Zhang Liao
* Zhang Te
* Zhao Yan
* Zhong Hui
* Zhou Tai
* Zhu Ling
* Zhuge Dan
* Zhuge Xu

Other notable women|

* Cai Yan
* Cuishi
* Guo Huai
* Pang E
* Wang Yi
* Wang Yuanji
* Xiahou Hui
* Xin Xianying
* Yang Huiyu
* Xiahou Lingnü
* Zhang Chunhua
* Zhang Changpu
* Princess Changshan
* Yang Yan
* Wei Huacun
* Xun Cai
* Xu Yi

Other notable figures|

* Budugen
* Du Kui
* Guan Lu
* Huangfu Mi
* Huchuquan
* Liu Bao
* Kebineng
* Liu Hui
* Ma Jun
* Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove
* Wang Bi
* Xun Can
* Pei Xiu
* Zhou Xuan
* Zhu Jianping

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